What’s a Gogo?
You may think it’s a mini-skirted dancer from the 1960s, but in the African countries where Zulu is spoken – a gogo is a grandmother! An African grandmother may be called shosho in Kenya, nyana in Zambia, jaja in Uganda or nkeku in Botswana. But no matter how they’re addressed, African grandmothers are the unsung heroes of the continent raising a generation of children orphaned by AIDS.
A Greater Van Gogo lives in Southwestern BC and belongs to a “grandmothers group” dedicated to standing in solidarity with African grandmothers and to raising funds for the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign.
Photo: © Jennifer Strang Photography
Grandmothers Campaign
African grandmothers are the heart of the response to HIV/AIDS. The Stephen Lewis Foundation launched the Grandmothers Campaign in 2006 to support grandmothers’ needs such as housing, school fees and uniforms for orphans in their care, counseling, business skills, and support groups.
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