Description:
Binti Leo (literally Today’s Young Lady) is an association of women in the arts in Tanzania established in 2005. Binti Leo’s main objectives were to identify women in the arts, improve their lives, and advocate for their rights. From its establishment, the association has executed its activities independently or in association with the other like minded organizations. Members have performed in various places in Tanzania, across the continent and abroad. Regardless of a decade of existence, the association, it has not been able to fulfill its goals and objectives.
This paper draws on personal experiences and shared views by some members of Binti Leo and interrogates the successes, failures and challenges that the organization faces for its survival in the neoliberal market. The analysis shows that participation in the arts is something which women like and enjoy. Poverty at family level and lack of funds to implement some of the Binti Leo’s projects have been identified as the major challenges to further progress.