On 3 May journalists the world over commemorated World Press Freedom Day with gusto and pomp. They used the opportunity to reflect on the past, present and future events that have shaped the profession. But as the world commemorated, there were concerns in a Declaration issued by a Namibian conference about the lack of gender equality in the media.

This 8 March marked 100 years since Clara Zetkin first proposed the annual International Women’s Day (IWD) at the International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen, a motion unanimously approved by over 100 women from 17 countries, writes Rosemary Okello-Orlale. When IWD was honoured for the first time the following year, more than one million women and men attended rallies campaigning for women's rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination.

With Sixteen Days of Activism now in full swing, organisations and governments are focusing significant attention on gender violence and the gender inequalities that play a large role in its prevalence in Africa. In assessing how far we have come over the last year, and what we need to do next, it is important to remember what is at the heart of making it all happen – money.