Determined, hardworking, a compulsive reader; lover of arts and philosophical thoughts: these are words and phrases that Irene Vida Gala, the Brazilian Ambassador to Ghana, describes herself with.
A self-proclaimed agnostic, she has had a long career in politics and diplomacy, creating the opportunity for herself to learn a lot about different countries, cultures, peoples and arts.
Whereas in other parts of the world politicians see politics as a means to make money, she sees it differently: she sees politics “as a means for change†and says it is a big let- down when politics closes the door to change and becomes a way of keeping privileges for others.
“I believe that politics is the way to fight for better things. I am very curious and I am not fond of money. Everything that I appreciate in life is something I cannot buy with money, so I am not attracted to money.â€Â
Despite her agnostic beliefs, she notes that some Christian values are applicable to every human being, like the Seven Biblical Works of Mercy: feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; clothe the naked; shelter the homeless; visit the sick; visit the imprisoned; and bury the dead.
Ms. Gala says apart from being Christian virtues, they are very much embedded in human values.
At 52, she still wakes up as early as 5am every day and tries very much to exercise in the morning at least four to five times a week, which she sees as very essential.
Taking charge of the daily administration of the embassy herself has allowed her to create a very engaging working atmosphere. She gleefully recounts that as large numbers of fans and officials thronged the embassy for visas to travel to Brazil for the World Cup, she would personally join staff at the consular office to receive applicants’ passports and other documents for processing.
“I tend to be very informal during work, which gets me very close to my staff. I believe that leaders either lead with the head, heart or hands. I lead with my hands, hence the intimate working environment I have created for my staff.â€Â
Ms. Gala graduated from law school in 1983, but says if she hadn’t become a diplomat, she would have ventured into her other passion: owning a bookshop, due to her love for books. She is a compulsive reader with a huge collection of books.
Not singling out a particular book as her favourite, she says she reads several books at the same time, adding that what one reads at a particular point in time depends on the phase of life one is going through. “What you read reflects your spirit at that moment.â€Â
Hardly found reading romance, she is either reading the sciences, economics, or political science. “Nowadays, I find time to read about the philosophy of arts,†she adds.
A feminist from birth, Madam Ambassador has pledged to fight for women’s equality as long as she can. From her beginnings in Brazil, she had been overlooked when it mattered most because she was a woman.
Despite her parents having a very successful business when she was growing up, she couldn’t rise up to management level simply because she is a woman.
“My parents had a company, a factory for making all kinds of glasses, and I wanted to get into the family business; but my uncles and brothers didn’t allow me because I was a woman. I am quite successful today, but the factory unfortunately went down and was eventually closed.â€Â
She believes that women in business and politics need to have more space to operate because women know how to do things.
On a daily basis, she contends, women are faced with many challenges because men do not create the environment for women to function properly.
Citing another example of how being a woman robbed her of an opportunity, Ms. Gala says when she was in diplomatic school about 25 years ago, she won a prize to travel on a Brazilian naval ship that was crossing the ocean to Africa; but because she was the only woman, the authorities did not allow her to embark on the trip.
“There will always be a first time. I am the first female ambassador here. It is the first time my staff have to relate to a woman. The drivers for instance always addressed my predecessors as Mr. Ambassador. But they can’t call me Madam Ambassador; they just simply call me Madam.â€Â
She believes that what really can change the status quo is to convince other women to strive for more.
Talking about gender equality in Ghana, she notes with excitement how quite a number of women are trying to promote gender issues, especially the Minister of Women, Children and Social Protection, Nana OyeLithur. “She really pushes very hard. I think she is a great reference.â€Â
She says in the Brazilian foreign service -- unlike the country’s judiciary which has a lot of women -- about 20percent of the personnel are women, and these few are working assiduously to increase the numbers. “I am part of a group of women advocating more women’s involvement in foreign service -- and what we want now is more role-models.
“Although I am a woman I work as the men do in terms of dedication. I think women deserve special rights, hours, and conditions because mankind needs to procreate, and women are supposed to nurture these children and still come back to work. So we have to create the conditions for women to have the babies, nurture the family but still have an important part to play in politics and the economy.â€Â
She believes that what can truly advance womens’ place in society everywhere in the world is education. She opines that women need to be made to believe that they can do anything they set their minds to.
“Never let a man speak on your behalf. That is education. If you are a father and you keep your daughter quiet and speak on her behalf; it is not a good way of educating your daughter.â€Â
But how can women of her kind be produced? “Knowledge comes through several ways and I think education is essential,†she says. “Devotion to education is very crucial. On a personal note, education is not all about the church. A lot of time in this country is devoted to the religious aspect of education, and I think that we have to devote time to something beyond the church or religious books.â€Â
During her leisure time, she is either reading, listening to music or eating-out at a nice restaurant while engaging in an intellectual conversation with people.
“I love sushi, pizza; and I like to say I love sophistication, especially intellectual sophistication. I can sit in any place to eat, if it is clean, and then have a good interesting conversation.â€Â
Having been to more than 30 countries in Africa, the virtues she appreciates a lot are knowledge and generosity. “These are things that I am trying to get day in day out: more knowledge and become more generous. These are mainly my goals.â€Â
Never wanting to be left behind in the technology race either, she finds herself on the Internet a lot and loves listening to classical tunes from Wagner, Bach, Vivaldi or Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
“I also read about Caravaggio, the Italian painter who also painted the Seven Works of Mercy.â€Â
By Bernard Yaw Ashiadey | B&FT Online | Ghana
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS