Highly motivated, organised, and experienced researcher on Africa shares her work on Human rights
“Working at OSISA internally with the team and externally with our partners taught me to listen to what people say, take interest in who they are and what they represent. In listening you understand and you lead from a point of empathy.”
An independent and adventurous spirit coupled with first-hand experience of political repression during Malawi’s period of one-party rule ignited Tiseke Kasambala’s passion for human rights and democracy.
Sowing the seed
Kasambala served as Deputy Executive Director and Head of Programmes at the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) from 2015 to 2019, where she provided strategic leadership and oversaw the implementation of a multimillion-dollar grants programme.
Prior to that, she worked at Human Rights Watch for 10 years in various leadership positions including Southern Africa Director and Africa Advocacy Director.
“I have always been interested in human rights and democracy because I was born into a dictatorial one-party state in Malawi and saw the damage that can do,” says Kasambala, who was born in Blantyre, Malawi in 1975, at the height of Hastings Kamzu Banda’s rule.
“Banda led the country with an iron fist. He told us what to wear and how to behave. Women were not allowed to wear trousers or dresses and skirts above their knees. Men were not allowed to have dreadlocks. Censorship was the norm of the day.”
Living under Banda’s rule, Kasambala saw the effects of political repression first hand. This planted a seed of resistance that flourished into a multi-faceted career in human rights advocacy.
“I spent the first 18 years of my life under his rule. I saw what political repression does to a country, its effects on every facet of one’s life and the longer impact on a nation’s development. Interestingly, OSISA supported the publication of an important book on conditions in the country at the time, Malawi’s Lost Years.”
She said she stays motivated to do the work as it never ends.
“Progress when it comes to democracy and rights is never linear. There will always be setbacks and reversals. As developments in the world have shown over the past few years, there are times of regression where the pro-democracy movement and human rights activists have to push back in order to keep the space open.”
Milestones
Looking back at her time with OSISA, Kasambala is most proud of leading the organisation’s overall work under its various clusters, in particular supporting the economic and social justice cluster’s interventions around climate change, health and education.
“I am most proud of working with my sister Alice Kanengoni, former OSISA Women’ Rights Programme Manager, and Executive Director Siphosami Malunga to introduce feminist leadership principles and a feminist culture of working at OSISA. It was a challenging process, and we didn’t fully achieve it during my time at the organization.
“We were able to begin the conversations on what feminist leadership was, why it was needed and what it meant in practice. We were able to introduce the importance of dismantling patriarchal forms of leading that were entrenched in power and privilege.”
Lessons learned
Since 2019, Kasambala has served as the Director of Africa Programmes at Freedom House. The lessons she took with her from her time at OSISA include leading with empathy and strategising.
“Working at OSISA internally with the team and externally with our partners taught me to listen to what people say, take interest in who they are and what they represent. In listening you understand and you lead from a point of empathy.
“Think carefully, learn and strategise. In this space we often find ourselves reacting to developments, many of which are indeed urgent. However, we can’t effectively address issues and achieve longer term impact if we don’t seek deeper knowledge of what’s at their root and tailor our responses to the causes. OSISA was good at providing the space for this type of strategic thinking and providing the thought leadership required for advancing key policies and initiatives on democracy and rights.”
Future focus
After spending four years at OSISA, Kasambala still dreams big.
“I dream of addressing climate change, ending poverty and shrinking the inequality gap, embedding human rights into peoples’ daily lives, dismantling patriarchy, ending discrimination and creating more inclusive societies.”
She said she believed that Africa’s young people are the continent’s greatest assets, but they have been let down as they are now living in a world that is in a mess.
“The good thing is that they are innovative and impatient for change. They are angry, committed and determined. That’s what we need. Change happens incrementally and it will happen.”
Kasambala has the following words of encouragement for people working in the human rights space: “Always approach issues with the intention of learning. For those working in the democracy and human rights space my message is to take the time to care for yourself because as the saying goes, you can’t pour from an empty cup and the continent needs you.”
