Tamale, Sylvia2022-11-182022-11-182000Tamale, S. (2000). 'Point of order, Mr Speaker': African women claiming their space in parliament. Gender & -Development, 8(3), 8-15.https://doi.org/10.1080/741923783https://nru.uncst.go.ug/handle/123456789/5335At the close of the millennium, there is a wave of invigorating air sweeping across the African continent. The refreshing breeze can be felt in the form of women smashing the gendered 'glass ceiling' in a bid to overcome the cultural and structural barriers that impede their political careers. In this short article, I examine the relationship of African women to parliament. In the first section, I look at women's involvement in politics in pre-colonial Africa, and then examine the barriers to women's political activity thrown up by colonialism. This history explains much about women's absence from contemporary African national assemblies. I then focus on one state - Uganda - looking closely at the policy of affirmative action there, and the reality of male bias, prejudice, and sexual harassment that women MPs confront when they manage to enter parliament.enArticle