Women’s centre in Adaké: For Dr Denis Mukwege, human rights activist and 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner “Several other First Ladies of Africa should be able to draw inspiration from this project to replicate it in their countries.”
- What was your first impression after visiting the Women’s centre?
We need this type of facility for women in every big city. We need them even in rural areas. I don’t think we can fight inequalities between men and women in our societies without providing adequate support to women and give them the opportunity to take their place in society. I think a center like this is a place that simply gives hope, and I hope that all the women who pass through this center will be very useful to Ivorian society afterwards.
- What messages would you like to send to Dominique Ouattara, the proponent of this project, after this visit?
After this visit, I simply wanted to say that this project should not be hidden. It’s true that it’s a two-hour drive from Abidjan, but I think that several other African First Ladies should take inspiration from this project and replicate it in their countries as a response to gender base violence issue.
- What types of collaboration would you like to have or recommend between the Panzi Foundation and the Children Of Africa Foundation?
I think we can collaborate on several levels. In particular, I think we have 25 years’ experience in caring for victims of sexual violence. I think this experience means we can work together. We’re already working in a number of African countries, including the Central African Republic and Burundi. We are in the process of initiating similar activities in Ethiopia for victims of war-related sexual violence. We’ve also been to Guinea-Conakry. I think we need to be able to exchange experiences in Africa, simply to give women the place they deserve. In Guinea-Conakry, for example, we made a documentary film about women victims of sexual violence. I’m impressed to see these women, who were dying a slow death, become business leaders who hire men. They’re very proud of it. Simply because they’ve been given the place they deserve in society. I think these experiences can simply enable us to make the best use of African women’s abilities. I’ve even written a book on the power of women. I believe in it, and I think this continent is going to be transformed by the ability of African women. Their ability to see in a collective way and not individually. Their ability to think of everyone before themselves. I think we can make a big difference if we use this capacity of women for our continent. We have everything to live happily on this continent, but we have to use these women with extraordinary abilities.