Where did you get the idea to create WILPF?

         I discovered WILPF and its work twelve years ago at the AWID International Forum in Istanbul, Turkey. On that occasion, I visited the organization’s stands and took part in some of its workshops. On the one hand, I once again came to the bitter realization of the impact of conflict on women and girls through the sharing of experiences during the workshops, and on the other, I was very impressed by the work that WILPF was doing all over the world to promote peace.

    I was particularly intrigued by the cutting-edge research carried out by the organization and the data provided in many areas: actions and needs in conflict prevention and peacebuilding, militarism, peacekeeping operations and the military spending of different countries. The latter were often disproportionate to the efforts made to promote human rights, particularly women’s rights.

    I was then able to establish a clear link between women’s rights and the proliferation of weapons, and was shocked to discover that countries were able to vote colossal budgets for the purchase of weapons to the detriment of other fundamental social sectors such as education, health and gender equality, which are essential for promoting the cause of women.

    Knowing the situation in my country, Cameroon, which was already affected by conflicts with neighboring countries, I felt a moral obligation to ensure that Cameroonian women became more involved in this global quest for social justice. This is how WILPF Cameroon came into being in January 2014.

What justifies your commitment to the emancipation of Cameroonian women?

    My commitment and determination to work in civil society, and more specifically for the emancipation of women, were motivated by a number of major events that very early on marked my professional life and my life as a woman. These were a number of observations that brought home to me, through personal experience, social problems such as maternal and infant mortality, the precariousness of the healthcare system, poor working conditions for teachers and learning conditions for learners, neglect of hospital training, the absence of social security, etc.

    In 1994, when I was admitted to a hospital in the capital because I had fainted, I had to help my bedmate, who was bleeding profusely and without assistance, and finally gave up the ghost in the early hours of the morning, during the rounds of the medical staff, having listened as her last words to the reprimands of the medical staff, who reproached her for not making it easier for them to take the blood sample they were trying to take.

   Following this incident, I in turn lost my baby and only daughter in 1994 (born by Caesarean section) as a result of gross negligence and medical errors in the same hospital, errors that led to numerous other health problems, resulting in 3 further operations. All in all, at my young age, I underwent a total of 07 operations with general anaesthesia, the after-effects of which are still perceptible today. The third major fact was that as a young teacher, my salary did not allow me to pay for my medical care beyond 48 hours, a salary which in 1994 was 66,000FCA for an A2 category civil servant.  

    Outraged by these three events, I decided to get involved in civil society, vowing to devote my life to fighting so that no other woman goes through what I was traumatized by.

    In addition, the experience of the 2008 food riots in Cameroon, with their attendant destruction and damage and their impact on Cameroonian women, as well as my participation in the 2008 training in Burundi, enabled me to measure the disproportionate impact of conflict on women and girls. It was with this in mind that I decided to mobilize Cameroonian women who shared the vision of a violence-free Cameroon, so that we could create the Women’s Peace Initiatives association (2009).

What sacrifices have been made?

• Many institutional and personal obstacles
• The family pays a high price for our commitment, with repeated absences for activities and the extra sacrifices made to replace us (child-rearing, household chores).
• Family members and friends develop a fear of the threats they face.
• Investing in safety and well-being for a minimum of protection and well-being
• A lot of physical, intellectual and financial investment
• Many sleepless nights to develop projects or meet project submission deadlines
• Taking many risks
• Numerous attacks, including repeated burglaries, threats and physical assaults, cause us to lose not only important data, but also personal and work equipment, and create a situation of stress and fear, leading to health problems.
• The obligation, despite sabotage, defamation and persecution, to maintain calm and restraint in order to reflect the values of non-violence advocated and taught by our attitude.
• We’ve generally been the victims of targeted attacks, which take the form of burglaries of our offices and homes, and threats by telephone call. During these various burglaries, it’s always our work tools such as laptops and USB sticks that are taken, and nothing else.
• It’s always been impossible to separate activism from my private life. At home, for example, my space was used as the association’s office for many years; equipment and funds of my own helped keep the association running, and at the time in Bafoussam, my vehicle was called the ” union car.”

How do you feel today? An accomplished woman?

I’m a happy initiator !!!!

    Because she has been able to contribute to the advancement of human rights and women’s emancipation through concrete actions over the years, against all odds.

     I’m proud to have held the hands of thousands of women and young people and to have represented Cameroon at high levels of decision-making. It is with great joy that I now represent Cameroon on a global level as President of WILPF.

I have lobbied in Africa and around the world for greater inclusion of women in peace processes, decision-making bodies and public life in general.

As WILPF Cameroon celebrates its 10th anniversary, I am particularly proud of some of its key achievements:

The advocacy that my team and I led, with the support of other CSOs, so that the women, peace and security agenda was recognized by the Cameroonian government. I am particularly delighted to have played a key role in facilitating the preparatory work for UN Women to work with the Cameroonian government to develop a national action plan on United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1325.

I can also mention :

• Our contribution to the establishment of conflict prevention structures through the mobilization and training, of observers of electoral violence and the management of the call center (equipped with a toll-free number 8243) of the Women’s Watch and Alert Room to prevent violence during the elections that Cameroon organized in October 2018, February 2020 and December 2020 ;
• Our contribution to the peace process in Cameroon through an analysis of the gender dimension of conflict, a bottom-up, comprehensive and feminist research process of fact-finding and investigation to provide not only a diagnosis of the problems, but also an analysis of what can be done to bring about change, to support, or even help create, a peace process that can be inclusive and sustainable;
• The creation of a number of platforms with women involved in peacebuilding, such as the Cameroonian Women’s Platform for National Dialogue, to ensure that women’s voices are taken into account in the national dialogue process (through the “Women’s Voices for National Dialogue” Memorandum);
• The establishment of a legal and judicial assistance clinic to provide rapid responses to violations of the rights of disadvantaged women and young people, including gender-based violence. The clinic prevents and treats human rights violations in a timely manner, providing legal information and/or other useful assistance to survivors of physical, psychological, economic violence, etc. ;
• Economic and social empowerment training for 600 internally displaced women and girl mothers from host communities in the Menoua department, to reduce their vulnerability and as a tool for promoting social cohesion and building lasting peace;
• The Douala head office has been followed by the opening of new offices in Yaoundé (Centre region), Bertoua (East region) and Dschang in the West region. These openings are part of the organization’s drive to strengthen its presence throughout the country, with the aim of amplifying the voice of women at local level.

   I can’t forget the involvement of young people in our work and their training in non-violent communication and the use of social media to promote peace and combat hate speech, as well as in leadership and, more broadly, in the UN youth program (UNSC Resolution 2250).

    Today, one of the things I’m so proud of is that we have a group of Web influencers for peace in Cameroon, and we’re working to create one on a continental level…

Who are your role models in the struggle for women’s liberation in Africa and the rest of the world?

Kah Wallah Edith: In Cameroon, she’s a lady I admire for her convictions and determination to fight a battle. She is constant and consistent, something that many activists and militants lack. She doesn’t let herself be swayed by denigrations and insults from all sides aimed at weakening her and diverting her from her objectives. She has come to understand that all blows are part of the struggle, and that her values must not be compromised for any advantage whatsoever.

Winnie Mandela: Without going into certain considerations, I was deeply impressed by her courage and determination in the struggle for independence. struggle against apartheid, particularly during her husband’s yearsin prison. For me, she’s a symbol of courage and determination.

Edith Ballantyne: Involved in the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) from 1969, she became General Secretary and then President between 1992 and 1998. Visit  1995, she received the Gandhi Peace Prize.

For me, she’s a model of hard work for whom age is no limit (she’s 102). When we visited her on the occasion of her centenary, she confided in us that she was stressed and really unwell because her computer had broken down, preventing her from following WILPF’s actions and current events around the world.