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March 29, 2006
Women in Burkina Faso
On the way down from Gorom-Gorom back down to Ouagadougou during my recent visit to Burkina Faso, we bumped into various celebrations of International Women's Day. This is a day to commemorate the contributions of women in society, as well as to highlight the inequalities, oppression, and violence still suffered by many women around the world.
Women's Rights and Equality
The previous president of Burkina, the radical Thomas Sankara, was a big supporter of equality for women, and he banned female circumcision, condemned polygamy, and promoted contraception. Women's Day was a big deal. On that day, women stayed at home, while the men had to do the shopping and cooking. Unfortunately, the women got really upset about it because the men had no idea of prices and ended up paying up far too much for stuff at market!
There has been progress in many areas for women in Burkina - women have equal rights by law, and the government has campaigned vigorously against early and forced marriage, fgm etc. But, in rural areas in particular, where traditional customs dominate and awareness of legal rights are minimal, such laws are difficult to enforce, and reports show that women continue to suffer inequality and violence. In such areas, social and cultural factors negatively impact levels of female school enrolment, inheritance, custody of children, land ownership, access to work and finance, and political decision-making.
Famous Burkinabe Women
In the towns and cities, opportunities are increasingly available for women, and many are making use of them. Here is a list of some successful women from Burkina Faso. Fanta Regina Nacro is a film director from Tenkodogo, whose 2004 film "La Nuit de Verite" (The Night of Truth) has won several prizes. "Mai" Lingani is a popular singer, who divides her time between Burkina and New York, and whose band Burkina Electric, will be playing at the Ouagadougou Jazz Festival this year.
Tags: africa burkina burkina faso women travel women's day sahel
Posted by Keith at March 29, 2006 10:26 AM
