Brenda Yufeh
3 March 2008
The 23rd International Women's Day activities were launched over the weekend in Yaounde.
Women are the pillars of the family and should not leave their families fall apart for this will mean leaving the country apart. This is one of the principal messages echoed over the weekend in Yaounde, by the Minister of Women's Empowerment and the Family, Suzanne Mbomback as she launched week-long activities to mark the 23rd edition of the International Women's Day in Cameroon. Celebration this year is taking place under the theme "Investing in Women and Girls".
The courtyard of the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and the Family, on March 1st, was jam packed with women from all the ten provinces of the country. These women came to kick start activities aimed at celebrating their contributions in the society. It was on a festive mood that the women sang, noting that "Women of Cameroon should advance the progress of the county because without them in the country, things will fall". It was an occasion for women of Cameroon to laud the efforts of the First Lady in ameliorating the situation of women in the country. However, women said they want their access to credit improved, violence on them halted as well as calling on private actors to invest in female projects in a bid to add more meaning to the theme of celebration.
With regard to the theme of celebration, Minister Suzanne Mbomback said investing in women does not mean increasing bride price. She explained that in communities and families, many people are still far from departing from the perception of investment. This explains the excess demand in dowry and all sorts of violence on women and girls when the subject of investment is not productive. She reiterated that investing in women and girls can not only mean investing money. It can also be putting all individual's energy in an action in order to guarantee the promotion of women. As such, the Minister of Women's Empowerment and the Family asked what each person is doing to invest in women and girls. How do people invest in girls and women and what resources are being put in place as a way of investing in women. This is why the Minister Suzanne Mbomback called on the community to invest in women not only on financial aspect, but on all methods which are geared towards ensuring the future of women.
Talking of the violence that has toppled the country during last week, Minister Suzanne Mbomback, lamented over the loss of lives particularly of youths. She said women have always played a major role in the maintenance of peace and should continue to do so. She urged them to educate their children to respect the values of the State as well as, the culture of dialogue and tolerance. Artists such as Tonton Ebogo, Majoie Ayi as well as some traditional dance groups joined the women in celebration.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Cameroon Tribune. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
