The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bintou Keita chaired on March 22 in Kinshasa, a meeting under the theme: “improving women’s leadership in the DRC”. Roughly 80 women leaders from the media, politics, civil society, and security forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo took part in this initiative.
The meeting aimed to provide a platform for informal dialogue to discuss women’s leadership, challenges, and perspectives, with a particular focus on the media and politics, beyond the electoral process. For MONUSCO chief, politics is not just about elections, but it is what the woman leader does daily, to improve the fate of each and everyone.
The discussion first revolved around the definition of the “female leadership”, which was variously associated by participants, inter alia, with courage, resilience, determination, competence, mentorship, responsibility.
some women also found media reporting on women’s success stories and on female politicians and aspiring candidates to be critical.
Call for solidarity among women
The rapporteur of the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) and candidate for the governorship of the Kongo Central province, Belinda Luntadila, stressed the importance of “women’s determination”, but deplored the “lack of solidarity” among women, in general.
This complaint was echoed by several participants. In support of this view, Marie José Ifoku, the only female candidate for the 2018 presidential election in the DRC, called for determination and mutual support for more visibility and results in the assertion of Congolese women’s leadership. “When I ran for president’s office in 2018, I was shocked to see how disinterested the women whom I trusted were when I approached them,” she explained, pleading for female solidarity around female leaders and support for women in the media to ensure their visibility at all levels.
Commenting on the various interventions, Bintou Keita stressed the need for mutual support, solidarity, and cohesion among women leaders. She also highlighted the link between the media and politics to ensure women’s visibility.
Positive masculinity to promote female leadership
Noting that the women involved in politics should feel safe, the head of MONUSCO highlighted the key role of positive masculinity in promoting women’s rights. In this regard, she recalled the nomination of President Félix Tshisekedi as champion of positive masculinity during the ordinary session of the 35th General Assembly of the African Union in February 2022.
It is in this context that some men who participated in this productive exchange also shared a positive and constructive perception of female leadership.
“I have great respect and admiration for female leadership. Women are altruistic, intelligent, and they should not be relegated to the background,” said Yannick Etshike, Parliamentary Assistant.
He was supported in this effort by a member of the Congolese Army land forces, who believes that female leadership is a key drive for development in the DRC.
Concluding the meeting, the women leaders and the Head of MONUSCO agreed to continue discussions to identify concrete guidance for the way forward to improve female leadership in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
