Douala: Some women give reasons for snubbing Women’s Day celebration

While millions of women all over the country nursed interest over the years to celebrate March 8, annually, some find no interest and simply ignore it for one reason or the other.

In Douala, such women were seen carrying out their business and other activities normally. Seeking to know why they were not on the celebration train, one said «To me celebrating women’s day is completely useless because Cameroonian women suffer a lot. Today they play the role of head of the family. Work money to feed the family. They do everything. Vendors like me find difficulties in generating income because of economic hardship. Everything is expensive and customers rarely come to buy ».

To another woman, the government’s silence on the high rate of femicide in the country does not motivate her to celebrate. « I remember the little girl kidnapped, raped, and killed in Yaoundé recently. My elder sister was raped in Yassa and her body was decapitated. The government has done nothing to render justice. Why should I go celebrating Women’s Day? »

Discrimination or gender inequality hurts others and they blame the government for not doing anything to treat men and women equally.

« There are women who can do more of what a man does but they are given inferior positions or even sent to the kitchen. Women are marginalized whereas they are the backbone of society. » A lady points this as her reason for not having an interest in any form of women’s day celebration.

Despite the aforementioned reasons and others not evoked, the majority of Cameroonian women celebrate happily as if all is well.

Women who snubbed Women’s Day told CNA that they can join their fellow women if they stand to protest against femicides, rapes, gender-based violence, inequality, discrimination, the current economic hardship, and so on.