BUJUMBURA July 23rd (ABP) – Women’s political participation faces a number of challenges. These include the Burundian culture of being confined to the home instead of public affairs, but also to education and the limited access to financial resources, the former Deputy President of the Republic and current leader of the Democratic Alliance for Renewal (ADR), Ms. Alice Nzomukunda, has told the check by ABP.
Indeed, Nzomukunda says the fact that women are less educated makes them unwilling to break down cultural barriers. As for the financial resources, their incomes are often limited and they find it difficult to get a bank loan because they have no guarantee to present to the bank.
Moreover, the evaluation criteria of the political woman are more subjective than objective: under equal conditions, it is the man who passes. As a result, she often finds herself working in predominantly male environments, where male colleagues are hyper attentive “to trap her to make a mistake, then make a monstrous story in order to demonstrate that she is not at the height of the work she does”. That is why she must remain vigilant and work hard, according to Nzomukunda. She adds that women politicians also face malevolent solicitations from men, who can sometimes discourage them once and for all and push them to abandon politics.
For her, women should follow the politics of the country and, if necessary, be elected, because not only are they concerned as wives and mothers, but they also have the value and the gift to take care of many issues at the same time. Ms. Nzomukunda advises women who are potential candidates for elections to make an effort to follow, as much as possible, the electoral process of 2020, to solicit the support of their small families and to choose beforehand the ideology that serves their vision. She encourages the political participation of as many women as possible, because that is what will advance the cause of women in general.
Regarding the attitude to adopt at work, Ms. Nzomukunda said that “to maintain and keep her visibility, the Burundian woman must work twice as much as her male colleague, otherwise she will not win the trust of employers and employees.
