blogging

Arlette Raymonde Bakou is responsible for Multilateral Cooperation at the Ministry for the promotion of women and inclusion of women in development in the Congo. She has been involved in the struggle for the empowerment of women and women’s rights for years, and began blogging this year on women’s rights, with particular emphasis on violence towards women and children in the Congo.

She first gained access to a computer in 1999, but she had already used a typewriter, so she was in a good position to learn about information and communication technologies (ICTs). “I took computer courses for three months and the rest I learnt through curiosity” she explained.

The blog idea came to her through her work writing articles for local newspapers. “I felt that having my own blog would be a thrilling experience,” she explained. Arlette is one of the few female Congolese bloggers who write about violence against women and children. For her the internet is a tool of research and work, and as she so succinctly put it “it is a tool of our times”.

Arlette explains that “my blog posts cover a variety of subjects; I discuss everything from women’s problems to urban planning, environment and issues facing society”.

In her blog, Arlette discusses sexual revolution, sexual politics, sex and morality and premarital sex. For example, her take on sex education in schools is that “It is a good thing in that the lessons teach children about the dangers of free sex, but it also puts temptation in the way of children who previously had a traditional view of sexuality”.

She calls for “the creation of health centres for young people staffed by qualified people, and reviving education programmes on family life in school, local centres and churches. This should be done with the involvement of parents, teachers and local chiefs for the whole community. These programmes would equip young people with the information they need to deal with sexuality later on”.

In her article on sexual harassment, she raises the issue of impunity and says “at the beginning of the school and university year, the same girls who celebrate reaching this milestone will almost certainly live through the ordeal of being harassed by teachers and professors. Sexual harassment in educational circles takes the form of looks, insinuation, proposed meetings, unwanted attention and even sexual assault”.

She ends on the following question: “How do we build a better society when teachers become the executioners of our children? How can we talk about sexual equality when some girls give up their studies because they can’t handle the attentions of a pushy teacher? Who are these men who harass young girls fresh into university or high school, and who forget that these girls are also their daughters, nieces and sisters?”

Turning to the relationship between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, which are often very difficult in Congolese society, Arlette roundly criticises the bad behaviour of mothers-in-law. She writes “the mother-in-law is often pushed into a secondary role by the daughter. They become experts at demonising the wife of their brother; but on close examination it becomes clear that these are often women who are unhappy at home and haven’t managed to find a husband”. These situations usually lead to domestic violence.

She also discusses development and in her blog has discussed accelerated urbanisation under the title ‘reflection on the city’, where she also airs her views on work undertaken by Brazzaville council and steps needing to be taken.

Is it easy for a Congolese woman to blog in such a political way? “The main difficulties are often related to technical terms but I usually manage” states Arlette. For the few other Congolese women in the blogosphere, internet access remains a problem because of the cost of acquiring computing equipment and the bad quality of internet connections in internet cafés.

However, in spite of its difficulties, blogging is indispensable. As Arlette puts it “blogging is another form of communication. I know there are people who do not watch television or listen to the radio but are active on the net”. With the arrival of mobile internet, more and more workers have internet access in their homes, so the number of Congolese cybernauts is increasing.

Arlette is clear in her objectives: she emphasises that cybernauts are the ones she is targeting through her blog posts. She adds “I am mainly thinking about young people who need to learn about life from a different perspective”. Also, in the global village, “blogging is a great way to take part in the globalisation phenomenon. This is clear from the messages I receive from Canada and the four corners of the earth through a simple click” she reveals.

To access Arlette Bakou’s blog, go to http://arletteraymonde.unblog.fr