Everyday Heroes: Henriette Ekwe (Cameroon)

Ekwe grew up in a middle-class family whose breadwinners held jobs in the public sector. Her parents sacrificed to make it possible for her to continue her higher education in France. They also suffered as a result of her political choices, she says, given that upon her return to Cameroon she could not repay the family what had been invested in her. This caused a lot of misunderstanding among family members, she recalls, noting that there was sadness and pain — and sometimes the reactions were very angry. Despite this she continued her work, and her family rallied to support her when, in 1990, she found herself before a military tribunal because of her political activities and the actions her opposition party was carrying out.

This was truly a difficult period. Ekwe was tortured because of her ideas. Her struggle for freedom of expression and multiparty democracy has earned her recognition as one of the heroines of Cameroon in political history.

Her Viewpoint

Henriette Ekwe is critical of the attitude of the current ruling party, which has always sought to keep women from getting involved in politics. She believes this explains why getting involved in politics is not really a concern for most women in Cameroon, where women currently make up less than 10 percent of the National Assembly. The1995 Beijing Women’s Conference’s action platform calls on governments to introduce a 30 percent quota for women as a way to increase women’s participation in all decision-making spheres, but this has yet to be respected in Cameroon, she adds.

Ekwe also criticizes the fact that female legislators rarely advocate for greater representation of women in political parties or even though women were present in the country’s struggle — risking their lives to hide rebels and even to fight. Women are basically distanced from politics, she says, and have been directed towards civil society movements, where they are given the respect they deserve.

While the number of publications in Cameroon seems to suggest that there is freedom of the press, she says, this perception is quickly dispelled when you are dealing with “the powerful,” the men of the ruling regime who can condemn any publication and demand exorbitant fines, and the State, which does not support the press. It must also be noted that in 2010, four journalists in Cameroon were detained and tortured. Freedom of the press in Cameroon is very much in danger given the precarious situation of the private media. It was the private press that was the first to denounce the government financial scandals.

During the recent celebration of the country’s 50th independence anniversary the government waved peace around like it was a gift that was given to Cameroonians. However, can we really of speak of peace the context of insecurity, poverty, unemployment, health issues such as cholera which is always claiming so many victims in this country?

Ekwe strongly criticizes the poor governance of the current political regime and what she calls the killing of a generation of youth who no longer know which Saint to turn to for help. She says the disparities and inequalities in Cameroon have never been so large.

As Gender Coordinator for the International Federation of Journalists for Central Africa for the past two years, Ekwe thinks that the rights of women are not respected in the media profession. For example, at the national Cameroon Radio & Television (CRTV), only two of its 20 departments are headed by women. Women, she says, come up against a glass ceiling that blocks them from moving past a certain level of decision making. Senior women journalists prefer to leave the country in order to gain access to higher positions. She also deplores the poor education about gender education in Cameroon.

Despite all these problems, Ekwe believes it is