Congolese female artistes unite against gender-based violence against women

Estelle (not her real name) is a 22-year-old student. She is self-employed and wanted to complete her training in parallel with a work placement in a local company. Right to cook, harassment and other bullying will make her leave this professional environment to concentrate on her studies.

Sound 1, Estelle (not her real name) Please change the sound of her voice!

"He thought that giving me opportunities in his company.... would be like saying that I should start with a sexual relationship with him. And when I started resisting all his advances; that's when it all started".

More than 900 cases of gender based violence against women are recorded each year in the republic of Congo. The figures have kept increasing compared to those of previous years according to Victor Banaminou, program coordinator, at the Sexual violence ASI Dévelopment.

"At this level, there is a lot of work to be done, especially to encourage women and girls to denounce sexual harassment, especially sexual harassment in the recruitment of thighs"

To make the voice of women heard and to say stop to this type of violence these Congolese female artists have united their voices. 

"Already as a child, I was the victim of several assaults that I suffered to my flesh.... It left a deep impression on me to the point of finally changing my dreams because I dreamed of being a pilot, and through this injustice, I finally dreamed of being the voice of the voiceless. And now  I don't hesitate to call things out... » says one of the artistes Mariusca Moukengue

For the initiator of this project, Marie Audigier, it was important to unite women artists around this issue so that they could together lead the fight particluarly as the world marks International Women's Day

"The message is to watch the clip and the documentary, and to see the courage of these artists, what they dared to say, because this documentary frees the word. So far, I haven't seen a single woman who hasn't seen it and who hasn't said it, but so have I, and so has my sister. Myself, moreover, when I saw it, I said, but so did I! And it's to have courage, and to have strength, and then to tell yourself that you can make things change, especially when you are together, tosala!" Marie Audigier, Director, Institut Français du Congo

Tosala is the theme of the song. The Lingala word or expression which means "let's act".

Indeed the apt message and the perfect musical work that wants to liberate women.