On March 16, 2005, the West African Research
Center (WARC) held, as part of its lecture series, a forum
entitled: "Le Contenu d'un Mot, les Pionnières
d'une Cause: Le Mouvement Féministe Sénégalais
du Début à nos Jours" ("The Meaning
of a Word (Feminism) and the Pioneers of a Cause: the Senegalese
Feminist Movement from its Early Days to the Present").
The panel discussion was conducted by three household names
in the area of women's advancement and empowerment in Senegal:
- Mrs Annette Mbaye D'Erneville:
Now 78 years old, Mrs. Mbaye is one of the founders of the
women’s movement in Senegal. She was among the first
educated women in the country. In her active professional life,
she worked as a teacher and a journalist. She is a founder
of the Association pour le Bien Etre Familial (Asbef); of the
orphaned and underprivileged children 's home, "Village
d'Enfants S.O.S."; and of the Women's Museum on Gorée
Island, "Musée de la Femme Henriette Bathily".
- Professor Rokhaya Daba Fall,
faculty in the Department of History, University Cheikh Anta
Diop and a researcher at IFAN, Professor Fall is very much
involved in women's associations and activities.
- Professor Aminata Diaw-Cissé,
faculty in the Department of Philosophy, University Cheikh
Anta Diop and Director for Cultural Affairs in the Office of
the President of University Cheikh Anta Diop, Professor Diaw-Cisse
is a prominent member of the COSEF: Conseil Senegalais des
Femmes (Senegalese Women’s Council).
Discussions and exchanges with the numerous
public present at this forum focused on the origins of the
women's movement in Senegal, the lives and achievements of
famous Senegalese women before colonisation, from the colonial
period to the present, the meaning of feminism in the African
context, and the role and place of women in present day Senegal.
The discussion went on from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, and still participants
were quite ready to stay on and listen to Tata Annette Mbaye
as she reminisced and put everything into focus.
Many women engaged in efforts to promote the
cause of women in the country attended the event along with
distinguished professors from the University including Professor
Abdoulaye Bara Diop, former director of IFAN and sociologist,
Dr Amady Aly Dieng, of the department of philosophy, and others
from locally-based research institutions such as Codesria.
