Bashir Diomai Fay, the newly elected president of Senegal. (Photo courtesy of President of Senegal/Handout/Anadolu, via Getty Images)
SEnegal dealt a much-needed blow to African democracy when opposition leader Basil Diomai Fay defeated ruling party candidate Amadou Ba in the first round of voting on March 24.
Fay won despite being imprisoned weeks before the vote by a government that seemed determined to use intimidation to maintain its hold on power.
But after the celebrations lies the difficult task of governing, and for many of the country's women, happiness is turning to anxiety.
The cabinet chosen by Fay and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko (who was the main opposition leader but supported his candidacy after Fay himself was barred from running) has only four women out of 25 ministers. only included.
This is similar to previous governments, but Fay and Sonko campaigned on an agenda of change. Women expected improved access to decision-making bodies.
If the lack of female ministers is a concern, so is the removal of the words “women” and “child protection” from the name of the Ministry of Women, Family and Child Protection. It has become a “Ministry of Families and Children.”
This “sends a strong signal about the priorities of this new regime for the next five years,” said Maimouna Astou Yadeh, a gender expert and JGEN Senegal executive director.
Abi Seine, a Senegalese public academic at Clemson University in South Carolina, believes the new government is a step backwards in terms of women's equality and political power.
“I can't say we couldn't find more qualified women to serve in government,” she says. “Especially for the first ministers.”
Underlying this fear is the knowledge that Senegal has had its first polygamous president and prime minister. Faye and Sonko have two wives.
As the run-up to the elections progressed, things looked more positive. In the final hours of the presidential campaign, Caroline Fay Stadium was filled with young men and women waiting for Sonko and Fay to arrive.
The choice of this stadium suggests a reassuring symbolism, as it is named after a female politician from the 1950s who was the first female minister after independence.
Caroline Fay is also the only woman appointed to a commission contributing to family law in this country, although she is not related to the new president.
This code has allowed women to liberate themselves in significant ways, but years after its enactment, it is in urgent need of reform.
Despite the fact that today the majority of women use their income to support their children and themselves, by law the man is the supreme head of the family, including in household matters.
According to women's rights activist Jarry Badian, the law also provides that “if a woman who has dedicated her life to retirement dies, her spouse and minor children will receive nothing.” That's what it means.
Article 196 of the Family Code puts women in a vulnerable position by giving men the choice of whether or not to legally recognize the children they bear.
Diodo, a 25-year-old tea seller, argues that “it's a bit premature to criticize a government that hasn't been established yet.” But she believes women must fight to maintain the few rights they have gained over generations.
There is considerable solidarity among women on social media. Given the growing discontent among young women and the high stakes in a country that remains politically divided, the public is wondering what Africa's youngest democratically elected president will do next. is paying attention.
This article first appeared in The Continent, a pan-African weekly newspaper produced in partnership with the Mail & Guardian. Designed to be read and shared on WhatsApp.Download your free copy here
