Source: RNW
The presidential elections in Cameroon are due to be held in October 2011. Conscious of the high stakes, women's organisations are actively mobilising women to participate in this important political process.

The nongovernmental organisation, "Horizons Femmes" (Women's Horizons), in the capital, Yaoundé, is one such organisation.

By Mohamadou Houmfa, Yaoundé

"Many people here believe that women should stay at home. We are mostly influenced by our husbands. When they don't show any interest in politics, we tend to do the same," explains Brigitte Kamsou, a housewife whose decision to register as a voter was motivated by the growing presence of women on the Cameroonian political scene. "There are more and more female ministers, members of parliament or mayors. We must get involved," she adds.

Thanks to the work of organisations like Women's Horizons, there are more and more women like Brigitte in Cameroon. For the past year, the organisation has been involved in ground work and sensitisation campaigns to encourage women to register on voting lists.

Participation
"We have undertaken a series of activities namely: conducting a survey which led to the creation of a database with 1500 women's organisations; coordinatinating seven capacity-building seminars for female leaders and disabled persons and providing education, sensitisation and information campaigns within the 1500 organisations to encourage the participation of women in the presidential elections," says Denise Ngatchou, President of Women Horizons.

She adds: "We've also established permanent regional centres for training and refresher courses for women, as well as units to assist and facilitate the registration process. There are also roundtable discussions organised in the target regions to integrate the question of political or electoral participation into the lives of the populations. Finally, a campaign to appeal for the increased participation of disabled people in the construction of an equal and inclusive citizenship."

Determining factor
The efforts of Women's Horizons are praised by Cameroonians. "Those women should be commended for their efforts to ensure the full participation of women in the political process. I can only encourage such an initiative," says writer Calixthe Beyala. "Considering their large numbers, women could be a determining factor in the political race. Therefore such actions should be promoted. However, one could also question the quality and representativeness of these women's organisations," adds Dr Hilaire Kamga, an expert on elections.

Women have indeed a key role to play in the electoral process. According to official figures, women constitute more than 51% of the Cameroonian population, a real electoral pool.

Female president?
Although the social context in Cameroon does not always favour the success of the kind of activities they are involved in, Women's Horizons nonetheless claims rather satisfactory results. "Today, more than 145,000 new registrations of women and disabled persons have been recorded thanks to our project. In the Western Province, thousands of members, from the 1445 organisations we are involved with, are now informed about the key concepts of democratic governance and leadership," declares Denise Ngatchou.

Martine K, a fresh produce retailer, admits that she only registered because of the centre's proximity to her home. "Last Friday, I saw people queueing infront of the registration centre. So I decided to register. I hope the Cameroonian people will choose a new president. Maybe a woman, why not?" she says wishfully.

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