“My greatest pride and motivation are truly the impact at the community level” – Adam Dicko (Mali) – 3/3

This is the end of our conversation with Adam Dicko. Adam told us about losing her best friend and her decision to join the Youth Action Movement (Mouvement d'Action pour la Jeunesse – MAJ) (Part 1). We then discussed solidarity and the importance of sharing information about sexual and reproductive health (Part 2). In this final part, she tells us how her resistance impacted the region, her country, and her community.

Adam was interviewed by Françoise Moudouthe in late 2019, as part of a global project documenting girls’ resistance. The conversation was also edited into this three-part interview by Nana Bruce-Amanquah and Edwige Dro for our #GirlsResistWA series. You can learn more about the series here. 

Trigger Warning: This conversation contains mentions of violence and abuse that may be triggering for readers. Kindly take a moment to decide if you want to keep reading. If you proceed, we encourage you to focus on your well-being and stop reading at any point if you need to.

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Where has your resistance led you today? 

I was President of the African Region for the MAJ. I started with the district. I then moved onto the national level, and I ended up being president of the African region, with 44 countries. It was the first time that a Malian woman held this position.

My resistance also led me to launch an organization with other young people, on active citizenship and democracy. Today this organization is the pride of Malian youth because we have many activities with an emphasis on local governance, access to basic social services, in terms of interogations, in terms of participation of youth in public and political life. My resistance has helped me to access several decision-making bodies at the national and international levels. It has allowed me to meet powerful people. I am currently in Tunis to participate in the observation of their elections. The Carter Center called on me as an international observer for the elections. My resistance also allowed me to be a member of FEMWISE, the African Union's women's network.

When you were a teen, was your resistance within the MAJ linked to a broader movement internationally? 

The MAJ is international, but I focused on my immediate environment. When I went to the MAJ, it was not to be in the office. It was when I was elected at the national level, that I went to Nairobi to represent the MAJ. When I arrived in Nairobi, the candidates for the regional position were all English speakers. I asked why the French speakers were not competing. The French speakers told me that they could not be elected president and they aimed for the vice president position. I decided to seek the position of president. I campaigned with the Portuguese speakers to get their support.

You mentioned encounters with powerful people. Which one had the greatest impact on you? 

The one that impressed me the most was a lady I met in a village in Mali, with an NGO that had contacted me to raise awareness among girls in the villages. I oversaw 37 villages, and I had to go to the schools. I did a session in a place called Moutougoula. I did the session in the morning, and in the afternoon the mother of a girl who attended the session that day came to see me and told me her story. She had a big impact on me. I have kept a special relationship with her. From time to time, I call her daughter and she gives her the phone and we chat a bit. I found her very strong. For me, these are the true women leaders.

Do you think your activism has gotten broader?

Yes, it has. At first, I focused on specific issues about women and sexual and reproductive health. Then, I evolved into issues like governance and political participation, democracy, and active citizenship.

What motivated this evolution towards a broader approach? 

I went from personal resistance to a more collective one, and it changed my activism. It changed my overall view of things, as well as my target audience. When I was a student, the targets were youth and communities. Now, I also target leaders and decision-makers so that change can have more impact. My activism is no longer specifically focused on girls' sexual and reproductive health. It evolved to general social service issues, and these are governance issues. I believe that evolution is the natural course of events.

Earlier, you talked about the impact of your teenage resistance on your parents. When you think about the impact of your resistance on your extended family and community, but also on yourself, is there anything you would like to add?

I can feel the impact on my life. I went to college. I wasn’t forced into marriage. As I previously said, things changed within my family as well. My resistance changed my parents’ vision and our lives. My sisters studied too; they’re all in middle school or college. The one who was supposed to undergo FGM is getting her high school diploma this year. Moreover, my best friend’s mother - who hated me - became a great friend. She asked me to look after my best friend’s younger sisters. I made them join the MAJ and the Youth Parliament.  This is a direct impact on my life. 

When it comes to high school, this impact is also seen in the commitment of my peers. I left high school a long time ago, but the anti-AIDS club that I launched still exists. It benefits from training on sexual and reproductive health.  Every year the club is renewed, and the AMPPF continues to train its members. Every Thursday, they continue the educational talks on family planning, sexual and reproductive health, and youth rights. Almost all of my friends have become engaged youth. Some have entered politics; others are involved in civil society organizations. Through the anti-AIDS club, these young people have learned about commitment.

At the community level, I see that when I pass through the villages where I gave sessions, I inspire several young girls who tell me that they want to become like me. Parents in the villages have also decided to let their daughters go to school and not force them into marriage. Mothers have publicly decided to stop burdening their daughters with housework, to treat them as they do their sons, to give them time to study. This is what stands out to me and is my greatest pride. It's not the international meetings or encounters with influential people. The impact at the community level is my greatest pride and motivation.

My last question: what is this world you are trying to build and what is possible and feasible in the time you have left to live?

In the future I see more freedom for girls and women and much more involvement in political life. I see a world where we have a government not of 30% women, but of 80% women, even 94%. For this to happen, women must get involved. They must go beyond being beneficiaries to become political actors. I don't like the speeches where they say that "women are at the heart of our politics." I would like women to be the participants and not the recipients, and for this to happen, women must get involved.

In AJCAD [Association des Jeunes pour la Citoyenneté Active et la Démocratie], we have Citizen Action Clubs [CLACs] at the community level. I require a minimum participation of 50% of women to validate a CLAC. I know that women just need a little push to outdo the men. It's very difficult to get the girls to come to the CLACs. You must go and find them and convince them to join. When they agree and show up, they naturally take the leadership. They have this leadership, and they evolve at exponential speeds; it is impressive. At the community level, you must push them to get involved.

I dream of a day when we won't have to talk about the women's quota, but about the men's quota.

Thank you so much Adam for sharing your story with us!

This conversation is part of a series of interviews with women from West Africa on the theme of resistance. Click here to see all the interviews.