“I no longer doubt myself or wonder if I’m going to succeed or not”- Clémentine Yannagda (Burkina Faso) - 3/3
This is the last part of our conversation with Clémentine Yannagda, a sexual and reproductive health rights activist from Burkina Faso. She previously told us about her fight to graduate high school (Part 1) and to advocate for an organisation dedicated to sexual and reproductive health rights (Part 2). In this part, Clémentine speaks on the influence of her resistance on her community, and shares her dreams for the future.
Clémentine was interviewed by Françoise Moudouthe in late 2019, as part of a global project documenting girls’ resistance. Nana Bruce-Amanquah and Chanceline Mevowanou edited the conversation into this three-part interview 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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Back then, while you resisted, were you scared? What were you afraid of?
Yes, I was. While I worked at ABBF, I was afraid to be recognised by someone who would tell my guardian. It happened several times and I got beaten at home. My other fear was failing. When I had bad grades, I would think that I wasn’t going to graduate. I wondered what would happen to me if I failed. Would I have to go back to living in my village?
When you think about the challenges you faced, was there a time when you felt that you were in danger because of your resistance? What was the hardest part of your resistance?
In my village, when a girl gets pregnant, there’s a tree where all the young people gather in the village to beat her. Then she's chased out of the village and not allowed into any house. The boy/man responsible for the pregnancy, on the other hand, is not harmed.
There were cultural and ancestral beliefs. I was publicly outraged by such injustices and by female genital mutilation (FGM). When I started advocating in ABBF, FGM was still a common practice in my village. They would justify it by saying it prevented girls from getting pregnant outside of marriage. Each time I went to the village, I would take the opportunity to address the issue and remind everyone that it was forbidden. I pointed out that young girls they had beaten and cast out of the village had already undergone FGM. I tried to exposed their contradictions.
At some point in my resistance, the village elders threatened me. My brothers asked me to stop talking because they were afraid that I would be cursed or hurt. I was resisting, but I was afraid to be destroyed through mystical practices. I was scared, I prayed a lot. Sometimes, I thought about quitting, but I didn’t. That’s a time when I was truly frightened. It was a difficult time but today, things changed and these practices are illegal.
In hindsight, what would you have needed to make your resistance more effective? What could have helped you to resist better?
If an extended relative had been an ally, or if my guardian’s daughters had been allies. If his daughters had supported me, my uncle would have been more receptive. I was alone and it was more difficult. They participated in unnerving and discouraging me morally.
How did your resistance evolve with time? What forms does it take today?
I’m currently very active on social media. We appeal to decision-makers. Usually, once a month, I gather the girls from my neighbourhood to talk to them about what they experience and to encourage them to do better. I don’t deal with opposition anymore. Once you have a career and can give money, there’s no direct opposition. My former critics – my guardian and my extended family – became allies. They know I can support them financially. Today, my uncle is proud of my journey. He still nicknames me “Pres” because of my term as national president of ABBF, which ended a while ago.
How do you see the continuity or the connections between your resistance as a young girl and your activism today? Is there any difference between how you resist now and how you resisted as a teenager?
Professionally, I always make sure people of opposite genders are considered equal. During my training sessions, I push and encourage girls to speak up. When we’re doing activities, I encourage them to take leadership. Now that I’m independent, it’s easier for me to get involved. My immediate circle is already dedicated to the cause. The work isn’t as hard as it used to be. Besides, in the past, I had doubted myself. I don’t anymore. I don’t wonder if I’m going to succeed or not anymore.
In your opinion, how did your resistance impact your community, your family, your country, or even the world?
In my village, girls are no longer victims of practices such as FGM. The advocacy work and the legal progress that criminalised FGM paid off. Since FGM is criminalised, I would threaten them with denunciation if they ever mutilated a girl again. It’s still a practice in far-removed villages. In my family from the village, mentalities have changed. This is how positively my resistance impacted my village. I went there in early July for a wedding and neighbours came to meet me and say hi. My cousin introduced me as the one who was fighting FGM in Ouagadougou.
The idea of women as housewives or maids evolved, even for my uncle. He enrolled his daughters in evening classes. I financially help with their tuition fees. Recently, one of my niece’s moms asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, and my niece replied that she wished to grow up and be like Aunty Clémentine. I actively changed the mentalities in my family and contributed to their evolution within my community. I didn’t think twice, and I shared my story to convince young girls. I sometimes walked miles while my bike broke down, to go do advocacy work. Many young people say they can relate to me and want to be like me.
When you think about the future, what does the world you’re trying to build look like?
My dream is for every girl to go to school. I want to eradicate all forms of violence, FGM, and the exclusion of young girls with unplanned pregnancies. That would be ideal. I dream of a society where women have the same influence as men in terms of decision-making and leadership. A world where they are equals and where every woman is self-sufficient. In the time I have left, I'd like at least in my country for every woman to know her rights and to experience equality between her and men, to have the same decision-making power as them.
Absolutely! Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Clémentine!