The Ekoan Maria group of the Archdiocese of Yaoundé
Esther Nyacke Ntah
Community Manager WWO, French-speaking Africa Zone
The Ekoan Maria group of the Archdiocese of Yaoundé organised a screening of the film ‘Invisibles’ by the World Women´s Observatory (WWO) on Saturday 25 November 2023 at the Sainte Famille parish in NKoayos. For Marie-Rose Ndong, President of the Ekoan Maria Archdiocese of Yaoundé, it was important that the screening took place on this day, for two reasons: the whole world was celebrating the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women that Saturday, and the theme of the WWO film focuses on violence against women.
Before the screening, Mum Esther Nyacke - from the Mamans du Monastère association - who was supervising the activity, explained to the ladies of Ekoan Maria that the aim of the film screening was to motivate them to become ambassadors for the film. Thanks to Mum Esther's enlightenment, these Marian women understood that the World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations (WUCWO) has decided to commit itself to the fight against violence on women through its "World Women´s Observatory" project. The Observatory's program seeks to give visibility to Africa's 'invisible women'. These women, from the Observatory's point of view, are vulnerable women who do not dare to reveal their suffering to the eyes of the world. This is why the hashtag ‘#InVisibleNoMore’ appears on all the Observatory's social campaigns.
By watching the film ‘Invisibles’, the ladies of Ekoan Maria experienced the great misery associated with gender. As WUCWO wishes, the film's protagonists made their multiple sufferings visible through their testimonies. This makes it easier to identify the different facets of violence that women and girls are likely to endure. For Bénédicte, the rare disease confined her and her mother to rejection and isolation. For Christine and Mamatou, their fate is discrimination, while for Eya and Noeline it is the abandonment of their husbands that has changed their very existence. Although overwhelmed by emotion, Mum Marie-Rose Ndong welcomed the WUCWO's initiative to combat the scourge of female violence, and then expressed the wish ‘that the Lord will open our hearts to the misery we are constantly confronted with, and that He will help us to become Christians who promote the elimination of female abuse’.
In 2023, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women was celebrated under the theme: ‘UNITE! Investing to prevent violence against women and girls’. At the end of the screening, a number of women expressed their desire to become ambassadors for Lia Beltrami's film. All of which goes to show that the message of the United Nations, and hence that of the WWO, to eradicate violence against women is bearing fruit.
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