The African Women’s Struggle

Medine Moussounga Keener’s workshop, “The African Women’s Struggle”

Medine’s personal story of life in Congo, Africa, was quite moving. She spoke from her personal experience and the experience of her friends and family.

Topics Medine covered in her workshop included women’s health, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, and the devastation of war. She described how governmental corruption, war and national debt keep Congo’s people oppressed. Women in particular suffer from hunger, poor housing, inadequate public facilities and unemployment. Disease, including AIDS, malaria, TB and typhoid fever, are difficult to avoid and medicine is too expensive for most people to afford. Sometimes people buy cheap (fake) medicines that are administered with dirty needles, which means individuals can contract AIDS from an injection they hope will cure their malaria.

Medine spoke of sexual abuse as rampant in her society, including rape and coercion by husbands, professors, soldiers and even pastors. While it’s illegal in Congo, it’s poorly enforced and victims are socially unsupported. Women are told it is their fault. And, many women trade sex for food so their children won’t starve.

Even Medine, a Christian from a Christian family, suffered at the hands of her husband and struggled to fend off professors in school (she has a Ph.D.). She credits her family’s support and encouragement as helping her through, and said that despite its troubles, Africa is a place of laughter. She has witnessed and heard of many miracles. There is one organization, the Evangelical Church of Congo, which offers assistance to victims of war and suffering women while spreading the gospel throughout the country. But more help is needed, especially in the form of prayer for the people of Congo.

– Shari