By David PaugetPosted on 08-07-2019Modified on 08-07-2019 at 20:00
"The Justiciers of the Sahel" are honored at the House of Urban Cultures in Dakar until July 12, and throughout France in September, as part of an exhibition organized by Oxfam. Among these "vigilantes", Adam Dicko, a young Malian activist, who fights for civil rights in his country.
Adam Dicko, Malian activist, is honored by Oxfam in his exhibition " The Justiciers of the Sahel ". The 25-year-old is the executive director of the Youth Association for Active Citizenship and Democracy ( AJCAD ), which aims to defend the rights of young people and women and improve the living conditions of citizens in Mali . RFI spoke with her.
RFI : What is the life of a woman in the Sahel?
Adam Dicko : To be a woman in the Sahel, especially in Mali, is to work much more than men to be seen, to be considered as a citizen who also wants to contribute to the development of his country. It is to be a person who is destined to live in a home and to be a "laying hen": giving birth, caring for children, housework.
To be a woman in the Sahel is also to be a submissive person, a person who suffers, who does not have the right to raise his voice, to ask for something. This is what we are taught from the youngest age. It is to be a woman who has no right to speak, and who does not even seek speech; but also who does not have a role to play as a citizen. Her role is limited to the family: to be a good girl or to be a good woman
Women are the first victims in the Sahel, they are the traditional, customary, eternal victims. It has become so much the norm that when a woman is not in this case, she is the exception. When you see a woman defending the rights of other women or youth, she is considered a heroine. For me, that should not be the case.
What is your view of the situation in the Sahel or Mali?
It's true that when we talk about the Sahel, we only see problems. But I'm not pessimistic, I do not give myself that right. I am rather optimistic.
We do not just have problems. But we do not have too much, so that it masks some of the efforts of one and the other. There are people fighting for better living conditions, except that problems accumulate so much that actions are not visible enough. Especially in the case of Mali, there is no sector where we can say that it's going a little, whether it is basic social services, access to justice, education, or security .
On all fronts, we are going through a multifaceted and multidimensional crisis which means that good actions in the field are often diluted. As long as the strategies or actions we are taking are not moving towards something more global, as long as the state does not assume its responsibilities, the actions will not have enough impact. For change to be global, these actions must be accompanied but also supported by the state.
Why did this Oxfam exhibition, " The Justiciers of the Sahel ", seduce you ?
Because we are interested in our work. We are only ordinary Malians trying to play their role as committed citizens, and see an international organization like Oxfam take an interest in our work, come and see what we are doing on the ground, within our communities. is really encouraging and it's nice.
I was particularly proud when I saw my superhero illustration. It's a sense of pride, but also a challenge, because it means you can not give up. We must continue the fight for the many people deprived of their rights, but also especially for the thousands of people who believe in us and who follow our battles.
Better than Black Panther, Discover the Justiciers of #Sahel!
9 real-life superheroes fighting inequalities in #Mali in # Chad or #Niger
⚡️Their stories, their struggles: https://t.co/BJ9mY4yeDw#StopIndividualsSahel #JusticiersSahel pic.twitter.com/ofplVWJgpq
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