Podcast Bolsters Young Congolese Women

Laetitia Muabila Bangu-Bangu wants to help women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo find their voices.

“We are Africans, and from our traditions and customs, it is difficult for women to come forward and speak freely, even in our churches,” she said. “Even women in prominent positions would scarcely take the opportunity to give their opinion. We thought that it was important to help women in that vein.”

Bangu-Bangu and her organization, Jem’ah Association, received a grant from the Carter Center’s Women’s Voice and Leadership Project that enabled her to create a podcast series by and for young people. She trained college journalism students in the art of podcasting, and then they went into schools to encourage students to sit for interviews on topics important to them, with an emphasis on women’s issues.

Bénédicte Tabitabi was one of the young interviewers for the podcast, called “Over to You.”

“Women don’t know themselves,” she said. “They don’t know their value; they don’t know the things they can help do or change. Every time they face something, instead of contributing, they will just step back because they don’t have confidence in themselves.”

Tabitabi and others involved in the project aimed to change that by encouraging women to speak out, even — or especially — on delicate topics.

Interviewees recorded podcasts on subjects such as early marriage, domestic violence, illiteracy, gender equality, and sex.

“The lack of communication about sexuality causes a lot of problems among young girls because when you don’t have proper information, you might have misguided information,” such as from ignorant talk or the internet, Tabitabi said. “That’s why there are a lot of abortions, a lot of undesired pregnancies.”

Open discussion can help young women take control of their lives and make better-informed choices, she said.

“There was a female student who spoke with me about abortion,” she said. “It’s difficult to have someone come forward and speak on such an issue as that one. It takes a lot of courage, and that pleased me a lot.”

More than 130 podcasts were recorded and uploaded on Spotify, said Marie-Josephine Ntshaykolo, coordinator of the Women’s Voice and Leadership Project.

“We chose to fund ‘Over to You’ because we thought it was important given the context in the DRC, where women and girls are usually discriminated against,” she said. “In our traditions and customs, the male is looked at as superior to the woman. The woman doesn’t have a say even within her own household.”

Podcast participants aren’t exclusively women, and not all men cling to the traditional outlook.

“I have been interested to get involved in this project because in our country, and in general in Africa, women are marginalized. They don’t get a place to speak,” said Charles-Gilbert Mbuyi, a male medical student who was interviewed for a podcast on women’s leadership. “[But] women are human beings, too. They can become empowered so that they can play whatever role they are called to play in the world.”

The podcasts are important because they provide young women with crucial information.

“To claim your rights, you must know them first,” Tabitabi said. “The project helps women know what is in the law for them, what rights are enshrined for them, so that it can channel how they go about claiming them.”

The podcasts, said Ntshaykolo, have a positive effect not just on women but on their families and neighbors.

“A project like this empowers women and helps them contribute to the building of the community,” she said. “Now you can see women who are really excited about doing something. They are really blossoming.”