BAMENDA, CAMEROON – Julienne Ndongmo, 51, says that International Women’s Day, commemorated today worldwide, should be a time for women to show pride in themselves and their worth. But she fears the day is losing the respect it deserves.
“When I think of the way some women behave on Women’s Day, tears run down my cheek,” she says.
Ndongmo says that it has become a habit for some women to drink carelessly and to misbehave in public on International Women’s Day in Bamenda, the capital of Cameroon’s Northwest region. Other women dress half-nakedly, exposing their bodies in the name of celebration.
“Women have become laughingstocks instead of being respected because of the way they go about this whole celebration,” she says.
She says that a woman from her tribe lost her husband because of her debauchery on International Women’s Day in 2010. The woman had invited her husband to join the celebrations, during which she became increasingly drunk, dancing and lifting her dress above her head. When the woman’s husband became embarrassed and asked her to return home, she beat him.
“This young woman lost her marriage because of this act,” Ndongmo says. “Her husband terminated their marriage, sent her packing and took another wife one year later.”
In Bamenda, members of the town’s march-past committee say that they will not allow any woman in skimpy dress to participate in today’s procession for International Women’s Day. Young women argue that dressing is a matter of choice and say they will resist anyone who attempts to pull them out of the procession. To educate women on the importance of International Women’s Day, regional delegates of the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family have been arranging meetings and radio broadcasts to promote responsible behavior. Meanwhile, religious leaders preach that only a fear of God and understanding of the Bible will restore the respect of the day.
Cameroon joins the international community each year in observing March 8 as International Women’s Day, an initiative sponsored by the United Nations. The day provides an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of women and build support for women’s rights, according to UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
More than 10,000 women participate in the march-past, or procession, in Bamenda, according to the regional delegation of the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family.
But at the center of controversy in Bamenda this year is the traditional dress worn during the International Women’s Day procession.
Each year, women in Cameroon purchase a commemorative fabric decorated with a print honoring women’s contributions to the world. They then fashion the fabric into a garment to wear today during their town’s procession.
But the styles that women have crafted in the past have drawn criticism for being too revealing. In response, Bamenda’s march-past committee, which oversees the parade held in honor of the day, is enforcing a stricter dress code this year to ensure the procession remains respectful.
Ngi Abi, 47, the chairwoman of the committee, says it will be monitoring women’s attire while they line them up for the procession.
“We will not allow any woman whose fabric is not properly stitched to be a part of the march-past line,” she says.
A properly stitched fabric is one that covers a woman’s breasts, waists and thighs, Abi says. The committee will not let any woman whose dress exposes such body parts to take part in the procession.
“Women should command respect on Women’s Day by dressing properly, not by exposing their bodies,” Abi says. “My committee means business this time around.”
She says that girls in particular have made it a habit to wear inappropriate attire.
Nerida Bih, 23, a hairdresser, says that women should let girls exercise their youthfulness.
“I don’t see any reason why women keep concentrating on the way young girls stitch their Women’s Day fabric,” she says.
Clothing depends on personal taste and current fashions, Bih says. When their mothers were their age, they followed the fashions of the time and dressed the way they felt comfortable.
This year, Bih plans to wear a short, sleeveless gown. Although her gown may attract attention, she says that she will refuse to give up her participation in the procession simply because someone says she is improperly dressed.
“I buy my fabric with my money and I will stitch it the way I want,” she says.
The march-past committee should allow women to dress the way they please, rather than embarrass them by publicly removing them from the procession, Bih says. The committee should concentrate instead on spreading the important messages that International Women’s Day carries.
Leaders in Bamenda emphasize both the theme of the day and respectful attire.
Judy Abong, regional delegate of the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family to the Northwest region of Cameroon, says that the behavior of some women is destroying the image of International Women’s Day. She asks women to focus on the day’s theme rather than their appearance.
This year’s theme, “A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women,” carries an important message of change that women should understand and respect, she says.
She implores women to mind the important theme by avoiding rowdy celebration and overconsumption of alcohol. Irresponsible behavior may lead to violence against women, which runs counter to the day’s purpose.
“Women should celebrate this day peacefully, void of violence, so as to eradicate and eliminate any form of violence that could come up as a result of this to women and young girls,” she says.
To emphasize the importance of responsible celebration, Abong says that her office has been sponsoring sensitization meetings, roundtables and radio broadcasts that ask women to think carefully about their behavior on International Women’s Day.
“These days, we are on the radio quite often to sensitize women on the importance of this day and also to advise them to adopt responsible behavior during the celebration,” she says.
Religious leaders in Bamenda have also added their voice to the controversy.
The Rev. Beatrice Taweh, the pastor of Redeemer Baptist Church Bamenda, says that the way some women have made International Women’s Day worthless in the eyes of the public saddens her. Some women disgrace themselves in public by dressing inappropriately, drinking and being rude.
She says this is because they have not fully understood the words of God, so she considers it her mission to use the words of the Bible to persuade women to celebrate the day with the fear of the Lord.
“I will not stop to shout out to women to fear God so as to adopt responsible attitudes on Women’s Day,” she says.
Taweh is hopeful that women can restore respect to International Women’s Day.
“As more and more women are accepting and obeying the Bible, things are obviously going to change in the next few years,” she says. “I am sure about that.”
