EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH <strong>Dr</strong>. <strong>Filomena</strong> Martins I’m <strong>Filomena</strong> Martins from Cape Verde. I hold a Degree in Philosophy and Master in Management, Evaluation and Supervision of Educational Systems. I joined active politics in 1998. Since then, I have held various positions and roles, including National MP, Minister of Education and Higher Education, Member of ECOWAS which is the West <strong>Africa</strong>n Parliament and Chair of ECOFEPA which is the Network of Women Parliamentarians of West <strong>Africa</strong>.
Do you think <strong>Africa</strong>n women are doing enough when it comes to their participation in politics? It is a complex issue that must be analyzed from several angles... <strong>Africa</strong>n women are increasingly aware of the struggle they have to fight for their participation in politics to become effective. In this sense, those with academic and political training are paving the way, either through the creation of laws, or through raising awareness so that others can empower themselves and take an active part in decisionmaking processes. <strong>The</strong> biggest problem they face is the very low percentage of illiterate and semi-illiterate women. In this sense, they accompany and encourage the entry of girls into school. But it is a long process, a fight that is far from being won. the entry of girls into school, parents are obliged to send their children, girls and boys to school. Through a program of school canteens and school health, it was ensured that by going to school, children would have, in addition to schooling, a hot meal as well as health care! In the curricular plan, the contents of citizenship, democracy, cultural diversity and gender must be improved so that, from the start, boys internalize, that they must respect meminas and that they, like them, are competent and necessary for the balanced development of society. Girls, in turn, must gain self-confidence and self-esteem and feel naturally capable, just like them. From a general point of view, <strong>Africa</strong> has to intensify the areas of training in ICTs, in economic and financial areas, in innovation and applied research. awareness of this dependence. <strong>The</strong> parents, mother and father, in a different way, condition the girl... Can you access the inclusion of women at different cadres of governance in some <strong>Africa</strong>n countries? <strong>The</strong> inclusion of women, as I said, is very weak. Statistics prove that the percentage of women who manage to access positions and functions of political leadership and public administration in How well do you think women are being accepted into leadership roles in <strong>Africa</strong>? We cannot deny that some progress has already been made, but we are very, very far from having a real and encouraged acceptance of women in leadership positions, whether in politicians or in public administration. In <strong>Africa</strong>, in addition to the difficulties that women face in other countries and continents, the culture here has a profoundly patriarchal matrix. <strong>The</strong> man is the center, the brain from which everything turns and is determined... the woman is something that exists to serve him and that she must submit to, for that, as far as I am concerned, the interpretation of religion is distorted in order to legitimize this view. Only in this way can it be understood that in this century, despite the fact that there are laws that prohibit it, child marriage and female genital mutilation are defended, women’s right of access to land is being denied, despite the fact that West <strong>Africa</strong> is an <strong>Africa</strong> rural. As a former Minister of Education in an <strong>Africa</strong>n country, what areasdo you <strong>Africa</strong> is lacking when it comes to education of the girl child and education generally? As Minister of Education, we promote Do you think that having women in political leadership provides a different kind of voice? Arguably! See, in <strong>Africa</strong>, the percentage of existing women is slightly higher than that of men. Now, if we want a balanced and sustainable development, we cannot leave half of the population, excluded from this process. From a scientific and, above all, neurological point of view, it has been proven that the dominant and most sensitive brain areas, differ from women to men, have specific characteristics...in this sense, the elements that a woman considers decisive in an analysis, in order to decide well, are not exactly those that the man prioritizes. <strong>The</strong> feeling, the look, the technical and professional analysis of women, together with that of men, is what gives us the best and necessary decision for the development of society. <strong>The</strong> woman takes on the emotion necessary for reason and intelligence to decide well. What barriers are still in the way of optimal participation of women in the political process in <strong>Africa</strong>? <strong>The</strong> barriers are illiteracy, semiilliteracy, social, economic and cultural dependence, as well as weak or no their respective countries does not reach 15%!!! In some countries, it doesn’t reach 5%! <strong>The</strong>refore, the assessment is frankly negative, despite the small advances. Which country leader would you recommend for exemplary demonstration of walking the talk when it comes to the appointment of women into decision making positions? <strong>The</strong> Prime Minister of Cape Verde, <strong>Dr</strong> José Maria Neves, current President of the Republic. He always defended very consistent positions on gender equality and equity, he was a great defender of women’s capacities and competences in favor of balanced and sustainable development of societies. As PM, he constituted a parity
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