Thomas Sankara et la condition féminine: un discours révolutionnaire?

1.2. BURKINABÉ WOMAN AND COLONIAL COMPANY.

The law of 1921, in French Western Africa (A.O.F), invited to take account of the personal statute of the woman^26(*). In May 1931, the States General were held of feminism with the colonial exposure of Vincennes in France^27(*). The reflections related to the legal, moral and economic situation of the woman to the colonies. The report was that the female condition presented terrible aspects : too early marriages, hard work imposed on the mother until the last days of her pregnancy, chronic malnutrition. The existence of the woman was reduced to a made life « material misery »^28(*). The brought together women with Vincennes, all Frenchwomen of the colonies, showed not only the Africans, but also the colonial power to be responsible for the suffering of the indigenous women. The bearing and the drudgery were their daily newspaper. « One sees some, their baby in the back, employees with the heavy work of road »^29(*), participating testified. The colonizing ones expressed the wish to name inspectors of work to protect female work effectively. In the colonies, although the rate of schooling of the girls was definitely lower than that of the boys, education appeared at the time like a remedy for the lower condition of the woman. The States General of feminism expressed the wish to develop the teaching of the young girls under the same conditions as that of the boys. This female teaching was to be to spare initially, professional then.

In fact the situation of the African woman under colonization was a concentrate of pains and sorrow. In addition to one tender imposed by the traditions was not it to fold under the yoke of forced work, of the poll-tax and the abuses all kinds ?. Colonization, not opening any access to the schooling of the girls^30(*), did not upset its traditional statute.

The conference of Brazzaville in 1944, sign heralding the decolonization introduced the idea to make evolve/move the statute of the people in the French colonies of Africa. That of the woman was to be modified by the introduction of the principle of freedom of the choice of the spouse and the assent preliminary to the marriage. All was going to be implemented to make progress the marriage monogamic, by a burning combat against polygamy. The arbitrary divorce was severely to be sanctioned^31(*). These measurements aiming at the evolution of the condition of the woman did not know any application. The only asset in favor of the women during the colonial period remains the measurements taken by the colonial authorities for the free assent of the two partners to the marriage (Mandel decree). Forts of this decree, the missionaries thus fought it « forced marriage » of the girls^32(*). The female condition will be the subject of a critical reflection only with Independences.

1.3. BURKINABÉ WOMAN AND COLONIAL COMPANY POST-

Years 1960 mark the accession of the African countries to independence. The problems of paid work and equalize it participation of the woman in the public life are posed. The women assert their rights confiscated by the men. It is the time of the engagement of the women in feminist associations, the political parties and in the trade unions.

In Upper Volta, since 1958, a woman is named « Minister for the Social Affairs, the Habitat and work in the council of government of Upper Volta »^33(*). This woman is Célestinne Ouézzin-Coulibaly. Its nomination takes place one month after the death of her husband. What made say to some which it is about a nomination of consolation. Then on January 3, 1966 teaching with the normal Course of the girls, Jacqueline Ki-Zerbo, wife of Joseph Ki-Zerbo, takes an active part in the trade-union demonstration which caused the fall of the mode of Maurice Yaméogo.

From this point of view, September 27, 1967, Foamed Kargougou, then Directeur of rural education, pronounces a conference on the emancipation of the woman. It is delighted owing to the fact that many studies relate to the female condition. « It is necessary to be pleased and be delighted by this justice returned to the African woman, by the official rehabilitation of its dignity, as well as the value of its human person, by the explicit recognition of its undeniable existence from now on, and by way in fact, by the role eminent and how much beneficial which she can and must play for the good individual and collective being, for the progressive and harmonious evolution of the very whole community to which she belongs »^34(*). According to Kargougou Foamed, the man and the woman has the same intellectual abilities. Upper Volta must, parallel to the formation of its men, émanciper by a judicious education his/her girls and his wives for her economic development. But these speeches remained without effect. The real participation of the women in the political life of the city remains very limited.

1976 should be waited until, at the time of the proclamation of « the international decade of the woman » (1975-1985) to attend the nomination of Sigué Fatoumatou as Secretary of State to the social affairs. In 1978, it becomes Ministre for the social Affairs and the female condition. The Department of the social affairs and the female condition is entrusted in the same way to a woman under the Military Committee for the Rectification and the National Progress (CMRPN) of president Saye Zerbo (1980-1982). President Jean-baptiste Ouédraogo (1982-1983) widens the sphere of activity of the women in policy while entrusting, the ministry for justice, Minister of Justice, with a woman. It is the first time in the history of the country which two women are named in a government^35(*). In spite of the dynamism of the feminist movements and the participation of some women in the political decision-making, the woman remains, in Upper Volta. in a statute of inferiority.

At this point in time occurs the democratic and popular Revolution (RDP) with an ambitious program in favor of the women.

* ²⁶ KNIBIEHLER (Y) and GOUTALIER (R), Women and colonization, Aix-en-Provence, I.H.P.O.M., 1987, p.29.

* ²⁷ KNIEBIEHLER (Y) and GOUTALIER (R), COp cit., pp. 27-33.

* ²⁸ KNIEBIEHLER (Y) and GOUTALIER (R), COp cit., p. 27.

* ²⁹ KNIEBIEHLER (Y) and GOUTALIER (R), COp cit., p. 29.

* ³⁰ BADINI - FOLANE (Denise), «  The female representativeness in the governments of Burkina Faso of 1958 to 1991  », in books of CERLESHS (FLASHS-UO), University Press of Ouagadougou, 1997, pp. 145-146.

* ³¹ VALETTE (Jacques), France and Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa of 1960, Paris, Sedes, 1994, p.139.

* ³² SANDWIDI (R) and alt, the Partnership men/women for the development in Burkina Faso. Which approach on the ground  ? (Case study on the kind), Ouagadougou, YIELDED, November 1997, p. 4.

* ³³ BADINI- FOLANE (D), COp cit., p. 150.

* ³⁴ KARGOUGOU (M), problems female within the framework of rural education, Ouagadougou, D.E.R, September 27, 1967, p. 3.

* ³⁵ BADINI-FOLANE (Denise), COp cit., pp. 156-157. See Appendix I.