from our special correspondent in Kinshasa – Ahead of Monday’s election in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), women’s faces can be seen everywhere, pinned up on electoral posters throughout the country. During his five-year term, President Félix Tshisekedi demonstrated a commitment to women’s rights and better female representation in politics, but there is still a long way to go.
Days out from the DRC's presidential election, campaign clips play constantly on state broadcaster Congolese National Radio and Television (RTNC). One of the advertisements, from the campaign of President Félix Tshisekedi, known colloquially as "Fatshi béton", highlights one of his flagship policies: free maternity care.
Since being implemented in September 2023, the measure is gradually taking effect in public hospitals and health centres. At the Kinshasa General Hospital (still informally known as “Mama Yemo Hospital”, after the mother of ousted President Mobutu), Julie is receiving postnatal care after giving birth to her daughter, Yumi.
"This is my third child. I had a C-section. For the first two, I gave birth elsewhere and paid 40,000 Congolese francs, then 65,000 for the second (€14 and €22.60 at current exchange rates),” says Julie. “I am satisfied with the free maternity care because, this time, if I was made to pay for the C-section, I would have died. I couldn’t have afforded the operation (one million Congolese francs, or €340)."
She still must pay for her painkillers and the medicine for her newborn's fever, but the impact of the financial relief is evident. "Before free childbirth, if you didn't pay, they kept you in the hospital until the bill was paid," Julie says.
Women and hospitals alike
Still lying on her bed after giving birth to her son Vainqueur ("Winner", in English), Pierrette Mayele Moseka praises the policy. "This is my sixth child. According to my husband, when I arrived, I was in agony. We came from very far away, and care was immediately provided at the hospital. We will all vote for President Fatshi."
Despite its dilapidated buildings and very basic equipment, Kinshasa General has one of the best public maternity wards in Kinshasa. For doctors, the free care provided to mothers and their babies can mean the difference between the life and death of their patients.
"The measure allows us to free up beds more quickly. After two or three days, women can go home if there are no complications. It makes our job easier," says Olenga Manga, one of the two medical interns, finishing his shift.
"Often, women would refuse C-sections because they couldn't afford them. With the free service, maternal mortality has decreased. Today, we can intervene quickly. We no longer worry about whether a woman can pay. Infant mortality has also decreased," he says, walking through the delivery room still under partial construction.
Progress or politics?
In his brand-new office, hospital director Dr Jean-Paul Divengi likewise praises President Tshisekedi's policy but believes the responsibility to make effective use of the funding ultimately rests with care providers.
Indeed, the director explains that the free childbirth policy does not only affect the maternity ward. "This involves other departments: functional rehabilitation, resuscitation, anaesthesia, paediatric surgery, and also the morgue for unfortunate situations," says Divengi. “It's a significant step forward for women but also the hospital in general.”
With free childbirth, instead of asking patients to front the bill, the hospitals invoice the health ministry for their care each month. This has put less pressure on finances, says Divengi.
"I was at the helm for three years [before the policy was implemented], and almost no bill was fully paid!” says Divengi. “For this program to develop successfully, technical and financial partners must also follow suit."
However, not everyone is convinced. According to lawyer Arlette Ottia, a member of the party of former president Joseph Kabila (2001-2019), it is "a political and populist measure. In reality, you will hardly find women who have given birth for free. It's only politicians who talk about it."
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After just three months, it is difficult to determine the status of the ambitious program. While several institutions in Kinshasa have implemented the initiative, few data are available to assess the DRC at large, with its more than 100 million inhabitants.
‘Feminist president’
At the presidential palace in Kinshasa situated on the banks of the Congo River, Tshisekedi is nowhere to be seen. With the election just days away, he is touring the enormous territory to rally support – from Katanga to Kivu to Kasaï.
Tina Salama, Tshisekedi's spokesperson and a former journalist from respected outlet Radio Okapi, vehemently rejects accusations that the government’s promises are empty. "The president of the republic is a staunch defender of women's rights. Under his presidency, the country has never done better."
In the gardens of the Nation’s palace which has housed the "great men" of Congolese history, from Patrice Lumumba to Laurent-Désiré Kabila, Salama explains why she thinks her boss is a "feminist president".
"In 2019, we had 17 percent women in state administrations and public enterprises. In 2023, we have reached 32 percent," says Salama. "It is the first time we see women in decision-making positions. We have a deputy chief of staff, and I am the first spokesperson. There is also a woman heading the Central Bank of Congo, a woman minister of the environment and another who is the minister of justice."
Tshisekedi's advocacy for women’s rights comes from his belief that female emancipation is key to social development in the DRC, Salama says. “Women have strongly influenced his life: his mother (Marthe Kasalu Jibikila, wife of Étienne Tshisekedi, a former prime minister under Mobutu known as an 'eternal opposition figure'), his wife, and his four daughters. He says he takes great pleasure in being surrounded by all these women."
A long road to emancipation
At the other end of Kinshasa, in the offices of the Jema'h Association, an organisation that promotes women’s rights through access to education and the labour market, a group of young girls record a podcast about the dangers of social media.
Despite the lack of air conditioning in the studio, the young panellists discuss the harassment women can face and the potential toxicity of trending influencers.
For Tolsaint Vangu, 23, the project is about "influencing women who are ignorant of their rights, their duties, telling them about what they can do with their lives. I would like to influence them to be independent."
Marie-Joséphine Ntshaykolo, who led the Carter Center program which funded the creation of the recording studio, says there has been "significant progress" in women’s rights in the DRC. She does say, however, that the women's conditions vary by province or whether they live in cities or rural areas.
"The obstacles to women's emancipation, especially in public affairs, are primarily cultural. In Congo, there is generally male domination. Women are discriminated against due to customs, norms that are not favourable to them,” she says. “But there are more and more women candidates at the legislative level. In the government, there are more women."
"There is a change. Today, we are heard, and what we have to say is considered," says Ronie Kaniba, another participant in the podcast.
Women in office
As the Congolese prepare to head to the polls on December 20, Kaniba, who works as a nutritionist for a UNICEF program, tries to keep her distance from politics. "We avoid [discussing political subjects] because it can be dangerous. But there are things we can do. For example, I am an observer (for an independent election watchdog). You observe, you note, and you report. You don't need to disclose you have done the job because it can be dangerous."
In addition to the next president, the elections will also determine the national and provincial deputies as well as municipal councillors.
According to a report by UN Women, 29,096 women are candidates for these positions (compared to 71,273 men). The percentage of successful female candidates is expected to be revealed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) on December 31, a result that will indicate the progress of women's representation in Congolese public life.
The last time the country went to the polls, in 2018, conditions were disastrous and the results were contested. A repeat would be bad news for both women and democracy in central Africa’s largest and most populous country.
This article was translated from the original in French.
