“It’s not a world you can enter without being prepared. I’m convinced that being involved in politics implies a certain personal culture. You can’t be the kind of woman who’s at a loss for words; you have to stand up for yourself and learn to take what comes your way.” - Celestine Adjonahoun

iKNOW Politics: What were the challenges you faced as a woman political leader?

While in office I worked on food self-sufficiency and income-generating activities. I gave women doing agricultural work small loans so they could increase their harvests. I also worked to improve the truly awful working conditions of women nut oil producers. First the women boiled the nuts, then they lowered their bodies into the liquid to knead it. This took every ounce of physical strength they had, which is, after all, limited. Their output was therefore low and they sold what little they produced. Those who bought the oil took advantage of the low prices and resold it for more money on the market. To put an end to this ordeal, I gave the women an oil press, which allowed them to increase their production and their income. The oil press had an immediate impact on productivity, profits rose sharply.

iKNOW Politics: Did you introduce any laws in favour of women during your term in office?

I tabled a bill on violence against women. It wasn’t easy to obtain the signatures of the male colleagues I needed to present the text. They prefer to speak of gender-based violence, because they feel that men are also victims of violence. So we changed the wording to gender-based violence. We have several laws to explain, we’re thinking about the law on the right of women to have control of their own bodies, the law on HIV/AIDS, the law on sexual harassment, among others. Today in Benin, the schools are emptying of their girl pupils, parents are afraid to send their daughters to school because they’re harassed on all sides, by the teachers, the village elders and young boys. 

iKNOW Politics: In your constituency, did support from women play a big role?

I was elected in a commune of five constituencies of 400,000 inhabitants, and thanks to the loans and donations I made I had many women partisans. But at the last minute a man came along and handed out banknotes and managed to win them over. This happened because our women have daily needs to meet, so they are always tempted to accept a banknote to solve their problems rather than to vote for promises that won’t be kept for months or years. They cannot think in the long term, what interests them is today. Moreover, I think that men are very good at pulling the wool over our eyes. Populism is a problem everywhere in Africa, extreme poverty plays in favour of vote-buying, and it’s very hard to fight this. This is why we have to focus on educating young girls, to broaden their minds and allow them to project into the future.

iKNOW Politics: Some women are reluctant to get involved in politics because they think their family life will suffer. What do you think? Why does it seem so hard to reconcile family life and politics?

I think that from the outset there has to be a relationship of trust between husband and wife that makes it easier for the man to give the woman more freedom. Trust within the couple is very important and implies a degree of responsibility on the part of the woman. Her first duty is to make sure her household is run properly. Getting involved in politics is a choice, it’s a decision the woman makes, and she must not allow it to take over to the detriment of her other responsibilities. Women have to be well organized, to manage their time well so that they can be wife, mother and active woman politician all rolled into one. Those who are not prepared for this should not get involved or they should be prepared to break up their homes.

iKNOW Politics: What advice would you give young women who want to get involved in politics? 

I ask them to have the courage to face the world of politics. They have to show a sense of responsibility to be able to perform their duties, and to be able to put up with a lot. That’s what politics is, first and foremost, it’s not a walk in the park. You have to be mentally prepared to face all kinds of difficulties. You’ll be called all kinds of names, accused of all manner of things. It’s not a world you can enter without being prepared. I’m convinced that being involved in politics implies a certain personal culture. You can’t be the kind of woman who’s at a loss for words, you have to stand up for yourself and learn to take what comes your way. Getting involved in politics is not as simple as going to a party or a dinner dance, it’s more complex than that!