In Sub-Saharan Africa, where women hold just 23 percent of the seats in national parliaments and there are only three women heads of state, Catherine Samba-Panza, president of the Central African Republic (CAR), is an inspirational figure. Her position as the first female president of a Francophone country is a powerful symbol for African women, showing they can succeed even in countries where armed conflict, corruption and inequality have been the norm.
So when 25 women politicians from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a country that has suffered through its own years of conflict, had the opportunity to meet her last month, it was considered a landmark event.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, where women hold just 23 percent of the seats in national parliaments and there are only three women heads of state, Catherine Samba-Panza, president of the Central African Republic (CAR), is an inspirational figure. Her position as the first female president of a Francophone country is a powerful symbol for African women, showing they can succeed even in countries where armed conflict, corruption and inequality have been the norm.
So when 25 women politicians from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a country that has suffered through its own years of conflict, had the opportunity to meet her last month, it was considered a landmark event.
