Africa | Burundi | Crimes

Merck Wants To ‘Empower’ Infertile Women In Africa. Can Music Videos Help?

In June, an unusual email arrived in the inbox of an NPR global health correspondent. The headline was: "Merck Foundation together with First Lady of Burundi release 'Plus Qu'une Mere' an empowering French Song as courtesy to all infertile women in Burundi and Africa." The email had a link to a video of a performance with an all-female choir. Wearing traditional African clothing printed with the Merck Foundation's logo, they sing a song with lyrics that encourage people not to blame women for infertility. They're performing before an audience of maybe a hundred people, most of them in

Africa | Burundi | Activism

Beware Mr President: why entry of Burundi’s women into third term fray could be a game-changer

Source: Mail & Guardian

A Bsurundi’s stalemate over a controversial third term bid for president Pierre Nkurunziza remains intractable, the entry of its women into the charged atmosphere could change the dynamic of the violent dispute. East African Community (EAC) leaders will Wednesday meet in Tanzania in a scramble to head off a regional crisis, but after Nkurunziza Monday launched his election campaign, there are concerns that the meeting has been rendered meaningless, and will instead be forced to focus on damage limitation. Donors are also applying the squeeze—Belgium on Monday suspended key aid for t

Africa | Burundi | Activism

Hundreds of Women March in Defiance of Burundi’s Ban on Protests

Source: Vice News

Hundreds of women gathered Sunday in Burundi's capital Bujumbura, defying a government ban on protests and braving the possibility of violence at the hands of police to march against President Pierre Nkurunziza's decision to seek a third term in office. "We are mothers. It is our children who are killed. It is our children who are in prison. We are here to respect human rights. We are here against the third term," the women chanted, according to RFI. One protester was reported killed Sunday after being shot in the Musaga area of the capital, according to the Associated Press, but it did