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| A visiting scholar at the Institute of Women’s Studies, Biwolé, left, was eager to share the story of her fellow countrywoman, Marie-Rose Nguini Effa, a Cameroonian member of Parliament. Biwolé suggested the institute invite this political figure to come and present a conference about the feminist struggle in Cameroon. |
Josée Chartrand
Viviane Ondoua Biwolé, a visiting scholar at the Institute of Women’s Studies, is involved in the research of employment equity.
Biwolé arrived at the end of November 2005 and will be at the University of Ottawa until May 2006 under a program established jointly by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the University of Ottawa and Carleton University.
A four-year program, it allows an academic from a developing country to pursue research in Ottawa for six months.
A native of Cameroon, Biwolé hopes to return with tools and information that might help women of her country move forward in the labour market.
“I would like to determine the impact that globalization could have on the careers of women in sub-Saharan Africa.
“Women have been fighting for their rights for centuries; for decades, different countries have ratified treaties to eliminate discrimination against women,” she explains. “Equal opportunity, however, and particularly employment equality will be obtained neither through letters of intent nor by decrees. This is why I want to find out if the consequences of globalization, in terms of conveying resources and mobility, can help women progress in their careers in sub-Saharan Africa.”
According to Biwolé, Cameroon might benefit from initiatives used in Canada to fight discrimination against women.
During her research, she will take advantage of the international public management library network meetings March 27 to 31, 2006 at the École nationale d’administration publique of the Université du Québec. There, she will be able to discuss the issue with members of the network, which includes 11 partner institutions from Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Biwolé, a PhD in management sciences, a professor at the University of Yaoundé II and a consultant professor at the Advanced Institute of Public Management (ISMP) in Cameroon, considers herself fortunate to have this opportunity. “Thanks to this network, I can undertake research in a field that interests me and meet colleagues in my field of study. This research could provide a lot of hope to women in Africa,” she says.
