“One day we realized that there are many African women who have initiatives and that we have potential in very different areas. But since everyone works for themselves, we cannot influence other women. We also realize that here in Spain there is not a strong community of Africans like, for example, Latin Americans,” comments Dr. Mafini Dosso, founder of OIITID, an association researching innovation in Africa.
Those who have recognized this gap are five women of African descent living in Spain: Dosso herself, from the Ivory Coast and an economist with a doctorate; Nicole Ndongala from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Director General of the Karibu Association; Mariama Badji from Senegal and civil engineer; Marie Lucia Monsheneke from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, women’s rights activist and founder of the Association for Development Cooperation of Kongovasque Women (FAMEK-ELKARTEA); and Sonia Mankongo from Cameroon, doctor of Spanish philology and human rights defender.
Together they founded the Network of African Women Leaders in Action (REMLAA), an association promoting leadership and equal opportunities for African women. They try to achieve this goal through concrete measures that promote the joint development of innovative and effective projects for entrepreneurship and women’s empowerment. Likewise, they strive to promote their participation in society by proposing, acting and deciding at all levels, social, cultural, political, scientific, economic and industrial.
In Spain there is no promotion of African women by African women and therefore it is very difficult for us to take care of each other
Mafini Dosso, Founder of OIITID
They also try to create and facilitate spaces for the exchange of experiences between women in Africa and the African diaspora in Spain and the rest of the world. In addition, they intend to improve the quality of education for youth and women and to participate in the elimination of all forms of harassment and sexist violence, inequality, exploitation and discrimination. The founders are currently financing the projects themselves, but are already in contact with various mentors to increase their budget.
Before taking this step, they contacted other associations for advice. “We exchanged ideas for a long time and closely followed the network of Latin American and Caribbean women. Especially to one of its founders, Tatiana Retamozo Quintana, who encouraged us from the beginning to create this association by giving us very important keys,” explains Ndongala.
REMLAA is mainly aimed at women of African descent living in Spain. According to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), at the end of 2022, 489,178, 40% of the 1,217,706 citizens with citizenship of African countries were living in Spain. The largest group of sub-Saharan countries are the Senegalese with 83,260 inhabitants, 21% of whom are women. Nigeria follows with 36,367, of which they make up 44%. Only among those from Equatorial Guinea is the proportion of women higher than that of men: 62%. The presence of Mauritanians (27% of 8,844), Guineans (26% of 11,162), Gambians (20% of 23,253) and Malians (14% of 31,792) is also significant. The distribution of these people by province is very irregular. However, Barcelona is the country with the largest population of African descent, according to the map prepared by the continent’s news portal AfricaMundi using data from the 2021 census.
These figures do not take into account people in an irregular situation in Spain. But according to Fundación porCausa, Africans make up less than 10% of the total. By the end of 2019, that could be 390,000 to 470,000 people. They also do not count women of African descent with Spanish nationality. There are no statistics about them. The group of women of African descent living in Spain is large but goes largely unnoticed. Many of them run ventures and actions that don’t have much visibility. REMLAA wants to change that.
Join forces to go further
Although it looks like a huge undertaking from the outside, these five women have independently promoted this type of action for years. Such is the case of Monsheneke, who settled in Bilbao in 2011 and defines herself as “an African activist committed to respect for human dignity and non-discrimination”. She moves, she says, “in the world of defending the rights of women and girls in particular and human rights in general”. She makes her voice and that of the African women who are part of her association heard in many forums and official organizations, collaborating with major NGOs such as Acnur, CEAR or the Red Cross or in Emakunde (Basque Women’s Institute).
Ndongala has been running the Karibu association for years and fights for the rights of migrants from Africa. Mankongo has developed part of its activities to promote equal opportunities, particularly in the field of education for women and girls. In addition to her work as a researcher, Dosso works, among other things, for the training of African women entrepreneurs and for their access to new technologies.
We realize that here in Spain there is not a strong community of African women, as is the case with Latin American women, for example.
Mafini Dosso, Founder of OIITID, an association for innovation research in Africa
What’s new now is that they are joining forces to reach further and more people. “The idea of REMLAA came about when several African women came together in rooms where we were invited by other people to talk about what we do. One day we realized that we were in these places because we were invited by others to learn more about ourselves. So we chose to be the ones who introduce ourselves, invite the world, invite other people to find out about us, find out about our activities, or lead initiatives that impact the lives of others based on our own experiences African women have,” she admits to Mankongo.
Various associations of people of African origin already exist throughout Spanish territory to defend their rights and express their demands. The document Reaching out to the African and Afro-descended population in Spain. Identity and Access to Rights, published by the Department for Equality, lists most of them. The Autonomous Community of Madrid has the largest population, followed by Catalonia, Andalusia and Murcia. REMLAA has started to weave a network with everyone, especially with “women in all the Autonomous Communities of Spain and also with our sisters on other continents and especially with those who want to change the narratives about Africa through actions to formulate them positively “, assures Ndongala. And he adds: “Our strength is to conceive, think, design and develop intergenerational tools together. The difference is that in Spain there has not been a network of African women at national level with women, who used to drive change and transformation and who are now coming together not only to engage politically, but also to participate in change.”
“In Spain there is no promotion of African women by African women and therefore it is very difficult for us to look out for each other,” adds Dosso, who adds: “That is why we decided that one of the first steps of the network had to engage with others Identify African women living in Spain and carrying out actions that transform their environment or have an impact on their communities, their cities or neighborhoods. All this to see how together we can do more promotion and help each other with training and local integration issues in the society we are in. Also see how together we can impact these societies, make ourselves known and help other women.”
Together they want to show what they are doing and change the narratives about African women in Spain. Put them positive. To do this, you must first talk about your leadership. To achieve this, there is nothing better than helping each other. “From us to us” is the formula Dosso uses to explain the strength they can have when they unite and work together. “That’s why it’s important to talk to each other so that we can identify any needs and seek the training that is needed. If we don’t do this, we won’t be able to change the narrative,” the doctor concludes.
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