The Power of Women
A book review of The Power of Women authored by Dr. Denis Mukwege of the Congo and released in 2021.
This book will change your life. As a woman, an activist, and someone who has been to Africa, it changed the way I will view the Congo forever. It made me more aware of how my actions in the US may affect others through my buying habits and how I can affect change in someone else’s life through my work as a volunteer and through fundraising.
Dr. Denis Mukwege, the author, is a world-renowned gynecologist. He is also a feminist, a women’s rights activist, a human rights activist, and an absolutely amazing human being. He is a women's advocate on the world stage. He shares his views and experiences throughout this book and by continuing to give speeches globally.
I have been volunteering with an international non-profit from Congo since 2020. I knew before how we helped the Congolese women and children to fund their business ventures and education, little did I know just how exactly we were impacting their lives. Then I read, The Power of Women.
There is so much knowledge and history in this book. We learn about Congo's history of war. We learn how the culture changed from matriarchal to patriarchal after colonization. We learn how when politics and culture changed, women lost their power to manage resources as the patriarchal system shaped new cultural norms.
The Congolese wars (1996 and 1998) were influenced by the Rwandan war and genocide. Rape is commonly used in times of war. This book discusses rape as a common element of war, in Congo, in Africa, and globally. It is a human right’s abuse issue that needs attention. Rape is common around places with rich resources and is linked to the control of these resources. It is a way to exert power over others, in particular, women.
We need to change how women are viewed by men. This book discusses that. When boys and men are viewed as better and superior, according to the doctor, it perpetuates injustice and violence against women.
Women need to be empowered and in leadership roles. We discover that when women succeed, the whole community succeeds. Dr. Mukwege stresses that women can be trusted in positions of power which enables pathways for future women leaders to follow.
Dr. Mukwege had the opportunity to live, work and study in France and had a brief stay in the U.S. He could have lived permanently in either country, but his conscience told him not to. He is aware of the “brain drain” of experts, scholars, and persons of great skill and knowledge leaving the Congo and going elsewhere in the world. However, he decided to return to Congo and make a true difference in his home country.
Dr. Mukwege gives us the vital advice, “No one ever succeeds alone.” Helping others can make a huge difference. It takes a community! We succeed with the influences of others in our lives to make that difference. We have to raise our children to be better than us. They are the key to the future. And, we can achieve this difference in their lives through changemakers like Dr. Mukwege in the world. We will succeed in a better future. And, that means we need each other and that we cannot and will not do it alone.
Dr. Mukwege is a 2018 Nobel Prize recipient and continues to be a global spokesperson for the women and children of the Congo.
This article was originally published on March 1, 2023.
Jasmine Brink has served as Moskea Action Project’s Social Media Ambassador since 2020. Her background serving in Tanzania with the US Peace Corps has aided in communicating to others about international causes as they pertain to Africa.
