National Competition to Empower Girls’ Voices
The Brazzaville-based association Oxygène launched the national school competition “Say No With Your Words” on October 28th, inviting girls from primary to lower secondary school to write texts denouncing gender-based violence. This initiative kicks off the second edition of Oxygène’s campaign “Act to Prevent, Ready to Defend,” scheduled from November 25th to December 10th.
Alignment with the Global 16-Day Campaign
The chosen dates coincide with the UN’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, a period when institutions worldwide highlight prevention. Oxygène hopes this synchronization will attract additional media attention and financial partners while grounding the conversation in Congolese realities.
Digital Portal for National Reach
Participants register via a dedicated Facebook page and upload their work as a poem, slam, or free-form text. The online model, first tested in 2022 at the city level, eliminates travel costs for students from remote departments.
Themes Rooted in Lived Experience
The texts must address the physical, verbal, sexual, or psychological abuse faced by women and girls. “We want authentic voices; students can draw inspiration from stories heard at home or in their neighborhood,” said the President of Oxygène at the press conference, emphasizing that teachers can guide but not alter submissions.
Expert Jury Leads the Selection
A five-member jury of linguists, journalists, and child rights advocates will pre-select 30 texts over three rounds, then crown three national winners in Brazzaville on December 9th. The winning texts will be performed live and published in a booklet.
Workshops Blending Body and Voice
Beyond writing, the program offers three practical workshops. A self-defense module introduces martial arts basics to help girls assess risks and break holds without escalating force. A second session, “Voice and Power,” trains participants to set verbal boundaries, using breathing and posture borrowed from theater exercises.
Training Those Who Protect and Report
The third workshop brings together journalists, psychologists, doctors, legal experts, and police officers to review referral pathways. “A helpline is useless if the first responder doubts the victim,” noted a psychologist, advocating for a consistent protocol between schools, clinics, and police stations.
Supportive Government Policy Framework
Congo-Brazzaville passed a specific law against gender-based violence in 2019, and this year the Ministry of Gender issued new guidelines for school clubs. The Oxygène project complements these efforts without duplicating them, said a ministry director, who promised logistical support in rural districts.
Education Experts Praise the Creative Angle
A curriculum specialist believes artistic expression allows students to process trauma safely. “A line of poetry can say what a police form cannot,” she argued. Teachers in Pointe-Noire plan to integrate the competition into French classes, awarding credit points for the assignments.