How would you explain resistance in your own words?
It’s making my own decisions. For instance, today I consider myself a feminist. I don’t want anyone to tell me that I can’t do this or that because I’m a woman. When I think of resistance, I think of freedom of choice and respect for the choice of others as well. One of the values that is very dear to me is respect for choices. I am delighted to have had parents who respected my decision to convert. Resistance for me is my freedom to make my choices and have them respected by others.
Why do you think people resist? When you think about these people that you admire or yourself, what’s the driving force behind this resistance?
I will say it is because we have no other choice. You either decide to follow your path or suffocate. What I do today is promote reading, promote books, and promote education. After I did finance in college, I could have said, “OK, I’ll continue there, get a good job and sit in an office.” But I wouldn’t have survived. I think I would have felt oppressed. I don’t think we have a choice. We need to do what’s thrilling for us. But I also think that we who say we have no choice but to do what makes us tick are privileged.
What are some examples of resistance you see or have seen around you?
When I think of resistance, I think of female figures that I see as role models. So, I take Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for her fight for feminism, for women’s rights, for everyone’s rights. I think of the blogger Anne Marie Befoune because, for me, she doesn’t fit into a mold. I love her writing and I love the fact that she also gives herself the freedom to act as she likes for her own life, regardless of what others might say.
I love Mylène Flicka, who is a blogger as well for the same reason, and because she does something different. They are doing jobs that are not jobs that you would have said, “When you grow up, you’ll do this.” These are things that we discovered growing up. I’m talking about activism. If you take the case of Mylène today, she decided to highlight African talents. It’s something that you come across at some point in your life, and you tell yourself that the world needs that and that’s what you’re going to bring to it. For me, these are people who don’t let themselves be put in boxes.
When you think about the world you want to create, a world where you have achieved what you want to do in terms of education and self-confidence, what does it look like? And how feasible do you think creating that world is, in the time that you are alive?
I’m very realistic. I know that I’m not necessarily going to achieve the big goal of my life. Maybe I’m not going to achieve it, but at least I want to lay the groundwork so that it can be achieved one day. My goal is to transform education in general. At the same time, I’m aware that there are a lot of political obstacles that slow down change. I know it’s a long way to go to transform our education system as it is right now. So, my goal right now as a member of civil society is to bring books everywhere and make sure that there are libraries everywhere in Ivory Coast. Because I say to myself that if you give a book to a person, you can help them educate themselves. This is the future for me.
