Colour It Purple: The Ivorian building women politicians

By Mel Herve

With the presidential election just around the corner, Ivory Coast is a country abuzz with a nervous energy. The election is also an opportunity that only comes so often for Carelle Laetitia Goli. Goli is on a mission to get young women to enter politics – a challenge that is a major issue for societies globally.

At a busy precinct in central Abidjan, the political consultant and feminist activist has been conducting workshops ahead of the October 25 election. Her mission is to help women in Ivory Coast find their political voice by giving them the confidence they need to enter politics. Her audience includes Gen Z’s, a demographic that is often highly sceptical of the democratic process.

“Democratic participation requires women’s involvement. We often focus only on the presidential election, but there are also legislative and local elections coming. I would like to see more women’s movements involved, stepping out of traditional parties,” she said. “If they do not have space there, let them create their own parties to influence politics, especially in parliament.”

Goli, a leading figure of the feminist movement in Ivory Coast, heads the Organisation for Feminist Reflection and Action. The organisation, which she founded in 2023, supports women to get involved in all spheres of public life, from municipal councils to local assemblies and institutional leadership.

She is also a legal expert at the Ivorian League for Women’s Rights. As a former head of the feminism program at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, she has worked for years to improve women’s representation in decision-making bodies.

“We help women regain control over themselves and their ambitions. We also guide them to redefine their role as citizens and therefore in political management. These are women who will not ask for their place but will take it,” Goli said.

At the training, some of the attendees are already active in associations and hope to improve their communication and leadership skills. Others, from political parties, aim to discover effective advocacy strategies.

Among them, Mawa Bamba, deputy secretary general of the youth branch of the Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace political party in the Abobo district, came to find tools to strengthen her action. She recognises the need for continuous learning. “To be committed in politics, you must master all the parameters. You never stop learning,” she explained.

This program helped her consolidate her vision of leadership and assert her position as an engaged woman in a competitive environment. “Being a secretary-general is not always easy for a woman, especially given the influence of the themes we address.

We discussed transformational leadership and political advocacy. That is actually the main reason I attended this training,” she added. Her words spoke to both the difficulty of existing in a male-dominated space and the determination to change it.

In Goli’s workshops, theory meets practice. Participants learn public speaking, how to use digital tools for better communication, and how to write advocacy texts capable of influencing decision-makers. The atmosphere is marked by passionate dialogue.

Beyond the training rooms, the conversation around boosting women’s involvement in politics continued into the streets and markets of Abidjan.

In Adjamé, at the heart of the economic capital, life is vibrant. Opinions gathered from women at Adjame Market, considered the economic capital’s biggest and busiest, reveal growing enthusiasm for gender parity in politics. In front of a shop surrounded by women selling their goods, Diane Boby, a woman in her thirties who came to shop, shared her thoughts on women’s role in politics.

“Apart from being mothers or housewives, women also have the ability to bring renewal to our African countries. Their motherly heart gives them the strength to fight against war and to bring more peace to our nations,” she told bird.

Dago Cassy, a marketing management engineer said, “Why not? I like politics, so I am ready to support someone. If she shares the same vision as mine, there is no problem, I will support her. But I will not support her just because she is a woman, I will embrace her vision, and not simply because she belongs to the female gender.”

Female representation remains low in Ivorian institutions. For example, in the National Assembly, women hold 34 out of 254 seats, representing about 13.4 percent of members, according to global parliamentary data. Within the Ivorian government, only 6 of the 33 ministers are women, about 18.18 percent of the cabinet.

Through her training and advocacy work, Goli is building more than a network. She is shaping a new political culture where sisterhood becomes a strength and every voice matters. Mawa and her peers are the heirs of this legacy, ready to transform Ivorian society in depth. With them, a new chapter of history is being written, one where women finally hold the pen.