Creating awareness on Women’s rights to land through interactive tools: Role play

In Cameroon, the applicable laws give women the possibility of acquiring and owning land, even if these laws are diverse, complex, obsolete and not easily interpreted. Customary law prevails in a predominantly patriarchal context in which women do not always inherit land and therefore have no control over it; their access is also often limited to so-called secondary land rights, implying women hold these rights through male family members. Considering that 70% of agricultural practices are carried out by women, and paradoxically only 2-5% possess land ownership documents, this is a growing cause for concern, even for food security.

ProPFR puts a focus on promoting equal access to land for all women, irrespective of their social status (married, divorced, single or widowed) and financial capability. This is especially relevant in the rural areas where the literacy rate and knowledge of laws is significantly low.

The use of a role play for sensitizations is suitable in these communities due to its funny, interactive, iterative and inclusive nature. It aims at encouraging women to be proactive when it comes to securing their plots and at the same time it highlights the importance of men encouraging initiatives to empower women.  In the 08 villages where this activity was carried out in the municipalities of Nanga-Eboko (Mangai, Emtse, Bifoulé, and Mbengueni) and Yoko (Gervoum, Ngouetou, Mangai, Mankim), a total of 360 people were sensitized – half being women of all ages and social status and on the other hand men (chiefs, notables and youths).

The role play board is setup following participatory mapping by villagers. Scenarios are introduced and participants are encouraged to give their opinions and share experiences. This gives the players the opportunity to put themselves in one another’s shoes to better understand the plights or privileges they face. Many (?) men realized how difficult it was for particularly widowed and divorced women to benefit from their husband’s lands, especially if they were not legally married, or at the end of their marriage. Young single women and married women are “allowed” to carry out agricultural practices provided they remain on the family compound and loose every right once they get married or divorced.

Thanks to ProPFR's role play sensitization initiative, women have acquired the knowledge and skills to safeguard their rights and engage in negotiations with local communities (village chiefs) to obtain securing documents like an “Attestation de Jouissance Paisible des Terres” (AJPT). Traditional authorities and men in general understood (?) the importance of women's access to land as a guarantee of their family's well-being.