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For Ange Kayifa, art is therapy. She experienced violence firsthand, a victim years ago of her partner's actions: "There are many cultures or tribes, particularly in Cameroon, where you're told that if a man doesn't hit you, it means he doesn't love you."
Police and victim support organizations were of little help to Ange Kayifa: "Society is so rotten and patriarchal that these same people who are supposed to protect us are actually rooted in this violence."
For Ange Kayifa, who exhibits in Brazzaville, Canton, and Marseille, artists can change things. Her first performance was titled "Puppet": "Puppet is a woman who finds herself in a cage, connected to strings that come out of this cage. During the performance, there are people in the audience who pull on these ropes."
Ange Kayifa is currently interested in butoh, a Japanese dance described as the "dance of darkness." The Cameroonian artist remains convinced that beauty can emerge from the shadows.
In Cameroon, one in two women is a victim of violence
Laws to protect and defend women exist, but they are not being enforced, explains Aissa Doumara. She is president of the Association for Combating Violence Against Women: an organization that provides medical, legal, and social support to beaten or abused women and girls.
"Approximately 52% of Cameroonian women experience violence. There are many organizations working alongside the State to end this scourge. If we can enforce the laws of our country, which are very good, we have hope that things will improve. Laws cannot enforce themselves; efforts must be made by those who enforce the law, by policymakers as well, but also by traditional and religious authorities, by men and boys as well as by women and girls. This patriarchal ideology must be able to cease, as well as harmful cultural practices that strongly contribute to violence being perpetuated and persisting despite the existence of laws."
