"We want to be seen, and for the world to know our work": CFI marks International Women's Day
Women's work is essential to thriving coastal fisheries, but their labor is often invisible
Mrs Mariama Dieng, Dionewar, Senegal, 24 February 2022 ©FAO/Lala Ndiaye
Mrs Mariama Dieng, 40, manages a shrimp and shellfish processing unit on the island of Dionewar, in Senegal's Sine Saloum Delta. She quit school at age 20, and started working two years later.
Married to a seaman who is away for long periods of time, she lives with her mother-in-law and her five children. Her day begins at dawn, when she gets up to prepare the family midday meal and do household chores before leaving for the processing unit.
"When you're born and you grow up in Dionewar, you're inevitably immersed in the world of fish processing. My grandmothers, mother and aunts all did this job, which is the main activity of almost all the women here. And it's a job I love," says Mrs Dieng. "Everything I am today and everything I have is thanks to this job."
While she is passionate about her work and it contributes decently to her family's livelihood, Mrs Dieng is concerned about the increasing scarcity of fish and the potential impact of oil drilling, which is set to start in 2023.
"The sea is threatened. We have no more fish. At this rate, we will have no more work. The exploitation of oil has been announced, and our jobs might be affected. So, I want my daughters to take their studies seriously," she commented. "I hope they get an education so they can have jobs in air-conditioned offices and drive cars," she added.
For her own future, Mrs Dieng says that in the next 5-10 years she would like to see the local processing unit become "like a palace."
"And I want us to be independent. To be able to finance ourselves so we can purchase equipment and whatever else we need for our business," added Mrs Dieng, who is a beneficiary of the CFI in West Africa (CFI-WA).