Brazzaville campuses embrace literary advocacy
Last week, in one of the lecture halls of the University Libre du Congo that still retains the discreet charm of 1980s brickwork, words replaced whistles as the sharpest weapons of student mobilisation. One hundred and two undergraduates from the University Libre du Congo (ULC) and the neighbouring University Henri Lopez (UHL) converged on the capital for the maiden Inter-University Literary Competition on Gender-Based Violence, convened by the association Zéro violences en milieu scolaire et universitaire, steered by its founder, the lawyer-poet Joseline Mansounga Moumossi.
The contest invited participants to sift through a recent monograph dedicated to the plague of gender-based violence, to distil its arguments, and, crucially, to interrogate the social milieu that allows abuse to persist. Presiding over the ceremony, the Executive Secretary of the Advisory Council on Women, Yennice Claire Mberi Moukietou—also godmother of the association—reminded the audience that “literature is never neutral; it either perpetuates silence or endorses emancipation.” Her presence, flanked by the representative of the Permanent Secretary of the Advisory Council on Youth, Mr Sambo, underscored official recognition of a student-driven initiative fully in phase with the Republic’s objectives of safeguarding academic spaces.
From analysis to action: judging criteria
To ensure that rhetoric did not eclipse rigour, the jury—chaired by writer-critic Destin Jésus Sondzo and composed of linguist Guershon Bolandzi and human-rights advocate Destinée Kimbatsa—asked each contestant to deliver an eight-minute exposé. Three axes structured the assessment: first, the passages of the book that resonated most forcefully; second, a critical appraisal of any conceptual or stylistic limits; third, concrete proposals for eradicating harassment, discrimination or abuse on campus.
The format obliged competitors to navigate seamlessly between textual exegesis and civic engagement. As jury president Sondzo explained afterwards, “We rewarded the ability to transform literary acuity into actionable policy suggestions, because the line separating scholarship from activism is increasingly thin—and for excellent reasons.” The verdict crowned Daniel Zangha Elion, a third-year law student from ULC, for best exposé, and Victoire Mapengo of UHL for most incisive questions. Their prizes ranged from legal textbooks to mentoring sessions with feminist scholars, while both universities received certificates testifying to their commitment.
Institutions align with national gender agenda
The momentum of the contest reflects the wider Congolese context, where public authorities have multiplied consultative frameworks to curb violence against women and girls. Within higher education, vice-chancellors have already mandated gender focal points and confidential reporting channels. The literary competition adds a cultural vector to those administrative reforms, creating a space where narratives can be reshaped before they calcify into prejudice.
For the organising association, institutional endorsement is not merely symbolic. Services in charge of student welfare provided logistical support and will pilot a follow-up workshop in the next semester to translate the winning proposals into campus guidelines. According to organiser Mansounga Moumossi, “Sanctions alone will not cleanse academic life; we need preventive pedagogy that gives potential victims the vocabulary—and the courage—to speak before brutality becomes destiny.”
Towards a culture of zero tolerance on campuses
Statistics published by the Ministry of Social Affairs suggest that nearly one in three female students nationwide has experienced some form of gender-related aggression during her studies. The figures, albeit alarming, have the paradoxical merit of breaking the wall of denial. By linking literacy to advocacy, the competition aspires to accelerate that awakening. Several participants, interviewed on the sidelines, confessed that they had been unaware of the legal remedies available under the Congolese Penal Code. Others discovered that perpetrators are frequently peers or mentors, rather than strangers.
In her closing remarks, Mberi Moukietou honoured the laureates and urged them to become “ambassadors of safe scholarship” back on their respective campuses. She further announced her intention to table recommendations before the Advisory Council on Women so that literary-based sensitisation may be rolled out in other provincial universities.
The evening concluded not with a fanfare but with a shared pledge: to reframe shame so that it no longer burdens survivors but weighs squarely on the shoulders of offenders. If the pen is mightier than the sword, then the words forged in Brazzaville may yet carve pathways to university corridors where intellect, and not intimidation, determines who speaks and who thrives.