VIDEO. Meeting with Marie-Paule Okri, winner of the Simone-de-Beauvoir prize

Co-founder and manager Feminist of social interventions at the Ivorian League for Women’s Rights, Marie-Paule Okri won the French Simone-de-Beauvoir prize this year. A price she didn’t expect: “I didn’t realize it at the time.” His organization offers “legal, psychological and medical or health support for the women we receive, women survivors of rape and violence.” Since her childhood, the young woman has been involved in the issue of feminism: “Ever since I was little, people thought I was weird! I was the one who did not want to conform to everything that was assigned to women”.

“With my friends, we decided to get together and create something quite formal”

With seven other women, she created the Ivorian League for Women’s Rights. “We decided to set up the League, following a case of extreme violence which shocked all Ivorians.” Marie-Paule Okri describes a news item during which a woman was thrown out of her window by her husband, who, according to neighbors, had the habit of hitting her. “My friends and I decided to get together and create something quite formal. And that’s how the League was born”. She also dedicates this Simone-de-Beauvoir prize to her parents, and in particular her mother, who “did not have the opportunity to go to school”. “So my mother said to herself: “My daughter, go further than me, do everything you can and bring me back what you can bring me as a prize, as a diploma, that’s my only satisfaction.” Even if she doesn’t always understand what it means, she’s happy when I’m happy”.