MAURITANIA AND CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE: THE WOMEN OF AFRICA CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

Record ID: 402566

  • Title: MAURITANIA AND CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE: THE WOMEN OF AFRICA CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
  • Date: 12th March 1969
  • Summary: MAURITANIA WOMEN'S DAY EXHIBITION; PRESIDENT OPENS EXHIBITION; FOREIGN STANDS; PRESIDENT GREETING FOREIGN REPRESENTATIVES; BRAZZAVILLE CROWD LINES STREET; PRESIDENT N'GOUABI ADDRESSES CROWD; WOMEN FROM VARIOUS COUNTRIES MARCH PAST. Initials GL/VS/BOB/PC Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 27th March 1969 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: NOUAKCHOTT, MAURITANIA BRAZZAVILLE, CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE
  • City:
  • Country: Mauritania Congo
  • Reuters ID: LVA43EQVG02NHQB3BA0EIFDZSBKW
  • Story Text: THE WOMEN OF AFRICA WERE IN A FESTIVE MOOD AT THE WEEKEND IN TWO WIDELY SEPARATED CAPITAL CITIES OF WEST AFRICA. AT NOUAKCHOTT, CAPITAL OF MAURITANIA, AND IN BRAZZAVILLE, CAPITAL OF CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE, THE PRESIDENTS, THE POLITICIANS AND THE WOMENFOLK, MET TO CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY IN CONTRASTING STYLES.

    ON SATURDAY (MARCH 8) THE CENTREPIECE OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY CELEBRATIONS IN MAURITANIA WAS AN INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION DEVOTED TO THE ACTIVITIES OF WOMEN IN DIFFERENT SOCIETIES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

    THE EXHIBITION, WHICH WAS TO CONTINUE FOR A WEEK, BROUGHT TO MAURITANIA DISPLAYS FROM MANY COUNTRIES, INCLUDING THE SOVIET UNION, CHINA, WEST GERMANY, FRANCE AND THE UNITED ARAB REPUBLIC.

    MAURITANIA'S HEAD OF STATE, PRESIDENT MOKTAR OULD DADDAH, CUT THE RIBBON TO OPEN THE EXHIBITION, AND THEN HE TOURED THE STANDS AND WAS GREETED BY THE AMBASSADORS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF THE COUNTRIES TAKING PART. NATURALLY ENOUGH, ON THIS WOMEN'S FESTIVAL DAY, THE PRESIDENT WAS ACCOMPANIED BY HIS WIFE.

    ON THE FOLLOWING DAY, (9 MARCH), MORE THAN THREE THOUSAND MILES AWAY IN BRAZZAVILLE, ANOTHER FEMINIST GROUP, THE REVOLUTIONARY UNION OF WOMEN OF CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE, GATHERED IN THE PRESENCE OF PRESIDENT MARIEN N'GOUABI ON THE THIRD DAY OF THEIR FOURTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS.

    ALSO ATTENDING THE CELEBRATIONS WERE THE MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF THE REVOLUTION, GOVERNMENT MINISTERS, THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS AND A LARGE, ENTHUSIASTIC CROWD. AFTER COMMANDER N'GOUABI'S INAUGURAL SPEECH THE PARADE TOOK PLACE.

    MARCHING PAST BRAZZAVILLE'S TOWN HALL, THE DELEGATIONS OF WOMEN FROM CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE WERE JOINED BY THOSE FROM CENTRAL AFRICA, CHAD, MALI, SENEGAL AND TOGO. WHILE AMONG THE OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIONS WATCHING THE PARADE WERE WOMEN BELONGING TO FEMINIST ORGANISATIONS FROM THE SOVIET UNION, NORTH KOREA, CHINA AND FRANCE AS WELL AS FROM ALL OVER AFRICA.
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