Every year on 8 March, the world celebrates the International Day for the Rights of Women. This date is much more than a simple celebration: it marks a moment of reflection on the past struggles and the struggles to be fought for gender equality. In Senegal, several women have played a major role in the defense of women’s rights and continue to inspire future generations. International Women’s Day has its roots in the workers’ movements of the early 20th century. From 1909, a first “National Women’s Day” is organized in the United States by the American Socialist Party. But it was in 1910, during the International Conference of Socialist Women in Copenhagen, that Clara Zetkin proposed the idea of a day dedicated to women’s rights. This uprising led to the fall of tsarism and marked history. In 1977, the UN officially designated this date as an international day for women’s rights, encouraging each country to commemorate it.
08 March International Day for the Rights of Women: the history, the struggle and the female figures of Senegal
