Authors: Naliaka Odera & Kari Mugo

Women and Science in Africa: A Silent Revolution is a quietly earnest documentary that follows the lives of three African women working in different fields of science. The film, much like its title, allows for the women’s own words to be the catalyst of their revolutions. As we meet Dr. Francine Ntoumi from the Republic of Congo, Dr. Tebello Nyokong from South Africa, and Dr. Zara Randriamanakoto of Madagascar, we are treated to powerful examples of what happens when intelligence, drive, and ambition collide. In the Congo, Dr. Ntoumi works in Infectious Diseases, travelling to far-flung regions of her country to tackle serious epidemics. With the Congolose Foundation for Medical Research, Dr. Ntoumi runs one of Congo’s most successful health research instiutions.

In South Africa, Dr. Nyokong, who has received national honors from the South African government for her ‘outstanding contributions in the field of science,’ is a Chemist and Professor with an unshakeable pride in what she believes the African continent has to offer. “Our science is as good as anywhere else,” she says at one point in the film, making the case for why more Europeans need to be engaging with research on the continent. There is just as much to learn from Africa as there is from the West, she says.

The third scientist featured, Dr. Randriamanakoto, is an Astrophysicist at the forefront of one of the largest radio telescope networks in the world. Although her work is based in South Africa, Dr. Randriamanakoto has her sights set on returning to Madagascar to support education efforts there. “Don’t just learn and keep it to yourself,” she encourages the audience at one point in the film. She is also the first to admit that without the mentorship of her teachers, she would never have embarked on the career she now finds herself blazing a path through. At one of the more poignant parts of the film, she stands at the base of a giant telescope, as three eager students take notes around her. Already, Dr. Randriamanakoto is paying it forward.

The message in the documentary is clear: the silent revolution is taking place now, as women step into spaces that, traditionally, they did not belong in. But the silent revolution is also about so much more, as Africans take ownership of local knowledge and resources to find solutions to the challenges they face and to imagine a new African future.

In March, the Mawazo Institute, in partnership with the Fondation L’Oréal, hosted the East African premiere of the documentary Women and Science in Africa: A Silent Revolution, as part of Mawazo’s Nairobi Ideas events series. The screening, held at Alliance Francaise-Nairobi, was attended by Serge Sacre, Managing Director of L’Oreal East Africa, who gave opening remarks. The Fondation is an avid supporter of women in science and runs a For Women in Science program, committed to increasing the number of women in scientific research. Following the screening of the documentary, audience members were invited to stay for a panel discussion around the themes raised in the documentary. The panel featured three leading Kenyan female scientists, Dr. Evelyn Gitau (Director of Research Capacity Strengthening at Africa Population and Health Research Centre), Gladys Mosomtai (NEF Ambassador for Kenya, ARPPIS-DAAD PhD Fellow, and L’oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Sub-Saharan Africa Fellow – 2018), and Dr. Jemimah Njuki (Senior Program Officer at Canada's International Development Research Centre-IDRC). and was moderated by Mawazo CEO, Dr. Rose M. Mutiso.

To watch the film at home, check your local Canal+ TV Station, a distribution partner, for air times.