At 73-years-old, Seynabou Male Cissé witnessed Senegal gain independence from French colonizers in 1960 — and then saw her home region of Casamance descend into armed conflict in 1982. True peace has been elusive in Casamance for decades. But Seynabou has devoted almost her entire life to making peace, freedom and justice a reality.
After years as a teacher and activist, in 1999, Seynabou founded USOFORAL (meaning “Let’s join hands” in the local Diola language), an AJWS-supported grassroots organization that builds on the traditional role of Senegalese women as mediators and givers of life to forge a peace movement with thousands of members. She saw the chaos war wrought on women across Casamance, and pushed USOFORAL to launch programs helping women economically and emotionally. While rebels remain armed, USOFORAL’s peacekeeping mission continues.
In 2013, the Women’s World Summit Foundation awarded Seynabou its annual Prize for Women’s Creativity in Rural Life, recognizing her outstanding contributions as a women’s rights advocate and peacemaker. Today, Seynabou is cheering on USOFORAL from the sidelines, watching the women’s movement she founded change lives across Casamance.
From her living room in Ziguinchor, Casamance, we asked her to reflect on a lifetime of activism, and what peace really means.
You’ve been involved in activism for decades. What in your early life sparked that fight?
My family life pushed me to embrace this path. I was born into a very large family, an extended clan. There were 15 boys running around, and my cousin and I were the only girls. The girls would fetch water for the boys to enjoy a bath. I always say: I’m a short woman because I spent my childhood carrying buckets of water on my head. This sense of gender inequality stayed with me. By 1968, I joined a student movement in university before I was even a student. It was a year of social justice protests around the world — and these movements put into words everything I felt as a child.
You were an early advocate of a peaceful resolution to the armed conflict in Casamance. Why?
Peacekeeping imposed itself on me, to be honest. My true calling was fighting for equity — in my family, as a student. To make sure each person has what they need to live a meaningful, fulfilling life. In 1978, I co-founded a school for students whose families couldn’t afford normal school fees; we were bringing equity to education in Senegal. But the conflict forced us to shut down. And so my destiny shifted – if I was to continue this work, then I couldn’t escape working for peace.
From the beginning, USOFORAL has been a movement of women advocating for peace. Why are women such effective peacekeepers?
We’re the creators of life, and we don’t want the life we’ve grown in our bellies to suffer. There is no war worth the death of our sons and daughters — and so we work efficiently, passionately. Just as we bring life into this world, we prevent the taking of life out of this world. In local Diola tradition, if a woman stands between two combatants, the feud must be finished. If a woman stands between enemies, those enemies must speak. We enact that tradition in the real world.
It’s been nearly 30 years since you founded USOFORAL. In what ways has the organization created an impact?
Our greatest impact in Casamance isn’t something you can see. It’s women’s dynamism in our society. Women are playing a larger role in our politics. They are more empowered economically. And they speak up. They are not afraid to use their voice. They take the floor, they take up space. That’s our pride. That’s our achievement.
In the broadest sense, what is peace to you? What does it mean to live in peace?
Peace isn’t just the absence of violence — it’s moving through the world freely, securely, without fear. To walk into the forest to collect fruit without fear of stepping on a landmine. To travel village to village without fear of abuse or arrest. To stroll downtown without fear you might be robbed. Peace is sleeping outside under the stars, carelessly, and waking up refreshed. That is peace.
There are so many conflicts happening now – from Gaza, to Ukraine, to Congo and more. What message do you have for those advocating for peace in each of these regions?
Stand up, and call people into your cause. You’ll never end a war lying down.