The women’s tennis Leopards of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are preparing to take part in the Group 4 qualifiers for the Billie Jean Cup in Kigali, Rwanda. From Monday June 5 to Saturday June 10, these Congolese athletes will proudly defend the colors of their country against 10 other nations, all committed to winning the qualifying spot for Group 3. These are Angola, Cameroon, Congo , Ethiopia, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal and Tanzania.
Last year, Congolese sportswomen were unable to take part in this competition in Skopje, Macedonia due to administrative problems. The visas were granted late, and the tournament had already started. This year, the team prepared perfectly in Kinshasa under the leadership of its captain, Pave Bokata. It will be composed of five members who are Allyson Nancy Onya, Marie Micheline Bosman Agate, Marie-Perla Biansumba, Charlène Watona Bunkuta, and Cathy Bolangi.
The sporting event will be held in a context marked by various political and social events in the DRC. The security situation is deteriorating as the government tries to deal with a major food crisis affecting the whole country. In the political class too, significant progress can be noted, like the ultimatum issued by the members of “Together for the Republic” for the release of political prisoners and the end of the dictatorship.
However, it is important to welcome the appointment of Julienne Lusenge as Deputy Coordinator of the National Monitoring Mechanism of the Addis Ababa Framework Agreement. This appointment is a victory for the representation of women in peacebuilding and demonstrates the government’s commitment to respect the regional framework agreement signed in 2013.
In short, the group 4 qualifiers for the Billie Jean Cup constitute a major sporting event, which offers Tenniswomen from the DRC an opportunity to shine and make their country shine. It is also an opportunity to highlight current political and social news in the DRC, in a context where it is important to welcome progress as soon as it exists.