The PANAFRICAN Review
In every sector you look in Rwanda , health , tourism , agriculture , ICT , you will see female leadership backed up by strong allies from the very top . In his book “ Conversations with the President of Rwanda ”, François Soudan asks President Paul Kagame why the issue of women ’ s right is so important to him . He answers , “ Frankly , if I were a woman , I would have waged a war a long time ago to liberate women , as I did to liberate my country . If oppressed women should wage a war , I would readily smuggle ammunition to them , for it would be a justified war ” ( 2015 : 104 ).
Increased female leadership brings better outcomes for society
Our female led Parliament is a result of a deliberate view in the RPF that increased female leadership brings about better outcomes for society .
Today , there is growing research around women-led businesses doing better .
But leadership is not just about political representation . It is about deciding to do something and pay the price for a purpose greater than ourselves . In our case , as was with our elders , the purpose is a thriving Rwanda where all Rwandans live a decent life , and a thriving Africa that takes its place in the world , leading with Ubuntu .
The point is that it must cost you something , personally . The path is not straight forward so where does one start ? We seem to forget that our liberation heroes were also young like us , or younger . We already have a better starting point . We have a country , good leaders . But the struggle towards a sustainable knowledge-led economy that we have set out as a pursuit for our generation continues . The question to ask is , what can I do ? And then do it .
As for the women today , it is true that we did not inherit the silence of our mothers but we must emulate their endurance , courage and clarity of purpose . It ’ s not about the trees , it ’ s about the forest .
The experiences of other liberation movements should teach us to be vigilent . Inyumba , like our women leaders today , was central to the cause . We need to sit at the table and lead without complex . Our goal is total liberation . A luta continua .
Happy 27th Liberation Day to all Rwandans ! Thank you Inkotanyi ._
Nathalie Munyampenda is a Rwandan national and CEO of Kepler University .
Liberating The Rwandan Woman - To Whom Will President Kagame Smuggle Ammunition ?
Marie Maxime Umubonwa
After the Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994 , the RPF pushed for equal representation of women in leadership . Inclusiveness was critical to ensuring that no one was left behind since discrimination based on ethnicity , gender or regional identities had eroded the social fabric . In this sense , quotas to ensure the representation of women were enshrined in the constitution as one of the measures to reflect a new inclusive culture and a set of values promoting equality before the law , as well as equal opportunities for all Rwandans .
Obviously , while recognizing the importance of unity and inclusion of all Rwandans in the political and economic life of the country , the RPF-led government considered women participation as an imperative with inestimable benefits for society . Women had to have the fair share not only because they had fought and paid a heavy price for the birth of the new Rwanda , but also because they were entitled to full citizenship rights . Today a little more than 61 % of MPs are women — the highest in the world .
Naturally , people assumed that in a traditionally patriarchal society where women had little say in key decisions affecting their lives and families and were subjected to gender and sexual violence , equal representation would instantly level the field or , at the very least ,
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