- Summary
- In the spring of 1994, the tiny African nation of Rwanda was ripped apart by a genocide that left nearly a million dead. Neighbors attacked neighbors. Family members turned against their own. After the violence subsided, Rwanda's women-drawn by the necessity of protecting their families-carved out unlikely new roles for themselves as visionary pioneers creating stability and reconciliation in genocide's wake. Today, 64 percent of the seats in Rwanda's elected house of parliament are held by women, a number unrivaled by any other nation. While news of the Rwandan genocide reached all corners of the globe, the nation's recovery and the key role of women are less well known. In Rwandan Women Rising, Swanee Hunt shares the stories of some seventy women-heralded activists and unsung heroes alike-who overcame unfathomable brutality, unrecoverable loss, and unending challenges to rebuild Rwandan society. Hunt, who has worked with women leaders in sixty countries for over two decades, points out that Rwandan women did not seek the limelight or set out to build a movement; rather, they organized around common problems such as health care, housing, and poverty to serve the greater good. Their victories were usually in groups and wide ranging, addressing issues such as rape, equality in marriage, female entrepreneurship, reproductive rights, education for girls, and mental health. These women's accomplishments provide important lessons for policy makers and activists who are working toward equality elsewhere in Africa and other post-conflict societies.
- Format
- Book
- Author/Creator
- Hunt, Swanee.
- Published
- Durham : Duke University Press, 2017
- Locale
- Rwanda
- Contents
-
Foremothers
The pressure builds
Stateless
To arms
Genocide
Immediate aftermath
Community training ground
A pull from the top
Emboldened ministry of gender
Countrywide women's councils
Caucus crucible
Fanning out
A new constitution
The quota
Pioneering in Parliament
Spurring local leadership
Bending toward reconciliation
Bringing them together
Bringing them home
Rethinking rape
To testify
Off the sidelines
Far beyond the stats
Risk and resignation
Signposts
The meaning of marriage
Safety : a new language
Challenging changes
Unmasking ambition
Health means whole
Every body matters
Thriving progress
Little ones
Reading rights
Building the road they're walking
Solidarity and sisterhood
Manning the movement
Sowing confidence
Flying high
Planting deep
Charting new pathways
Complements and compliments
Coming up.
- Notes
-
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Foremothers -- The pressure builds -- Stateless -- To arms -- Genocide -- Immediate aftermath -- Community training ground -- A pull from the top -- Emboldened ministry of gender -- Countrywide women's councils -- Caucus crucible -- Fanning out -- A new constitution -- The quota -- Pioneering in Parliament -- Spurring local leadership -- Bending toward reconciliation -- Bringing them together -- Bringing them home -- Rethinking rape -- To testify -- Off the sidelines -- Far beyond the stats -- Risk and resignation -- Signposts -- The meaning of marriage -- Safety : a new language -- Challenging changes -- Unmasking ambition -- Health means whole -- Every body matters -- Thriving progress -- Little ones -- Reading rights -- Building the road they're walking -- Solidarity and sisterhood -- Manning the movement -- Sowing confidence -- Flying high -- Planting deep -- Charting new pathways -- Complements and compliments -- Coming up.
