Peace in Rwanda
Rwanda has caught the attention of many presidents and citizens worldwide. Most of us are amazed at how the country has progressed over the years and, most importantly, how the country has managed to maintain peace after the tragic events of 1994. The country experienced a tragic genocide in 1994 because of societal divisions that had been ongoing for years before the genocide. People in Rwanda allowed social status to divide them, and they identified themselves as either Tutsi or Hutu depending on the type of farming certain families and individuals. Over 800,000 Tutsi's were killed during the genocide, most of whom were men, and young boys, girls, and women were mostly raped and abused in unimaginable ways. The country was in a devastating condition, and things seemed hopeless for a while, but 30 years later the country has improved in so many beautiful ways, which are inspiring and teaching other countries valuable lessons on good leadership, good governance, and the importance of unity. Although Rwanda is not perfect, mistakes have been acknowledged, change has been made, and progress is evident today.
Women are the heart of a nation
I often ponder on what strategy the president of Rwanda used to bring the nation back together and have people live in peace after such a tragic event and such great division in the country, and I've recently discovered that the strategy and the solution were the women of Rwanda. I've watched many interviews on how women in Rwanda played a crucial role in rebuilding the country. The country has a high percentage of women in parliament and leadership positions, but change was effected by all women, not only those in high positions. One interview I watched spoke about a woman who had her son killed by his best friend during the genocide. Later on, this boy was in great need and had no one to turn to, and it was this woman who stepped in to assist him, offering him a place to stay when he had no where else to stay. This remarkable act of kindness and forgiveness is what is common in all interviews I've listened to. Women in Rwanda had the strength and courage to forgive the very people who caused them much suffering and distress, but they maintained their position of walking in kindness and forgiveness, which is what I believe is one of the main things that built the country to what it is today.
Women in leadership positions
After the genocide, the leaders in Rwanda realized early on that women are needed in governance, which is why the country has a high percentage of women in parliament and leadership positions. These remarkable women have played a critical role in shaping the destiny of the country. Women played a major role in governance and peacebuilding after the genocide. The soft power that these women demonstrated changed the country and instilled peace and unity in the country because these women prioritized forgiveness and unity to move forward instead of revenge, division, and hatred. Women in different roles partnered with everyone, including Hutu men, to work on rebuilding the country; this was done to create unity and foster reconciliation in the country. The women changed their narrative from being victims and beneficiaries to being leaders in the country; their active role also resulted in gender-sensitive policies and legal frameworks being created and implemented in the country.
Unity and peace
The story of Rwanda is one that is very inspiring; the values of the people in Rwanda are the most impressive for me. After the genocide, people decided to work towards unity and peace; they realized that division and separation do no good; people chose to forgive; people chose life and not death and chose to have hope for a better future; they chose to change their destiny for the better and create a better country for generations to come. I believe that this is what God wants—for us to work together, for people to realize that division because of ethnicity, background, skin color, etc. is the best formula for disaster and distress in a nation. God wants us to live in unity; God wants us to love each other and build together.
A good read, and interesting persepective. There is not much one can disagree on with regards to the angle you've used in Women being the stepping stone towards the rebuilding of Rwanda . However I would want to add that, it never is just 1 aspect that is used to achieve such. Women are a very critical piece towards the achievement of almost any sort of Movement, even "white supremacy" is apparently upheld by "white women" as they are the top beneficiaries of it along with patriarchy, so this should tell us how strong a woman's role is in almost anything. So, Rwanda ddnt just become the state it is today because of the strong women of that nation. 1- those women were placed there so that they could be blamed for anything that would happen should there be continued fighting and I believe they knew that too, 2- Rwanda was planned as a state to be among the neighboring states that are used to smuggle the mineral resources out of The Congo. It's Uganda, Rwanda and final destination is Kenya, that's why those economies are now all of a Sunday so favourable. The sacrifice that is Congo has made those neighboring states what they are today. And the president's all know as they are all in cohoets to achieve this monstrosity that is happening in Congo. More than 8 million people have been displaced due to the wars that are funded by the western nations in order to get as much out of there. I'm not taking anything away from the courage of all the women who took on leadership positions, but I I do think it is a planned and instructed state that takes directives from the "investor" nations as to what must happen and how. Very similar to South Africa.
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