Rwandan Women Rising

by Swanee Hunt

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 postconflict societies. Their stories, told in their own words via interviews woven throughout the book, demonstrate that the best way to reduce suffering and to prevent and end conflicts is to elevate the status of women throughout the world.

Genres: Rwanda, History, Nonfiction, Politics

448 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 18, 2017

About the author

Swanee Hunt chairs The Institute for Inclusive Security. During her tenure as U.S. ambassador to Austria (1993–97), she hosted negotiations and international symposia focusing on securing the peace in the neighboring Balkan states. She is a member of the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, director of the Women and Public Policy Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and president of the Hunt Alternatives Fund. She has written hundreds of articles for American and international newspapers and professional journals, including Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the International Herald Tribune, the Chicago Tribune, the Boston Globe, and the Denver Post. She is the author of Half-Life of a Zealot and This Was Not Our War: Bosnian Women Reclaiming the Peace, and Worlds Apart: Bosnian Lessons for Global Security.

Reviews

[Kate]

This book was long and strangely printed (large, heavy, thick pages). It was a tough subject with lots of sad stories. But it was completely fascinating and incredibly interesting. I learned so much about the context of the Rwandan genocide, the challenge of survival, the strength of women, and the transformative power of putting women in leadership. Completely fascinating.

[Kristy]

This was an ARC from Netgalley.

The rest of the world should take lessons from Rwanda. During the rebuilding of life after 1994 genocide, the people of Rwanda particularly the women were instrumental in completely changing their way of life. You didn't hear much about this country after 1994 but we should have. They implemented new laws, broke down old mindsets and traditions dealing with how women were treated, and so much more. This was a fascinating read as it was told by the women who were at the forefront of the change.

[Katherine]

I liked how this book told many women’s stories and in doing so, shared the story of Rwanda’s genocide and rebirth as a country. I had the opportunity to visit Rwanda a couple of years ago and I thought this book got a bit long and didn’t deliver as much punch in the later chapters. Nonetheless, a valuable read if you want to learn about the country or systemic female empowerment.