ABOUT THIS BOOK

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.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Swanee Hunt chairs the Washington-based Institute for Inclusive Security. During her tenure as U.S. ambassador to Austria (1993–97), she hosted negotiations and symposia focused on securing peace in the neighboring Balkan states. She is the Eleanor Roosevelt Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, CEO of Hunt Alternatives, and a member of the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations. She has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and NPR and written for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the International Herald Tribune, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, and Boston Globe, among other publications. She is the author of Worlds Apart: Bosnian Lessons for Global Security, Half-Life of a Zealot, and This Was Not Our War: Bosnian Women Reclaiming the Peace, all also published by Duke University Press.

Jimmy Carter was the thirty-ninth president of the United States. A Nobel Prize laureate and author of numerous books, President Carter is the founder of The Carter Center, which has worked for decades to resolve conflict, promote democracy, protect human rights, and prevent disease around the globe.

REVIEWS

"This is an important book on a gripping topic...."

-- Jane Haile New York Journal of Books

"There’s no doubt that the stories in Rwandan Women Rising carry lessons about the importance of fostering and maintaining women’s leadership to achieve “enduring stability and meaningful reunification” in conflict-ridden societies across the globe."

-- Kathleen B. Jones Los Angeles Review of Books

"This book gives unwavering evidence of the necessity of women in peace building efforts, not to fill seats at the table, but as leaders of lasting change."

-- WATER

"This book is a testimony to and a work of honesty and hope, and reflects horror, heartache and healing. Its contribution to literature on Rwanda, women’s rights and welfare, development, social change and transitional justice is substantial. It is humane, searing and invaluable and should be read widely and carefully. Its lessons and wisdom, which are characterized by humility and careful self-reflection on the part of author and interviewees alike, make it an exceptional work of enduring consequence with a potential for positive, transformative impact."

-- Noam Schimmel International Affairs

"In Rwandan Women Rising, Swanee Hunt traces this history through interviews with over 80 of the Rwandan activists whose work made this possible, addressing such issues as sexual violence, equality in marriage and girls' education. Accompanied by fullcolour photographs, Hunt's interlocutors make a strong case: A woman's place is in the peace process."

-- Jade Colbert Globe and Mail

"Through well narrated local voices situated in Rwanda, this book is able to provide readers with detailed and fresh insights into how Rwandan women participate in politics and influence policies aimed at peace promotion and nation reconstruction, in turn encouraging us to advance further women’s leadership for the sake of global security."

-- Xianan Jin Feminist Review

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Timeline xi
Key Terms xvii
Biographies of Speakers xix
Foreword / Jimmy Carter xxix
Preface xxxiii
With Thanks xxxix
Introduction 1
Part I. Starting Places 19
1. Foremothers 24
2. The Pressure Builds 33
3. Stateless 44
4. To Arms 52
5. Genocide 58
6. Immediate Aftermath 70
Part II. The Path to Public Leadership 77
7. Community Training Ground 84
8. A Pull from the Top 93
9. Emboldened Ministry of Gender 107
10. Countrywide Women's Councils 114
11. Caucus Crucible 122
12. Fanning Out 129
13. A New Constitution 135
14. The Quota 140
15. Pioneering in Parliament 146
16. Spurring Local Leadership151
Part III. Bending toward Reconciliation 161
17. Bringing Them Together 165
18. Bringing Them Home 171
19. Rethinking Rape 182
20. To Testify 191
21. Off the Sidelines 199
22. Far beyond the Stats 206
23. Risk and Resignation 211
Part IV. Signposts 219
24. The Meaning of Marriage 223
25. Safety: A New Language 229
26. Challenging Changes 235
27. Unmasking Ambition 242
28. Health Means Whole 251
29. Every Body Matters 257
30. Thriving Progress 265
31. Little Ones 272
32. Reading Rights 278
Part V. Building the Road They're Walking 289
33. Solidarity and Sisterhood 293
34. Manning the Movement 299
35. Sowing Confidence 305
36. Flying High 314
37. Planting Deep 322
38. Charting New Pathways 331
39. Complements and Compliments 336
40. Coming Up 345
Epilogue 357
Notes 377
Index 385

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