The gains Rwanda has made in the continuing efforts to empower women at all levels and, notably, the 64 per cent women representation in Parliament currently, have won admiration across the globe.

With what has been accomplished thus far (including, among others, reducing maternal deaths by up to 75 per cent ahead of the 2015 schedule under the Millennium Development Goals), it will not be a stretch to say that Rwanda has become something of a symbol of women’s empowerment in Africa.

This has made it one of the topmost "gender tourism” destinations the various shades of feminists continue to visit and, basking in the glow of the achievements, hold their various workshops and conferences to advance the woman’s cause.

I’ve had the privilege to attend some of these workshops lately, where feminism has been the running theme. I will come back to them shortly.

Of course, there are those in the country who would like to attribute the feminist ideal to the political will and the policies that have led to the achievements.

The majority, however, would rather not read any feminism in the gains:

To them, especially the men and the women "gatekeepers” who rear and socialise our children in the prevailing patriarchal socio-cultural environment, feminism bears negative connotations.

Note that this is not just in Rwanda, but across Africa and the world. Many men and women would not like to be associated with the term.

As expressed last weekend by the young actress Emma Watson, famed for her role in the Harry Potter movie series, feminists "are seen as too strong, too aggressive, isolating, anti-men and, unattractive.”

Watson, currently UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, was saying this at the U.N. headquarters in New York during the launch of the "HeForShe” campaign which aims to motivate one billion men and boys to become advocates for women and girls in ending the inequalities they confront globally each day.

Am informed the Kinyarwanda term for such a strong, "man-like” (though not feminist) woman Watson referred to would be "igishegabo”; which brings me to the women’s rights workshops I’ve lately been involved with, and which the majority of the participants initially came harbouring negative notions of feminism.

The aim was to empower the women and girls in the feminist model of leadership, beginning with the personal.

By definition, feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of equality with men. It comprises various social, cultural and political movements, theories and moral philosophies concerned with gender inequalities and equal rights for women.

Between them, on the one hand, are the all inclusive liberal feminism, and on the other the feminist movements perceived extremist and anti-male.

At the workshops, I will be understating to say that it was a revelation for the participants when positive feminism was explained, borrowing from the colourful examples of cultural heroines such as Ndabaga, the place of Queen Mothers in traditional Rwanda and grassroots women leaders making a difference in the communities.

The feminists in the workshops felt more affirmed, while the participants who had initially viewed it through biased and negative eyes became not only converted, but empowered feminists.

However, a question lingered: how to drive the same empowering message home to reach more Rwandan women without necessarily using the term? Why not own feminism in the Rwandan context?

One of the resolutions from the workshops was to come up with a Kinyarwanda term for feminism, if only to make it more palatable to those who may have doubts about the positive aspects of it.

But it is all a personal matter, and about human rights. Therefore, even as the search goes on, and speaking for myself, I don’t know that I am a feminist.

All I know is that my young son and daughters, wife, mother, sisters, and each and every one of us deserve their rights as human beings to actualise themselves and free their potential in any way they may deem fit.

And that is the way I would like to think of it.

The writer is a commentator on local and regional issues

Twitter: @gituram