It is impressive how Rwandans have raised the bar for gender equality milestones. Only a few days ago, we got our first women-dominated Senate in history, and it was not such big news. It is a win, but it is not a miracle. In a country where the majority of the population is female, it should be a given, anyway. The famous “Iya mbere Ukwakira” song gives me chills, like many Rwandans. Like I have been accused many times, and rightfully so, the gender aspect has to be examined in every discussed issue, more importantly, matters of the state. Rwanda Patriotic Army’s October 1, 1990 attack is no isolated case. As I danced to the song Wednesday night in a Kigali bar, with my friends, it hit me that 34 years ago, one of the most important steps in building our country was taken. As youth minister Sandrine Umutoni put it, on her socials, “fighting the most important of all fights at the highest of all costs, for our dignity.” This is a commitment that should not be taken lightly. Women didn’t have rights prior to liberation simply because the men “in charge” didn't want them to. It was not because they didn’t see why not or because they didn’t think their contribution to society was insignificant. Of course, I believe that natural progression can happen and that people want to be relevant at some point, but matters of gender equality need proper intervention. Yes, maybe women could eventually own land, but would they make it to vital political spaces? I highly doubt it. Creating or dogmatically believing power dynamics based on biological differences is not new. The Hamitic hypothesis, for one, invented to create inequality and oppression, was worshiped by many who benefited from it. And this is just one example. Now, let us see this from a gender lens. Oftentimes, people use the word “nature” when preaching patriarchal beliefs. They say men are born leaders, protectors, and all the blah blah blah, and that women are born nurturers and all that. In reality, people have different skills, which are shaped by different things, including their childhood. Rwanda achieved gender parity in some spaces because we chose to, and actually worked for it. In 2003, the country, through the constitution, adopted an electoral gender quota as a form of affirmative action. In elected government positions, women had to make at least 30 percent. This is when we start seeing more women in the political space. In fact, this was the first time Rwanda had more than 50 percent of women in the lower house. Critics of the gender quota adopted by Rwanda 30 years ago have sat this one out somehow. They used to say that positions shouldn’t be handed to people on a silver platter, and there is a women-dominated Senate, won “fair and square”, and there is silence. Why? It was never about the gender quota. It was about having women in places they were not expected to be. Those who understand affirmative action know very well that merit is never compromised. The truth is that without a female dominated lower house, Rwanda would have never achieved a female dominated upper house. So many milestones wouldn’t have been achieved too. One of the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) goals prior to liberation was to eradicate discrimination in all shapes and colours, and so they fought against it. The party and army were male-dominated, but they didn’t under look women’s contribution, which was significant, by the way. Perhaps we can learn a thing or two from this and bridge gaps that await our intervention to be bridged. Rwanda is our country. No one else will build it for us. Did Rwanda do the impossible? I believe not. In fact, our story is a perfect example of “if they wanted to, they would.” Political space, being one of the hardest to accommodate women, and the leading in gender equality and parity in the country, shows that surely, there is something we are not doing right in spaces that are lagging behind. We have chosen equality, so let us go ahead and achieve it, even if it requires force.
