The RPF leadership realized that a publication focusing on women affairs was needed towards the end of 1989. There were no guidelines or direction for the newsletter. This was in contrast to the INKOTANYI publication. INKOTANYI had a small production team so adding a newsletter focusing on women was not practical.
INKOTANYI newsletter covered a variety of mass mobilization topics. These included: pre-colonial Rwanda, where Rwandans lived in harmony, colonialism and the divide-and-rule strategy. The 1959 crisis that created the first wave Rwandan refugees. Postcolonial administration thrived on ethnic discrimination. And the question of peaceful return for millions of Rwandans living in exile.
Bella Kayonga (RIP), the then commissioner for women affairs was asked to create a proposal about what the women newsletter should be focused on and find people willing to support its production. The small INKOTANYI team, which included yours truly, did not have the right orientation on women issues when Mrs. Kayonga approached them. They were only able to give general terms about women emancipation or equality.
After a few days Mrs. Kayonga returned to us and said that she had made an appointment with Mrs. Jeannette Kagame. She was willing to help but was not sure if Mrs. Kagame would agree to lay the newspaper on a stencil. This was before computers.
On a hot day, Mrs. Kayonga and I picked ours and drove to Lower Kololo (Kampala, Uganda) where we met Mrs. Jeannette Kagame. Mrs. Kayonga shared the details of the task of producing a newsletter that was exclusively focused on women affairs. I explained to Mrs. Kagame the contents of the INKOTANYI newsletter.
After listening to both of us, Mrs. Kagame said, “I am very much willing to help. In fact, I even have my own typewriter here; it will be easy for me.” Mrs. Kayonga was more than happy to hear that, what she considered as a big burden, Mrs. Kagame had willingly accepted to do it without any difficulty. There were very few cadres who dedicated much of their time to the cause during the initial years of the struggle.
When it came time to discuss the content of the newsletter, Mrs. Kagame seemed as if she had a plan. “The newsletter should have a holistic approach to educate women on their role in the liberation struggle,” she said. Mrs. Kagame stated that women should be involved in the liberation movement from their homes, within the family. Women should be mobilized to take good care and ensure their children are fed properly. A woman should not be limited to kitchen work. She must be involved in productive activities that support her husband’s income. Families need to be educated on how to treat their children equally and how to enroll them in schools without discrimination. Some communities would not allow girls to attend school. Instead, they would leave them to do the ordinary chores at home and wait to be married.
I was taking notes right then. Mrs. Kagame touched pertinent issues that needed to be addressed by women with the support of men. Mrs. Kayonga was excited and listened attentively as her first contact with her answered her prayer. The newsletter was called ABAHUJUMUGAMBI (those who share the same purpose). A few people were assigned to write articles, and Mrs. Kagame was appointed Chief Editor of the women’s publication.
Mrs. Kayonga received much more than she expected. She was touched by the humility of the wife a senior military officer. Fast forward to October 1990, when the military liberation movement began. This is when I understood some of Jeannette Kagame’s thoughts on the role of women during the liberation war. Women had been prepared by the newsletter for income-generating activities. Women provided food for their families, paid school tuition and contributed funds to support the struggle. Mrs. Kagame’s thoughts on the role of women in the liberation struggle were farsighted.
Jeannette Kagame, the First Lady, put into practice the same ideas she held before the start the armed struggle. The Protection and Care of Families against HIV/AIDS was established in 2001 as a project of the Office of the First Lady. It aimed to provide a holistic approach to dignified lives for families, including those who were infected with HIV/AIDS during Genocide against Tutsi. PACFA was given a wider mandate in 2007 and its name was changed to Imbuto Foundation to reflect the organization’s evolution and new areas of activity. It offers programmes in education, health, and economic empowerment.
Imbuto Foundation is a seedling nursery bed that supports the development of a healthy and educated society. According to the old saying, behind every successful man is a strong lady. In a week in which we celebrate Rwanda’s liberation, my appreciation goes to the First Lady for her vision of caring not only for women and children, but the Rwandan society in general, with a view to help develop a nation of an empowered and dignified people.
The writer is a former head, Media Development Department at Rwanda Governance Board
Source: rnewtimes
