Regional

Celebrating the women who liberated Rwanda

2023-07-05 05:30:00

A photo of a gun-toting, military clad, Lt-Col (Rtd) Rose Kabuye holding a little baby who had just been removed from dead bodies during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, is perhaps one of the most outstanding images of the contribution of Rwandan women to the liberation struggle.

Every year, on July 4, Rwanda celebrates Liberation Day, the day the Rwanda Patriotic Front stopped the Genocide against the Tutsi, and fully liberated the nation from a genocidal regime.

The role of women fighters in the battle to liberate Rwanda cannot be overemphasized. July 4 is a day to celebrate these brave women who were at the forefront of liberating the country.

The women fought alongside men; carried guns and braved enemy fire. Women actively participated in the Arusha peace talks. Others mobilized the much needed resources for the liberation struggle, while the rest stayed home and deliberately took good care of their families, raising the Rwandan leaders we see today.

During the liberation struggle, walking day and night on rocks and in expansive jungle and plantations were women who had left their homes to fight on the frontline with their brothers. Some like Lt Col Lydia Bagwaneza, Lt-Col (Rtd) Rose Kabuye, Sgt (Rtd) Annet Komuranga and Cpl (Rtd) Betty Kabana, lived to tell the tales of the struggle, and how they had the courage to navigate them. They are now inspiring the youth, especially young girls.

Beyond the battle field were other women mobilizing, negotiating and organising fundraising campaigns for the RPF. The late Aloysia Inyumba organized a covert but successful fundraising campaign in Africa, Europe and North America. Inyumba argued that even the poorest could contribute by knitting blankets for RPA soldiers. She persuaded women to give their jewelry and men to leave their shoes.

She was extremely frugal and through these contributions, she spotted affordable army uniform in eastern Germany and travelled to Berlin to negotiate and buy.

But perhaps the most under celebrated women were the wives, mothers, sisters and care givers of the RPA soldiers. These women took good care of their families when their sons, brothers and husbands were at war. They supported one another when they lost loved ones. However, little is known about some of the peculiar challenges that they encountered and how they overcame them.

The list of all these courageous women is not exhaustive.

Close to three decades later we are celebrating their achievements.