Cambridge Forum: Rwandan Women Rising

Join SWANEE HUNT at Harvard Bookstore for a discussion of her book Rwandan Women Rising – the story of the women who found power and peace after devastating violence.

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 as visionary pioneers, creating stability and reconciliation in genocide’s wake. Today, 64 percent of the seats in Rwanda’s elected Parliament are held by women- a number unrivaled by any other nation.

These women’s accomplishments provide important lessons for policy makers and activists who are working toward equality around the globe. Their stories, told via interviews woven throughout the book, demonstrate that the best way to reduce suffering is to elevate the status of women throughout the world.