By Desiree Garcia

Kigali, Mar 7 (EFE).– A traditional Rwandan proverb says that “hens don’t cackle when there’s a rooster around,” but the women of this country have made that saying obsolete because they have taken a decisive role in many spheres of society and politics.

The new Rwanda has been built by its women, who came to represent 70 percent of the population after the 1994 genocide with its nearly 1 million fatalities and the loss of another 2 million who fled to neighboring Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).

The Rwandan Parliament, the only one in the world with a female majority, has become a symbol of the rise of women in all areas of government except for the presidency, held by Paul Kagame for the last 15 years.

“Rwandans were previously divided between north and south, between Tutsis, Twa and Hutus. They’ve had enough of that now and have decided to come together,” the lawmaker and president of the Forum of Rwandan Women Parliamentarians, Ignatienne Nyirarukundo, said.

The miracle that allowed women to go from holding 33 percent of the seats in 1994 to 64 percent today was partly the work of the 2003 constitution, which reserves for them 30 percent of the seats.

Kagame is also mentioned as a determining factor in policies of equality, having championed legislation that allows women to inherit the lands of their fathers.

At one time “a man could inflict any injustice on a woman. Now women know their rights,” the coordinator of the AVEGA widows’ association of Kigali, Umurungi Francoise, said.

Ignatienne Nyirarukundo, who got into politics to “defend women,” admits there’s a lot left to do, but noted the influence of Parliament: “Women would always put up with having a life at home with their husbands. Now they’re aware they can aspire to much more.”

The steep slopes of the Virunga volcanoes are today forging a champion: Jeanne D’Arc, 19, the first Rwandan cyclist to compete internationally.

Jeanne grew up convinced that Rwandan women “have the right to compete for any kind of work,” and just three years after taking to the bike, she has become a hope and promise for her country.

Solidarity among Rwandans is the strange heritage of genocide, which forced half a million widows to stick together after they were left alone without money to bring up their children.

In the capital, economic development is the lodestar for a generation that never lived through the horrors of genocide, and young women want to be part of it. EFE