[VO] Rwanda. 1994
[VO] The country is torn apart by brutal ethnic conflict.
[VO] Nearly a million died in half a year
and the streets of Rwanda’s cities were steeped in blood
and littered with bodies.
[VO] The term ‘genocide’ is often used to describe what happened here
but for the people who saw it all first hand, it was the end of the world.
RWANDA. WOMEN IN CHARGE
[VO] Witnesses to the genocide in Rwanda against Tutsi tribe
say that when the genocide ended, mass acts of retribution followed.
[VO] The whidespread killing had made women the working majority
and Rwanda an accidental feminist country.
[VO] In time that involountary social shift transformed into a positive social trend,
it fell to the country’s Women to rebuild what the men had broken.
[Speciose Twizeymana]
[Speciose] My name's Speciose Twizeymana
[Speciose] I'm 23 years old
[Speciose] This brick doesn't fit, give me another one
[Speciose] Well, actually, I didn't have enough money to get into trading,
so I went into construction work
[Speciose] When I have enough money, I'll become a trader, that's my plan
[Woman] After this, you'll get a job in Kenya! [Speciose] I don't need Kenya
[Woman] What bull!
[Esperance Nyirasafari, Rwanda’S Minister of Gender and Family Promotion]
[Esperance] It is a reality we live in. We live in gender equality.
[Esperance] We feel it. We see it.
[Esperance] So it is a reality, it’s not a wish and it’s not a dream.
[Esperance] Statistics can testify this.
[VO] Here is one of those statistics:
70% of girls in Rwandan do not complete secondary school.
[VO] Melissa, a typical Rwandan girl, is one of them.
[Melissa Umurisa]
[Melissa] My name is Melissa Umurisa, I'm 25 years old
[Melissa] I've been looking for a job
for more than 5 years now,
but haven't found anything yet
[VO] Of course, there are job hunting sites in Kigali
but to use them you need access to the internet and the skills to use it.
[VO] So, job searching much more commonly looks like this:
you get up early in the morning, and go from door to door.
[VO] It’s as demanding as a job, but inevitably, it doesn’t pay.
[Man] You think you can do it?
[Melissa] I can try, why not? [Man] Think so?
[Melissa] Why not?
[Man] No, you couldn't do it, I'm sorry
[Melissa] Yes I can
[Mukeshimana] I'm the mother of four children
[Mukeshimana] I make a living as a motorcycle taxi driver
[VO] Mukeshimana recertain that because many of her clients are quite cautious,
they have more faith in her than they would in a man.
[VO] She rides a bike for a living,
they’re locally known as a ‘motor’.
[VO] Mukeshimana hasn’t had any trouble with a cab driving community;
she’s on equal terms with everyone.
[Mukeshimana] There are only three women doing this in Kigali
[VO] Mukeshimana makes about 50 to 60 thousand Rwandan francs,
or 55 to 65 dollars, a month.
[Mukeshimana] I got my driving licence,
and now I'm looking for a job as a driver
[Mukeshimana] By driving a car, I can make more money for my family
[VO] Mukeshimana thinks women just lack self-confidence,
which is why they don’t make money by giving people lifts on a bike.
[VO] Cab company owners don’t have faith in women either,
but that’s all about to change.
[VO] Melissa is walking home alone, and at night.
[VO] That may not seem out of the ordinary
but in neighbouring Uganda, a walk like this could be dangerous and it could be risky in the Congo.
[VO] It can sometimes be done in Kenya or Tanzania but in Somalia,
a girl could never go out dressed like this, not even in daylight.
[Esperance] We can’t talk about gender equality
without mentioning the 1994 genocide against Tutsi.
[Esperance] Because before the 1994 genocide against Tutsi,
this country has been characterized by sorts of discrimination.
[Esperance] So discrimination, racial discrimination,
ethnic discrimination, even discrimination based on sex.
[Esperance] So, women suffered a lot.
[VO] In 2009, Rwanda introduced Stop centres.
[VO] Now anyone can report violence and get help.
[VO] There are currently 44 centres like this across the country.
[VO] And while gender equality may have been introcuded into the Rwandan work place,
it remains very different in the country’s homes.
[Uwamariya] The first book I have here in front of me
is called the 'Victim Book'
[Uwamariya] We record the names of everyone who's suffered violence
[VO] These may just look like ordinary note books
but since these call centres were introduced,
the number of reported wife-beatings in Rwanda has fallen by 30%.
[Uwamariya Vestine, Investigator, Isange One Stop Centre]
[Uwamariya] Most of the cases we deal with
involve domestic violence
[Uwamariya] As a rule, it's women who get beaten by men,
but there have been cases
in which men have come to us, who have been
abused in some way
[VO] Bagi was very happy after she scored her very first knockout against another boxer.
[Bagi] My first knock-out...
[Bagi] It was the first time I felt special...
it was amazing
[VO] Bagi was born in 1996,
two years after the genocide.
[VO] She started boxing in 2008
and trained for three years before financial problems
forced her to give up boxing and drop out of school.
[VO] Bagi says that when she’s in the ring,
she overflows with energy and pride.
[VO] This is Genevieve who was born in 1995,
just a year after the genocide.
[VO] She started boxing when she was 10
and at 16, took part in the world championships in Antalya and came 5th.
[VO] Genevieve says she’s fearless.
[VO] She’s now become an entrepreneur selling clothes.
[VO] She likes boxing, but has to run her business to survive.
[Bagi] There was this guy where I worked
[Bagi] He started harassing me
[Bagi] I tried talking to him,
but he wouldn't stop
and I was alone
[Bagi] He just kept doing it,
so I had to beat him up
[Esperance] It was not the case before the 1994 genocide.
[Esperance] So, many things has changed, even the life expectancy.
[VO] Melissa’s put on her best dress.
[VO] She is applying for a job as a housemaid at a hotel.
[VO] Perhaps today, things will work out for her.
[Receptionist] There's someone here for you
[Receptionist] She wants to talk to you
[Receptionist] Looking for work
[Receptionist] I'm sorry
[Receptionist] There are no openings just now
[Receptionist] Come back another day [Melissa] Ok
[Melissa] Thanks!
[VO] Because so many girls drop out of school,
competition for low-wage jobs is intense.
[VO] That’s partly why finding work is so difficult
but Melissa doesn’t believe that education is the problem.
[Melissa] One of the reasons...
young girls find it difficult
to find work as a nanny
is that older women are usually preferred for this work,
because they're not going to be seducing men away from their families
[VO] This unit is under the command of Senior Inspector Janette Yaryasofat.
[VO] She’s married and has two children, aged 12 and 9.
[VO] Her husband is very understanding about the demands of his wife’s job.
Janette had always wanted to join the police
and her dream eventually came true.
[VO] We spent about a month negotiating with the Rwandan police to be allowed to film this.
[VO] We expected fascinating insights into how policewomen here fight crime.
[VO] But we were told that wouldn’t be possible
because crime rates in Rwanda are so low
and we’d probably have a long wait for any real action.
[VO] Instead they staged a demonstration scene especially for our cameras.
[Janette] Why are you by yourself?
[Man] I'm not, there are six of us
[Janette] And there should be? [Man] 6, they'll be back soon
[Janette] If anything happens during the night,
what will you do?
[Janette] What's your plan of action? [Man] We'll call the police, call for you
[VO] That’s about as exciting as police life gets when there’s no crime.
[VO] Very few offenses are committed but their weapons are military-grade,
and patrols have been stepped up.
[VO] The fear of what once happened here still lingers.
[Alice] I don’t know if you read the Bible?
[Alice] The book of Nehemiah: “When all the walls were destroyed”
[Alice] It was victory, and, the same part because, you know,
the country was liberated, it was victory but also,
it was, we were crying because people were so… You know?
[Alice] Everyone was destroyed.
[Alice] You know, houses and everything, and people. So, there was no hope.
[VO] A revelation played an important role in Alice’s life.
[Alice] I saw like, woman with no arms.
[Alice] Woman with no arms and God told me
that those woman should be empowered spiritually,
emotionally and physically – material things.
[VO] As a female pastor, it took the religious community some time to accept Alice.
[Alice] It was a fight in the religious area.
[Alice] You talk about violence – sometimes violence or abuse,
it’s not even in the homes only,
it can be in the churches, it can be, you know, everywhere.
[VO] In the end, Alice built up an all-female Christian community.
[VO] The meetings resemble spiritual life coaching.
[VO] Women come here hoping to make their dreams come true.
[VO] According to Mukeshimana, men are not keen on marrying a widow with four kids.
[VO] She understands why so, all by herself, she’s working to make her own dream come true.
[Mukeshimana] Sometimes I do dream,
but dreams don't often come true
[Mukeshimana] Nevertheless, I have a plan
[Mukeshimana] I need my own house
[Mukeshimana] I'll buy it with the money I make
[Mukeshimana] Of course,
if anyone wanted to help me,
I wouldn't object,
but I do need a place of my own
[Esperance] Historically, culturally, only boys could inherit their parents.
[Esperance] But now girls… boys on the same level can access and own land.
[Jolie] My name is Jolie, I’m 19 years old,
I have two children and I have husband.
[Jolie] I’m not married, but I think I will marry.
[VO] It pays to get married in Rwanda.
[VO] Wives become entitled to their husband’s land and property.
[VO] This clearly strengthens a woman’s position in society
but Jolie’s long term partner is taking his time to make it official.
[Jolie] But I I don’t have any problems.
[Jolie] The problem is about work, there’s no problem in my house.
[Jolie] There are some people who want to give you work.
[Jolie] He can tell you to give him sex, or to give him anything.
[Jolie] Because here, there’s not easy to get work.
[VO] Melissa’s now trying to find work as a waitress,
but there are still no miracles,
she’s rejected again.
[Alice] The most usual problem, I think,
women, they need to be confident,
to trust in themselves, that’s the biggest problem, you know?
[Alice] They are so talented, they have opportunities.
[Alice] It’s something we should affirm in them,
we should also preach them, we should you know,
encourage them, so that’s the biggest… by the way … yes… that’s the challenge
[VO] The smell of coffee and fresh buns
is already filling the woman’s church.
[VO] The service is in full swing.
[Woman] We'd like to thank everyone who's donated,
as well as everyone who's about to
[Woman] It's a great contribution to our prosperous future
[Woman] So, let's hear it for those who will make a donation today
[Woman] May God bless you
[VO] The services include stories of miracles
with financial well-being a running theme through all of them.
[VO] This woman, for example, gave the last of her money to the church,
and after a few days,
God helped her get a loan of several million francs.
[Woman]200 million Rwandan francs!
[VO] And this woman donated a television to God.
[VO] A very big television!
[VO] Soon after doing that she found financial prosperity.
[VO] Miracles like that are seen here every Friday.
[VO] Some might say it’s somewhat naïve
to imagine that donating a TV could be rewarded with a Miracle.
[VO] But these gatherings are teaching women to be more confident,
to feel good, smart and talented.
[VO] Here they develop hope for a better life.
[VO] Something that was lost during the genocide.
[Alice] People are still living the wounds.
[Alice] The genocide is not there,
but also life after genocide,
and like a kid who was 3 at that today, that kid is 27.
[Alice] Someone who was like 10 years today is like 34.
[Alice] The wound can grow, you know?
People were raped in the genocide:
so much happened, you know, and also someone like coming to kill your family,
and, you know, there are some girls who got pregnant.
[Alice] You know you have like, a kid,
from someone who killed your family, all of those things.
[Alice] So you can see how the pain can be inside
and also how abuse can be manifested.
[Jolie] It’s about God. It’s for God. Who knows the future?
[Jolie] Someone is saying… there is no-one who knows tomorrow.
[Jolie] But are we good?
[Jolie] Are we… be good, or not, I don’t know.
[Jolie] But I think I will be good. I have a good future.
[Jolie] Because I’m still young.
[Jolie] I know I have a baby but I’m still young,
I’m 19, I know that I’ll have a good life.
[Bagi] I think about developing my talent
[Bagi] I think about moving abroad,
about turning professional
[Bagi] I want to develop my boxing talent
[Melissa] I'm unemployed, so I don't plan too far ahead
[Melissa] Well, sometimes I do think about the future
and about my family
[Uwamariya Vestine, Investigator, Isange One Stop Centre]
[Uwamariya] My dream is to stop crime and violence...
so there will be no more violence in our country
[Uwamariya] I think about a peaceful and safe country
[Uwamariya] That's my dream:
to live in a country with no crime
[Uwamariya] Hello? [Woman] Hello, hello
[Uwamariya] Hello? [Woman] I...
[Uwamariya] This is the Isanga Stop Centre, how can I help you?
[Woman] I need your help
[Woman] A man is treating me badly
[Uwamariya] What's your name?
[Uwamariya] Can you tell me what happened?
[Uwamariya] Hello?
[VO] None of the women we met
suggested that feminism in their country is just empty words.
[VO] They all believe that the new Rwanda is a land of equal rights.
[VO] And they are also quite sincere when they say it was the country’s women
who rebuilt a happy and prosperous nation
and it will be the women who ease the pain of Rwanda’s terrifying past.