Gender Policies in Post-Genocide Rwanda: Empowerment or Political Strategy?

María Gutiérrez Villaverde

doi:10.14422/cir.i27.y2023.007

Authors

María Gutiérrez Villaverde Stockholm University https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8025-4376

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14422/cir.i27.y2023.007

Keywords:

feminism, Rwanda, development, international cooperation, autocracy

Abstract

In this article, we argue that the gender policies implemented by the Government of Rwanda have been introduced in order to strengthen the democratic credentials of the regime in the eyes of international donors. In order to do so, we have structured the paper in three parts. First, the article examines the political structure of Rwanda, highlighting the dominance of the RPF and the criticisms of its authoritarianism. It also explores the narrative constructed by the RPF, focusing on the portrayal of Tutsi as victims and Hutu as offenders, and the impact of this narrative on international aid. The second part of the essay explores the feminist movement in Rwanda before and after the Genocide, emphasizing the reconfiguration of gendered power relations and the emergence of grassroots women organizations. Finally, it analyzes the implementation of gender policies in Rwanda, considering the tension between transformative feminist goals and the increasing authoritarianism of the state. The main conclusion we have arrived at is that the gender policies applied by the RPF have lacked a transformative impact and that, rather, they have been used as a public relations strategy to disguise the increasing authoritarianism of the government.

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