Refusing to Swallow One’s Own Tongue

During the 1994 Rwanda Genocide, rape was used as a weapon along with HIV. Over 250,000 women were raped during this time. Afterwards, these women were faced with many obstacles in order to testify about the crimes committed against them. On Thursday, March 10, Dr. Rangira Béa Gallimore gave a presentation at Nebraska Wesleyan that highlighted the obstacles these women faced.

They were faced with a huge dilemma. If they spoke about the atrocities committed against them, they were a breaking many taboos in their culture. To speak about one's emotions in the Rwandan society is a lack of good manners. According to Gallimore, "Unlike animals, humans know how to master their feelings." Women were not allowed to talk about their bodies in a sexual way. However, witnesses of the genocide felt it their duty to tell their story as only an eyewitness could tell.

These women didn't have the words to describe the pain that they went through. Dr. Gallimore referenced Elain Scarry, who said that "physical pain doesn't have a language." This phrase was given a whole new meaning when Gallimore explained the language of Rwanda to her audience. There is no word for rape. Women had to use the same language as their rapists who claimed to have "liberated" them. They would also resort to euphemisms that meant "to make love by force" or use a type of "Rwandanized" French to explain the word rape.  In addition to this language barrier, all legal words about witnessing refers to males and never females. Women could not speak nor be heard. This idea was backed up by old proverbs such as "what you say to the hen are not the same words you say to the rooster."

In 2006, Dr. Gallimore met ABASA, which is dedicated to helping genocide witnesses, particularly women, overcome their obstacles. This organization has helped many women tell their stories in a safe environment. "This initial encounter led to Step Up's affiliation with the ABASA which continues to the present day." Step Up is an American Association for Rwandan Women, which focuses on trauma counseling for women who are victims of the genocide. To learn more about ABASA's efforts, refer to www.stepuprwandawomen.org.

Besides ABASA, there have been many other efforts by women. After the genocide occurred, some Rwandans proposed that the brother (who could have been married) of a husband should be allowed to marry his wife if that husband was killed. This idea would have lead to polygamy and when women became more prominent in the Rwanda government, polygamy was declared a crime. Currently, there are more women involved in government in Rwanda than any other nation.