Succession of actions in Congo, Rwanda and Burundi

During the 9-17 September week, women of the Great Lakes held all the actions that had be planned. 

In Rwanda, we held the following actions:

1.Translation of the Charter in Kinyarwanda (mother tongue);

2. Meeting of the organizing committee of the 5th meeting to choose a symbol for the quilt;

3.Conception of a layer by an artist;

4.Impression of the quilt;

5.Diffusion in a TV-program on9/09/2005.

6. September 13 : Reception of the quilt at the RDC-Rwanda border.

Congolese women were expecting us with t-shirts and linclothes of the WMW.
Rwandese women were coming from Kigali, Ruhengeri, Gisenyi and the national ballet accompanied them, with danses and songs giving the 5 values of the Charter.

The rwandese quilt is sewn on an unbleached linen.  The image represents a rwandese women wearing traditional cloth with national colours. She wears a basket that is opened and contains the 5 values of the Charter. Usually, the basket is closed, because it contains women's secrets, but this time, it's opened becaue there lay the values we want to share. There is a lace fringe, showing the beauty of women.

At the border, we made a lot of animation and we walked 1 - 2 km before sharing a meal with congolese women. There were speeches. A congolese woman and a rwandese woman joined the 2 squares of quilt.

On September 15, we headed to the Rwanda-Burundi border; we crossed the border and travelled 20 km till Kayanza city. There, we met burundese women from  Bujumbura, Kayanza; rwandese women were coming from Kigali, Gitarama and Butare.

The World Relay in the African Great Lakes Region

On the occasion of the march of the Women’s Global Charter for Humanity, the relay of the quilt was planned in the African Great Lakes region between September 11 and September 17, 2005.

Unfortunately, on September 10th, the office coordinating the relay informed us of their decision that the parcel containing the Charter and the quilt would not travel to DRC, nor Rwanda, Burundi or Mozambique because of difficulties with the airlines in this region of Africa.

In spite of this problem, women of the region did not abandon themselves in disappointment. They opted to hold their activities as they had planned.

DRC

On September 2nd, delegations of women from different provinces of the country participated in a march, organized by one of the coordinating bodies, the CAFED, in the city of Goma in the North Kivu, in collaboration with other national coordinating committees of the World March of Women: COFAS and CONAFED.

This march the Minister of Feminine Condition and of the Family participated in, mobilized a thousand women from everywhere in the Republic. The DRC patchwork quilt opened the march, followed by the banner of the WMW with the fives values of the Women’s Global Charter for Humanity.

After the march, delegations of women from the provinces, representatives of the United Nations, the Minister of Feminine Condition and of the Family and her colleagues, were all welcomed in the conference room of the HCHR (High Commissioner for Human Rights) to listen to presentations about:

• The Women’s Global Charter for Humanity
• The relay and the patchwork quilt
• The role of Congolese women in the electoral process.

The event closed after the speech of Mrs the Minister of Feminine condition and of the Family, by the sharing of drinks with the local press.

Meeting of women from DRC and Rwanda

On September 13, Rwandese women, mobilized by Pro-Femmes T-H, arrived at the border of Gisenyi at 11 o’clock to receive the patchwork quilt from DRC and stitch it with the one from Rwanda.

The ceremony was attended by a large crowd of Congolese women who remained behind the border, on the Congolese side. They were wearing a white t-shirt, with a skirt made of a nice cloth printed with the symbols of the World March and on which we could read the message of the Congolese women and the principles of the Women’s Global Charter for Humanity.

A banner with the message of the World March opened the march.

Congolese women expressed their happiness singing peace songs and dancing, supporting the message written with a blue thread on their patchwork, in the three languages of the World March: PAIX, PEACE, PAZ.

On the Rwandese side, there was also a great mobilization of women of the Gisenyi prefecture and also women from Kigali, drum players and dancers animating the crowd. Both the Congolese and the Rwandese press attended the actions.

The two delegations, led by the presidents of the nationale coordinating bodies, met for the transmission of the quilt. Women embraced and danced together. They started a march, again with the dancers and the drum players, and were followed by a crowd of travellers, women going to the market and students going to school.

They walked about a kilometer, singing peace song in Swahili or Kinyarwanda, before arriving to the conference room of Gisenyi where they welcomed the relay.

Four speeches were pronounced for the circumstance. One was made by Mrs Edos Nziavake, president of the CAFED, for the official transmission of the quilt from DRC, another one was made by Mrs Jacqueline Rusilimbya, president of Pro-Femmes T-H. There were also the speeches of the Gender and Women’s Promotion representative of Gisenyi and the one of the Mayor of this city.

The head of Gender and Women’s promotion congratulated the women from COCAFEM/GL for the actions of solidarity they realized together and encouraged them to go ahead with this process.

At the end, everyone shared a drink.

The Congolese women  were accompanied by the Rwandese to the border with Congo.

The Patchwork Quilt of DRC, Rwanda and Burundi

After the meetings to popularize the Women’s Global Charter for Humanity in Rwanda, the Rwandese women continued their march with the quilt to reach Burundi. On September 15, they crossed the border of Kanyaru, between Rwanda and Burundi, to meet the women in the center of the Kayanza province.

Together, they went in a procession of taxis and buses to the conference room in Kayanza.

When they got off the vehicles, the Rwandese women were welcomed by the Burundese and women from Kayanza who were mobilized by the CAFOB for this occasion.

In front of the conference hall, the two national delegations, Rwandese and Burundese, lined up facing each other, singing and talking in Kinyarwanda and Kirundi, two neighbouring languages.

On each side, a banner was unrolled. On the French banner of the Burundese women,we could read: WORLD MARCH OF WOMEN, LET’S MOBILIZE FOR THE IDEAL OF THE FIVE VALUES OF THE WOMEN’S GLOBAL CHARTER FOR HUMANITY – September 15/16, 2005 – Peace, Equality, Freedom, Solidarity, Justice. On the left side, there was the logo of COCAFEM/GL; on the right side the World March of Women’s logo.

Then, followed the handing over of the patchwork quilt of Burundi to Rwanda by the vice-president of CAFOB to the president of Pro-Femmes T-H. On the Rwandese square, that was already stitched with the one of DRC, we can see the symbol of a women opening a basket. It contains the hidden secret of the five values of the World March: Peace, Justice, Freedom, Equality and Solidarity.

The Burundese patchwork has this images printed on it: a woman carrying an open basket on her head, with a sparrow representing peace going out of it. On the left side, there is the logo of the World March of Women; in the middle this message of the Burundese women: AMAHORO N’AMAHONDA, “Peace and sorgho”, which means that peace is the key of any progress.

After stitching the Burundese patchwork to the other ones, about 110 women were welcomed in the conference room of Kayanza. Three speeches were delivered for the circumstance. There was a speech of the president of CAFOB, welcoming the Rwandese women in Burundi. There was another speech from the president of Pro-Femmes T-H in Rwanda to officially hand over the patchwork quilt and present the message of peace of the Congolese, as represented on their patchwork. She talked about the message of the Rwandese women as a call for solidarity in the region and in the world.

After that, the general director representing the Minister of National Solidarity, Human Rights and Gender of Burundi congratulated the COCAFEM/GL for having successfully reached one of its goals: the solidarity of the women in the region. She also explained the symbols represented on the three patchworks, insisting on Peace, the main message of the three squares of the countries from the African Great Lakes region. Moreover, she recommended to the Congolese, Rwandese and Burundese women to keep on fighting for peace and to keep it to guarantee progress.

Mrs the General Director also explained to the audience how the relay would continue up to Burkina Faso where it would conclude by a solidarity action with the women of the world, in favour of the poorest women. She reminded that the women of COCAFEM/GL are invited in taking part to all the steps of this relay, in spite of the difficulties.

The event closed by the sharing of a glass of honour, before the Rwandese women go back to Rwanda and the Burundese to Bujumbura. All this occurred in presence of the Director responsible of Gender and Feminine Promotion of the Butare prefecture (Rwanda), the Chief of staff of the Governor of the Province of Kayanza in Burundi.

On September 16, two activities underlined the passage of the quilt in Bujumbura: the presentation of the patchwork quilt and the popularization of the global Charter during a meeting attended by about 160 women from all the regions of Burundi who had come in Bujumbura to set up a network of women for good governance.

In the afternoon, a workshop was organized by CAFOB for the printed and electronic press of Burundi, with feminine leaders of the country. During this workshop, information was given about the Charter, the patchwork quilt, the World March of Women, the world relay and the action of world solidarity. We noticed a very enthusiastic interest from the participants. Many questions were asked by journalists and the event was strongly publicized in the media.

Written in Bujumbura on September 23, 2005

Josée Kusinza Nyenyezi

Executive Secretary of  COCAFEM/GL