Mothers Courage, Thriving Survivors

This title is an acquisition.

This documentary film looks at how the women of Rwanda got back on their feet following the genocide of 1994 and faced up to the situation they were left with in its aftermath. Paradoxically, the genocide made these survivors stronger. Dehumanized, humiliated and, until recently, legally under age, these young women have worked determinedly (tirelessly) toward the reconstruction of Rwanda. They do a better job than men, even in professions that were inaccessible to them in the past. Thanks to their ethics and dynamism, they have imposed changes at every level of the social and political spectrum, including in the National Parliament where they occupy 48% of the seats, a representational proportion unequalled anywhere else in the world. Through their generosity, they prove to the world that poverty is not a necessary consequence of fate. In all their restored dignity, they have emerged as real Mothers Courage. At the heart of portraits encountered through this journey, the lead story is that of Athanasie Mukarwego. On the day that followed her husband's assassination during the genocide, Athanasie began her fight to survive a 3 months long collective rape, while her four children were being held, sequestered in the next room. She not only survived, but she also managed to overcome this tragedy. She is a heroine. In all her resillience, she got back on her feet, for herself, for her children and for her women friends.

Also available in French on this DVD.