Editor, RE: “Rwanda was never a patriarchal society” (The New Times, November 9). I think there is a difference between patriarchal and matrilineal. Looking at the cultures and histories of tribes in the region, and throughout the DR Congo, most were matrilineal and afforded a high status to women. However, that was within a patriarchal society. “The Queen Mother wielded much power through her son (King)” rather sums that up. Women having high status within a patriarchal society is still a patriarchal society. The role of women as subjugates was often exacerbated throughout history by the advent of the Church, who imposed the concept of sin, original sin, and clearly decreed that women must submit to men. Questioner ********************** Then we need to agree that, since you say that women had a higher status in ancient Rwanda, the definition of patriarchal as “a women minimising system” did not apply (which I assumed above and wrote against). Then you agree that we should not be celebrating the late achievements in gender/women promotion as the best student of Western standards, but as going back to our own, historical roots. We should celebrate this for what it is: finally we are shrugging off the inoculated belief that only the good is from the West – it is about agaciro... and it is long overdue. Gill
