In recent years, Rwanda has garnered attention for its progressive strides toward gender equality in politics, education, and sexual pleasure. The country’s ancient sexual practice called “kunyaza” has come into the spotlight, believed to encourage female ejaculation and orgasms. This article delves into Rwanda’s evolving perspective on female pleasure and how empowerment and challenges mark Rwanda’s journey toward gender equality and female pleasure.
Kunyaza: A Celebration of Female Pleasure
Kunyaza is a discreet but well-known sexual practice originating from Rwanda. It involves a rhythmic and continuous striking of the clitoris and labia with an erect penis to promote female pleasure and satisfaction. While discussions about female pleasure were once taboo, Rwanda has shifted towards more open dialogue on this topic, thanks partly to sexologists like Vestine, a married woman with three children who hosts a radio show about relationships, marriage, and sex.
In Rwanda, the belief in female pleasure has grown more robust, focusing on empowering women to express their needs and desires in the bedroom. Vestine, among other activists, advocates for women’s sexual satisfaction, challenging traditional gender norms that stifle open communication in marriages.
Women Empowerment
The country is an anomaly in East Africa; in the World Economic Forum’s 2017 Global Gender Gap Report, Rwanda ranked fifth out of 144 countries, beaten only by Nordic countries. The 1994 genocide, in which most killed were men, encouraged President Paul Kagame to put women’s empowerment at the forefront of policy. The country now has more female parliamentarians than any country globally, with one of the highest rates of female labor force participation.
It has passed laws granting gender-equal land rights and three months of paid maternity leave for women. Rwanda’s journey towards gender equality and female pleasure is marked by both empowerment and challenges. While women like Vestine break barriers and promote open conversations about sexual pleasure, cultural practices such as labia elongation remain deeply ingrained in others. The balancing act between respecting cultural heritage and advocating for women’s rights continues to shape the country’s societal norms.
Female ejaculation is not a rare phenomenon. A recent UK found that almost 40 percent of the 1,250 women surveyed had ejaculated fluid when climaxing. Rwandans interviewed for this story said it’s rare to find women who cannot achieve kunyaza – they are called mukagatare, a derogatory name in Kinyarwanda meaning ‘rock-woman.’ In Sacred Water (2016), a documentary about the practice, sexologist Vestine Dusabe estimates 80 or 90 percent of Rwandan women have water; thus, they achieve female ejaculation.
Traditionally, the ability to make a woman ejaculate is a central feature of Rwandan masculinity – which in other ways does not differ from stereotypical such as appearing authoritarian, unemotional, demonstrating dominance over women, and fulfilling the role of protector. ‘If a man couldn’t do it, the families would discuss the matter. They would take back the girl and give you back the cow you bought as a dowry because you are a weak man, says Felix
Rwanda’s commitment to gender equality extends beyond the political and educational realms, delving into sexual pleasure. Kunyaza’s emergence as a celebration of female fun represents a significant step forward in dismantling taboos surrounding sex.
However, the coexistence of gukuna, a controversial practice, highlights the complexity of reconciling cultural heritage with modern values. As Rwanda moves towards a more inclusive and progressive society, the conversations surrounding female pleasure and women’s rights will continue to shape the nation’s evolving identity.
