"In our view, finding peace within oneself is a precondition for society-wide peace. I’m not saying we do no longer demand justice and want criminals to be prosecuted, but ultimately, we want reconciliation."

"Our forums encourage the women to take their fate into their own hands and find inner peace, in spite of the humiliation and violence they have suffered."

"In 1998, women’s rights activists like us managed to make sure that the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda considers rape in war a genocidal crime, so those who planned and perpetrated such violence can be prosecuted."

"Thanks to the proceedings, many people were able to find the bodies of their dead and bury them."

"We have been demanding a special fund for these children and their mothers, but so far, the government remains stubborn."

"It is not easy to expose oneself to other people’s suffering again and again. One has to learn to draw a line."

"The women live scattered all over the country, and many had never left their village before coming to the forum. The group setting helps them to better understand their own situation."

"The women’s daily life is marked by worries and difficulties, so we need to reduce stress levels. And we teach them a simple and soothing massage method they can always apply themselves."

"Many women do not even know that children have rights. Moreover, there is time for singing, dancing and praying."

"There is role play, which helps to better understand their situation and solve current problems."

"We also want to encourage them to tell their children the truth. Doing so is hard, but it helps the women to really opt for life, including the life of their child."

"In general, the women did not speak about rape because of shame as well as fear of becoming marginalized or someone taking revenge."

"Everyone still lives with the consequences. Some of the perpetrators went to jail, but they come back and live close to the survivors. The genocide is not over; the survivors are still living with those who committed the crimes."

"We must learn how to live positively with the bad and good."

"I'm very lucky to be a guest at Royal Lodge so I don't have to. I don’t cook, shan’t cook, won’t cook"

"I'm a very chameleon adapter to whatever situation I'm in"

"A lot of people think that when they have children with disabilities, they can’t bring them out. Parents have to know that children have rights to be out there. Parents should know that the world is for everybody."

"Sports has helped him discover new abilities in himself. I’ve always believed that children should be exposed to as many opportunities as possible in order to discover their strengths and areas of interest. This is very important especially when a child has intellectual challenges/learning difficulties."

"People claim that it was actually after vaccination that their child changed. I don’t want to say that vaccination is the cause because vaccination hasn’t been scientifically proved to be the cause of autism."

"One thing about autism is that you cannot discern it by merely seeing a child that has it. They look like your regular children! It’s only when they start throwing themselves on the floor or crying without cause, banging their heads on the wall, etc. that you are able to tell. Light and people affect them, and sometimes they are unable to sleep and are restless."

"I believe in speaking for those who can’t speak for themselves. In the 1970s I was rescued by these women, by sex workers. Those people had a heart. They were women, mothers and sisters. They really felt for people. If a man wrote it, he wouldn’t understand how it worked. These women never have the time to sit and write their experiences. They are too shameful, too embarrassing"

"Aftrica is an oral culture. The orality of things is selective—we choose what we talk about. Black people in a black community are expected to behave in a certain way. Someone asked me ‘Are you still black"

"Some were chiefs. My grandmother was a chief’s wife who influenced the chief in good governance. I had an aunt born in Bulawayo who married a foreigner in 1936. She started the burial societies. My paternal men were moneymakers, my maternal men were chiefs. I have always done things in my own way, since primary school"

"I am from a background of women who are activists"

"I don’t care what people say though, the book’s champion declared. It is beautiful writing"

"As writers we do it for the love of the art, but to then get nothing out of it while every street corner is littered with your books, it is heartbreaking and demoralising"

"I was once housed, fed and protected by prostitutes when my life was in danger because of my activism during the liberation struggle. Up to that time I had not paid much attention to prostitutes as human beings"

"This is what is happening in our society and people tend to shy away from talking about it. So as a writer I have found a niche"

"Vampires that suck your shadow and confidence."

"As a human being and an elderly woman in marriage, I will advise them to be sure they are really ready for marriage before going into it. This is very important. We all want to get married at some point in life. And for women, the society, in a way, has an age bracket within which you must get married."

"For upcoming artistes, they should be focused on the job, be ready to pay their dues and wait for their turn to shine."

"Women should love God and care for their homes. They should make their homes top of their priorities and pray all the time. They should avoid their husbands’ dislikes too."

"Most of them want to belong, this is one of the reasons many marriages are crashing in the industry, may God change their mind for better so as to have a stable marriage. My fellow colleague has done this and I must do my own at all cost, do you know where he/she got the money? As a result, they involve themselves in things they are not meant to do which will cause crisis in the union."

"It is a bad thing to follow your colleagues’ steps to define your own life. If someone like me had tried that in the past, I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am today, and I always advise them that we came to this world with different purposes."

"As actors, we often have to wear certain robes that are not ours. I could be called upon to act as a wicked, rich, kind or diabolic woman; it all depends on the script"

"In the movie industry, if we don’t work, we wouldn’t eat. You can imagine what happens when we don’t work"

"Would-be actors should not give pride a space in their lives, because the only thing pride does is to bring you down. So, whatever one knows how to do, keep doing it and one day, you will definitely excel in it."

"There is no profession one finds him or herself, one must always imbibe the spirit of patience if one must succeed in the profession. If God says your own year will be 2020, if you try to run faster than your destiny, you might not get to where you are destined to be."

"May God not take Islam away from me and may He not take Christianity away from those who are Christians. I am still a Muslim and I never converted to Christianity"

"Any challenge one faces in life, if God blesses you with it, then one should just thank God for it."

"When the masses have a better understanding of economic policies, it will increase their participation and their ability to take advantage of these policies for their benefit thus reducing poverty in the society."

"What gives me joy is having a positive impact on people’s lives and knowing that I made a difference."

"The stories are out there and instead of wasting time in traffic trying to get back to the office, they can work from home. Interviews can also be done remotely."

"As a leader, it is my job to create an enabling environment to bring out the best in people. But one must also be alert to circumstances that may be affecting employees’ productivity and try and see how you can help them to be more effective at work."

"I learnt the real meaning of independence. Taking my own decisions, taking charge of my life and being fully responsible for the consequences of decisions made especially managing my time and my finances."

"Women need to be confident and assert their presence in meetings, etc. They need to know their strengths and use it to their advantage. Rising to the leadership position is about merit and what is brought to the table. The need to do a lot of personal development."

"It’s up to the parents to show love to their children so that people outside can also show love to the children as well."

"If the parents are informed, they will know what to expect from therapists and in the process also learn how to do things for their children by themselves."

"You have to learn again to trust, to reconcile yourself, your life, come to the point where you say this life is worth it and I have the right to live again."

"She’s incredible. Her talent and her body of work is incredible. She’s one of the most incredibly generous people I’ve ever met in everyday life."