Rwanda dress row grows after police apology in Rubavu

A row over women's dress in Rwanda has widened after police apologised for an incident in Rubavu where a viral video showed a young woman being put into a police wagon over a dress that showed her legs.

Police said the officers involved had been arrested and the young woman had been released. The incident followed anger in Kigali after some people were refused entry on dress grounds to an August 29 concert by Tanzanian singer Diamond Platnumz at BK Arena.

Grace Uwinkamiye, a 24-year-old concertgoer who said she was turned away while wearing a short blazer dress, called the experience demeaning.

The incidents have drawn criticism on social media and wider debate about state control, women's clothing and youth freedoms in Rwanda. Model Pamella Uwicyeza wrote that women should not face violence, humiliation or fear because of their clothing.

A police campaign against what authorities called “indecent behaviour” was announced in early August. There have also been reports of raids on house parties and strict new closing times for bars and clubs.

Sandrine Umutoni, Rwanda's minister of state for youth and arts, warned on social media that outside definitions of beauty, desirability and modernity could become local standards when Rwanda did not produce enough of its own cultural references.

Lawyer and political analyst Louis Gitinywa said the debate was “not only about miniskirts” but about how people are governed. Outside a later concert by Nigerian singer Rema, some young people said they had dressed more modestly after BK Arena warned that intimate areas had to remain adequately covered.