Rwanda

One of the most enriching and life-long learning experiences that happened to me was my trip to Rwanda at the beginning of this year. I went to Rwanda as a part of a small study group to learn about the genocide and see how the people and the country have done in terms of recovery.

The 21st Century has been touted as Africa’s to claim. In fact, at the risk of sounding like an Afro-pessimist, many times there has been an encomium such as ‘Africa Rising’, a narrative notably fostered by Western publications [1].

I woke up on the morning of 7 April 1994, from a fretful slumber. I managed to walk to the gate of my house. I had to know if there were any other houses left standing. What were all of those screams I heard throughout the night? What would happen now that the President was dead?

I have many memories of Rwanda from my visit in 2010. But three stand out.

African leaders have just concluded a mini summit in Luanda, Angola, to discuss the conflict in DRC and the diplomatic showdown between South Africa and Rwanda.

It's generally accepted that Bill Clinton opposed a vigorous international community- and American armed intervention when the massacres erupted in Rwanda in 1994 because he feared this country could get bogged down in a messy operation with unpredictable outcome.

This April, Rwandans mark 20 years since the genocide in 1994. In just three months, approximately 800,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsi and moderate Hutus, were butchered in horrific massacres in a genocide while the world watched.

Vivian Kayitesi, the head of investment promotion at Rwanda Development Board (RDB) noted: ‘The major area of Chinese investment in Rwanda are in construction and real estate, hotels and ICT’.

President Paul Kagame has come to love United Nations peacekeeping operations. This is ironic since he hates the United Nations, and does not actually believe in peacekeeping.

In practice, the ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) has progressively reduced the space for other political forces to operate in the country. For now, political space in Rwanda is completely closed to political parties that are not co-opted into the RPF monopolistic machinery.