Why the Mo is boxed in

October 12, 2014, 8:28 am

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Here the Mo-bile outpacing Gebremeskel and Longosiwa to clinch the gold

At the pick of the mountain dividing Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, on a dark stormy night, the Gods of Marathon convened to prepare the magic potion for their Olympic medal hunters. A secret mixture of melted gold, silver, bronze, cow milk and blood was prepared while reciting a very, very secretive magic prayer to the ancestors. It goes: arumba! Woo, woo, woo!

The portion was ready and it was time to call for the most valiant of local hunters, worthy of drinking the portion.

There came three men, Gebremeskel, Longosiwa and Mohamed Farah.

They knew the journey was to be long as the games took place on the other world across seas, where one had to ride in the flying cow. Two men were made the guardians of the finish line: Dejen Gebremeskel of Ethiopia and Thomas Longosiwa of Kenya. They had been given the powers to flair fellow anointed hunters, They were to let no one else go through during the last lap.

Dejen and Longosiwa needed not use their power most times though, for he who had drunk at the Arumba could not be paced…

Mohamed Farah had drunk. He was fast and enduring, but his ambitions were to be the fastest. He wanted to run as fast as the gods. No one before him had borne such ambition, which would have been at the peril of his life.

But he had a plan! From his magic box, he frequently saw and enjoyed the game of football. He was told it came from a far, remote island. Judging from the right foot of one David Beckham, he was convinced the gods from this island prepared an equally powerful magic potion. ‘If only I could drink on that potion too', he said to himself, 'then I shall be as fast and enduring as the gods.'

For that Mohamed escaped and instead of riding a flying cow, legend has it, he sailed across the Nile on the back of sea tortoises. His first Olympic test came in the midst of the night, as he crossed the blue Nile; He encountered and fought Gustave, the ferocious crocodile, feared by all East Africans, in an epic clash which did not produced a victor at dawn. As an exhausted Gustave fled, he told him: ‘you are a true conqueror!’, ‘when your legend is told, they will refer to you as The Mighty Mo!’

He made it through the Suez onto the ocean and gained the Island. This time, the island’s potion had been prepared in the depth and darkness of Lock Ness. As he drunk, The Mighty Mo acquired new powers. In addition to being fast and enduring, he became versatile. He thus took the name: TheMo-bile.

The pact had been sealed a long time ago; the earnings of the long distance marathon were to be shared among Kenyans and Ethiopians. They were the guardians of the finish line, and when the Mo-bile came, his face looked familiar, his ora sented the  Arumba potion. So they let him through to win the big prize. 

At the time of return to the East of Africa, Dejen Gebremeskel and Thomas Longosiwa where shocked at the Mo’s bifurcation. He told them that he was not going anywhere, his earnings were to be shared with the people of London. His fellow hunters pleaded with him to go home, but he told them, he had two homes now, whose potions he had both tested. He said to them: 'go and tell the gods that when I left I was Mo Farrah, Now I am the Mo-bile!'

Upon arrival to the east, Gebremeskel and Longosiwa were disowned by the gods: they had not brought the yellow shiny one. They then promised themselves never to be fooled again, but it was too late now; the Mo-bile is on the move..

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Letter to Nelson Gatsimbazi & Co

October 21, 2014, 6:19 am

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Posted on Facebook with caption: 'I love you  Rwanda n I miss you so much!'

Dear Gatsimbazi,

After such a long time hearing what you do and seeing what you post on social media, it breaks my heart to see who you have become. We used to be activists, with high hopes and passion for our country Rwanda; I don’t know where our roads got split, all I know, is that I don't recognize the person you have become: an utterly confused and prejudiced person.

You are not consistent; every now and then, you say you miss Rwanda, and yet you seek to hurt its people everyday through your posts, and I suppose, your activities there.

You think you are fighting Kagame - which I have no problem with - but most of your subversive actions do not affect Kagame, who is a legitimate, elected, powerful president; they hurt all of us Rwandans.

Just the other day, you thanked BBC2 for doing a good job of revising the Genocide?! How do you think that makes us feel?

And you think you are using the BBC, the FDLR or these new allies you have found for yourself to reach your end-goal, which, I suppose, is to unseat Kagame. You actually do not see that it is the BBC, FDLR and your new friends, that are manipulating you. You know, when slave-traders came to Africa, they did not go inland to chase around slaves, they stayed by their ships and sent in their house niggers; whom they had bribed with mirrors, pipes, and such other trifle, to betray their own people.

Here is an example for you. Did you know how one becomes a lawyer, a witness or an expert, at the ICTR/Y - Which is a massively remunerating job (more than $500,000 was spent on the defense of Akayesu alone[1])? They first become outspoken genocide deniers; hold conferences all over the world, with the hope to be noticed by prisoners.

Now, the closing of the ICTR, and the ongoing extraditions of suspects to Rwanda do not suit them. So they attempt to undermine it, by painting a bleak picture of the Justice system in Rwanda.

Dr Andrew Wallis just wrote: 'It’s interesting that Rudasingwa and others are now being used as defence witnesses for alleged genocidaires as is Filip Reyntjens (a Belgian academic who for a long term served as an advisor to the genocidal government of Juvenal Habyarimana). These people go from court to court in France, Germany, Norway, the UK giving defense, even though normally they do not actually know the defendants; they use it as a way to promote the RNC and its views on Rwanda.' 

That was one example: here is a second, which I suspect you are very familiar with: Do you know how Rwandans get asylum in Europe? You do? Ok good. 

Now for those who don’t, here's what happens:  you tell a horrifying story of what happened to you, and will happen again if you go back home, and they let you live there. The problem with a lie, is that you have to commit to repeating it, adapting it to all situations. And they don't let you be, they keep coming to you and say: could you tell this international 'expert on Rwanda' what you told us?  and there you go again: Oh you know they tortured and raped me in jail, etc. while I know these things sadly happen for real in some places, it must be a nightmare if you made it up; actually, you end-up believing it yourself...

But we all know that most times its all lies; I remember an Ambassador of a European country here  warning us: ‘Don’t go and pick a fight with the government and hope that I give you a visa…’

Anyway, all these spins were made futile, when the Netherlands presented Amicus Curiae (friend of the court brief) to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) establishing that Rwanda’s judicial system was independent and effective.

Later, the same washed-up experts on Rwanda influenced an Amnesty International (AI) report, to allege prevailing torture in Rwandan prisons. Now, Amnesty International reports have been used for a long time in the European Court to block extraditions, especially for asylum seekers from Eastern Europe; Russia and China facing extradition: This is known by every lawyer who studied or worked with ECHR. 

That particular AI report on Rwanda however, was denounced by many scholars for being flowed and did not in the end, affect the extraditions, which continue to date.

Now this BBC2 documentary intervenes today, as another attempt to push the same agenda. The false figures cited, are provided by two US academics: Allan Stam and Christian Davenport, who worked for a team of lawyers defending génocidaires at the ICTR.

What is said to be an untold story; that the shooting down of the plane on April 6, 1994 was perpetrated by the RPF, is actually a vested narrative which was told by Hutu Power extremists within a hours of the president’s assassination, just before they called everyone to mass slaughtering of Tutsi.

The same untold story was repeated by every single defense lawyer at the ICTR until the judges put an end to it in a general ruling, that: it is not the shooting of the plane that caused the genocide. It may have been the trigger, but the slaughter was premeditated, planned; machetes bought, militias trained, propaganda media launched and pilot killings conducted, way before the president was killed. 

In Sweden: No caption needed

But you know all this. So what happened to you kid? I am giving you advice because you, I still care about; others I couldn't care less! There are more schemes than you can ever imagine. Here I just gave you a flavour. 

So, you need to do serious Soul-searching, and come to terms with what you really want. I mean, you can continue to farm and wait tables in Sweden, hoping that there will be a big war, or a coup d’état in Rwanda - regardless of how many people may die - so that you can comeback and be minister of information - or farming (which one are you now?)

Or you can come out of darkness – and the cold, come home and contribute to building your country. We will forgive you, we have forgiven worse... But for goodness sake, you are caught-up in a war that is not yours, you have no agenda; you are as disposable as garbage in a rather global war. Sadly, your part of the fight may just come down to a cage or bar fight. There is no scenario, no story where former genocidaire may come out on top. So whatever happens, it's all on you.

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[1]http://www.arushatimes.co.tz/2002/15/un_tribunal_1.htm

Kagame and our faith

October 24, 2014, 11:16 am

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There is an old rock song from the early 90s by a group named ‘The Clash’ that goes: ‘should I stay or should I go’, ‘If I go there will be trouble’, ‘If I stay it will be double’.Essentially written with no political intent, by a heavily drugged rock band, the song plays just perfectly to our exciting predicament. Who knew…

Everyone is speculating about president Kagame's leaving of power. His deliberate ambiguity on the matter has done just the fortunes of pundits.

Taking his time, entertaining the suspense, leaving imperceptible hints here and there; it’s breathtaking! Every bar, every conversation, both in Rwanda and on the continent, is slowly zeroing in on one and one question only: what’s Paul Kagame’s move, come 2017. That is a million dollar question, and I wish I had the answer, I don’t. But I have a story…

In my opinion, he has every reason to keep everyone guessing the longest time possible. Why? Because he doesn’t want to be a lame duck! If he revealed his position today; every decision he makes thereafter; every appointment, foreign policy move, every comment, will be interpreted against that D-day; anything else becomes almost irrelevant; in fact, speculations started with recent change of prime minister. It is like being in a divorce process, in Rwanda, before the new law; two years seem like forever?! 

Investors will hold on a little longer to their investments, to see in which directions the wind blows; enemies will start plotting strikes once goes, new relationships will be put on hold, couples’ family planning will have to factor that in: ‘ok darling if I make you pregnant now, our baby will be two then. What if…’ its stressful. The country might just go in hibernation mode for the next two years.

That was the push factor. Now, the pull factor is that, the procrastination is enabling him to see who is a sycophant, who is an opportunist, who is truly loyal, who is patriotic; etc. This must be fun for him: looking at all party cadres debating his future and the future of the country - which happen to be forever entangled, and reserving his decision to himself - or to a few confidants - what do I know…

Oh I miss the Catholic Church and when we all went for penitence.  

- PK:'Forgive me father for I have sinned.'

- Padre:'My son, God is not interested in what you did. but in what you plan to do in 2017. Tell me and I shall ask God to forgive you…’

 

The other day they miraculously retrieved his baptism card and gave it to him, cynically reminding him of his Catholicism – you know, of the time when our beloved King Rwabugiri was exiled and his son forced to convert to Catholicism and ‘sell’ our country to Christ the King... I suspect that is why Prez is not keen to honoring the third sacraments of 'Penance and Reconciliation'  - I am digressing…

Anyway, why should he come clean? That would be like forcing a poker player to reveal his hand before the stakes are all in – just because that is the honest or catholic thing to do...

Will he go, will he not? he should go or he shouldn’t. When asked, his answer has ‘evolved’ from ‘Oh, mostdef!’, to: ‘here is the thing: its complicated…’ 

Even I, who was hopeful that he would go by the end of his term, am getting anxious as 2017 closes in. I am like; what will happen to us?

 

Here are my predictions: I know many of you want me to cut to the chase, but I think it is important that everyone understands why I make these predictions in the end. So I too, am going to lead you on for another paragraph or two…

...Commercial break…

And we are back: What is the challenge at hand? Relentless economic growth and human development amidst an uncertain economic epoch and a tense aid framework: How much Soul can we sell and for how long, to remain afloat with aid money; looming regional security threats: FDLR, neighbouring hostile forces, and perhaps the most difficult of all: internal intrigues: how to keep everyone in line, focused and get them to declare their fortunes every year. 

I use to think ignorance is comfort; I was right! 

 

I am visualizing that glorious night when he will go on national television just after the evening news. having all been convened, we'll be watching, the world will hold its breath, as he goes:‘In spite of overwhelming public demand, I have decided to step down! Because the Rwandan constitution says so! I believe that the Rwandan constitution supersede us all, and we all should abide by it!’

That’s the part where he'll do the biblical thing with John:14,15: ‘But fear not! For I shall find you a helper, who shall stay with you, as I watch upon y’all from my Senate seat, next to Tito, my old friend!’ – I couldn’t resist; Senator Tito’s role as head of discipline both in the party and in the Senate, plus his white goatee, has something godlike!

By that gesture, he will instantly join the gods – and here I am not talking about Tito. His name will be inscribed on a monument atop Rwanda’s Karisimbi Mountain. He will be the way, the truth and the power. No one shall accede to senior positions, but through him - at least for the seven years of the new guy’s first term; I am not being gender-biased; I think the next president is a man. (Hint 1?)

Now, the point that Rwandans seem to miss, is that people like Kagame come around every half a century, if ever. If we wait for another Kagame to replace Kagame, we will  wait for a long time…

There were two on this continent; him and Meles Zenawi. Now, Meles just died of natural cause, Kagame seems rather fit and plays tennis.

But let’s take a look at the profile that we need:

- One that has the pan-African charisma of Sankara;

- The political stratagem of Machiavelli;

- The intelligence of Putin;

- The heroism of Lumumba;

And the ruthlessness of Meles Zenawi.

So I look around for another Kagame, I keep looking, but I have faith…

- to be continued

We are Rwanda, not just another crab in the African Barrel

October 30, 2014, 4:03 am

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At the march to protest BBC2

When I met Mike Campbel and Louis Fick, the white Zimbabweans who’s land had been taken by their government and given back to the black indigenous, it was just outside the South African Constitutional court. They had come to register a judgement in their favour, passed by - the now defunct - SADC tribunal. They wanted the Court to order that Zimbabwean property in South Africa be confiscated to compensate them for their land; they eventually won in court, but diplomatic consideration came in the way...

Between two sentences concerning their land, I noticed that they couldn’t resist criticising Mugabe, his dictatorship tendencies; the fact that he rigged elections, or the ZANU-PF. Then I remembered that the ZANU-PF had accused them and other white farmers of forcing their black workers to vote for the opposition; I saw men with a cause, which has suffered from the noise around it.

This morning I was having an open discussion with a colleague on Rwandan politics; like I always do when I am abroad. Personally I have no problem expressing my views in Kigali. But others prefer to open up when we are abroad; but fair enough. I have never experienced real intimidation; what I experienced was empty threats and criticism from self-righteous saints, injured in their pride...

So fine, I listened as he raised some serious points about public expenditure flows in Rwanda, and the right of access to information.

He complained about the fact that the KIST building was collapsing only five years after it had been built; he talked of the colossal loss of King Faysal Hospital still unaccounted for. He explained that the Parliamentary Account Committee had mentioned these cases, but never followed through. He talked of cost of the ‘Rwanda Days’ in Europe and America and RwandAir which has never broken even since its creation ten years ago, and wondered if these ventures were not white elephants.

The colleague - lets call him john; John was raising some serious issues, that I promised to tackle here on my blog, hoping that I would get some answers next time I meet the relevant authorities. – so, over to you Transparency, Parliamentary Account Committe (PAC) and Auditor General (article has been tweeted/e-mailed to them).

‘Why haven’t you raise these issues in Rwanda?’ I asked; John looked around, and said:‘Ahaa, I fear to be sent to jail like Ingabire or killed like Karegeya’, to the nodding approbation of the Ugandans and Kenyans around us... I was devastated! I saw there a man with a cause that suffered the noise around it!

I looked at him, and tried to understand why he just said that? I asked myself where the link was between Karegeya: a defecting chief spy orchestrating grenades attacks in Kigali, Ingabire who openly revised the genocide and is collaborated with the FDLR and reporting on cases of misuse of public funds; I simply said to him: ‘don’t worry, we do not know who killed Karegaya, and Ingabire doesn’t do public-expenditure tracking…’

There was nothing wrong with what he were saying, there was something wrong with how he said it. He intentionally amalgamated unrelated stories to make the situation look desperate, without aiming at a solution. It is called ‘to spin’! he didn't aim at positive change, or at any change at all; he just wanted to appear clever and busy, and relevant.

As a human rights activist, this is what makes my work very difficult. It is difficult for me to associate with these colleagues, even though we share the same concerns.

Thanks to this type of activism, the space for real engagement with the state narrows, as we are all dismissed as a cohort of reactionary intellectuals, indoctrinated by 'imperialist's ideologies', serving retrogressive interests - which will only lead to perpetual misery of the black man, and chaos in our land (sorry, this sounds like a mouthful)  in Rwanda they have a name for them: 'Ideologically bankrupt'

I was in parliament last week and watched as MPs spoke, one after the other, and all converging to the fact that BBC should be banned in Rwanda. There is no debate here, this is not democracy, I thought to myself; Parliaments shouldn’t seat around and unanimously agree on banning radios? But I found myself agreeing with them - I even went out and protested!?! 

I wanted to start a show that promotes contradictory debate in Rwanda and the region, but I found myself having a debate-free first show, where everyone agreed that BBC2 has crossed the line. This is one of those moments where I doubt myself…

There are rules: objectivity for media and human rights watchdogs; and upholding rule of law for government. Sadly, watchdogs and media feel exempted from observing the rules, but they are scandalized when, as a result, government applies special measures to them.

Only in Rwanda are defecting spies and terrorists considered opposition figures. By being completely biased, these agencies narrow the gradually expanding space, and undermine our activities on the ground. 

I am saddened to say that the government is probably the only progressive actor in this game. On the one hand, if it were up to sycophant human rights activists: the current government would be a saint, and half the critical NGOs would be shut down; gays and lesbians would be criminalized and abortion would be forbidden lock, stock and barrel.

If it were up to foreign watchdogs and the BBC however, we would have daily strikes, Victoire Ingabire as minister; government negotiating with FDLR; Karegeya and Kayumba registering political parties with an accepted militia wing.

But then we would be just Africa; with rampant insecurity, stagnant economy, visible misery and chaos.  Or worse still, we would be DRC or Somalia; guarded by UN peacekeepers and making desperate calls to the UN and the international community to help us.

As for the BBC2, it would have daily breaking news! Announcing latest death tolls and enabling International NGOs to access massive funding and conduct humanitarian response…

I spoke to a European diplomat last week; he asked me why Karegeya was killed in South Africa. I asked him why Assange and Snowden were in hiding, fearing for their lives; in Europe! I asked him why Ben Laden was summarily executed; he answered that that was different…

Are we all having Presidential Elections or Referenda or revolutions? A legal analysis

November 1, 2014, 6:14 am

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Jurrassic Park

The Arab spring turned out to be more of an Arab nightmare, from which some are just waking-up; a warning, that sadly no African despot seemed to heed; a stunning reality check for the African Union, jabbing an arrow at the heart of its structural loopholes and making a farce of its retrogressive policies.

The popular uprising in North Africa was unprecedented in many ways and taught us a lessons that Africa has changed, for the better. Here is why:

1) Mobilizing approaches have shifted: Educated, IT savvy youth, harnessing modern social media tools to organize and campaign using old non-violent marches.

The masses capacity has shifted: It used to be much easier to coerce and bribe the old guard, and indoctrinate hopeless illiterate young people. With increasing levels of education and access to information, it is difficult to insulate the youth.

2) Groundbreaking legal ramifications on the African Union:

The late OAU, acted as a club protecting status quo and ‘stayism’ among peers. The (OAU)AU convention on the prevention and combating of terrorism (2004) swept far broadly to preclude in Art. 1(3)(a)(iii) ‘General insurrection or any other mass civic action’ thereby undermining the whole right to picket and demonstrate

Most important yet was the complete disregard of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (2007). According to the Charter, no African president is to be toppled outside of an electoral process.

Art.2(1) of the Charter says its motives are to promote ‘Adherence [by African States] to the universal values and principles of democracy and respect for human rights’.

Its true agenda however, is captured in Art. 2(4): to ‘prohibit, reject and condemn’; repeated in 3(10): ‘condemnation and total rejection of unconstitutional changes of government’.

The Arab spring read in the context of these treaties posed a significant legal dilemma to the AU executive council, which, luckily faced no choice but to recognised, albeit hesitantly, that what happened was a mere exercise of sovereign powers of the people; which is vaguely recognised in Art 6, as a passive right of the people, requiring states to ‘ensure that citizens enjoy fundamental freedom and human rights.’

In the wake of the Arab spring, general consensus emerged that the youth in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia were actually not terrorists acting outside the ambit of democracy, despite what their leaders were saying.

Indeed, no African convention directly recognises the right of the people for political participation. The right to freedom of assembly recognised by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Art 11) is clawed back by the observance of things such as national security, safety, ethics, etc.

All these conventions written by unrepentant Africa’s dictators were spectacularly overrun by the Arab youth.

This has created an interesting malaise among the old club, at least those of them who have not been swept with the spring, and led to the ground shifting realisation by all of us, that revolutions are legal and necessary, but most of all; inevitable!

On the short run, the impact of the Arab spring to sub-sahara in less visible; in an attempt to stimulate public uprising in Uganda, opposition leader Kizza Besigye launched the ‘work to walk campaign’ which was ruthlessly repressed by the state. This time however, the repression, conducted amidst the Arab spring, chocked the world opinion more than usual;

The call for ‘mass action’ launched by Kenyan opposition leader Mr. Raila Odinga, following a contested electoral process, degenerated in a catastrophic post-electoral violence, which cost lives of more than 1000 people.

After 27 years in power, Blaise Compaore was ousted in the same fashion as his Maghrebis counterparts, in a stunning two-day popular uprising.

So, it is not that sub-saharan youth have not tried; it is just that there is something they may not be getting right yet.

Be it how to face extremely violent state responses; or how to draw the attention of the African Union, which is more used to repressive government responses, than to mass revolutions.

On the long run however: there are numerous lessons learned here:

The people – and especially the youth – have realised that they do actually have the power - and that, both in the north and in the south of the sahara;

The penetration of information and technology (mobile phones, internet), the use of social media (facebook, tweeter) is an effective tool for political influence, and mass campaigning, and will play an increasingly critical role, going forward.

People will not eat democracy, but they would like to have a say on what they eat. Power based on the old dichotomy of prioritising development over freedoms on the one hand or offering freedoms in misery on the other, is rather precarious. Sooner or later, the yearn for both is inevitable. People do not have to choose.

Once again, education is the best civic/political empowerment that can be given to the people; and its increase on the African continent presages good democratic days to come;

But how much civic awareness and maturity is there? Why did the people of Egypt briefly replace Mubarak with Morsi, only to find out that they had jumped from a frying pan into fire (Read from dictatorship into Islamism) and quickly organise for a ‘recall?’

A colleague from Ethiopia asked me to write an paper making previsions on How can the revolution trickle down past the Sahara. My answer was that Revolution might come in the form of soft change, in a short run, with much more impact in the long run. With the latest events in Senegal and Burkina-Faso I am humbled!

Hopefully this will have given politicians some food for thoughts. The good ones will see the inevitability for change and start preparing for their succession. The bad ones will brass for harsher measures to nip the protests in the bud before they take ground.

Have we all learned this time? Lets wait and see. While we wait, I think it’s safe to say that the current president in Egypt, Al Sisi, in Senegal Macky Sall and the next one in Burkina, understand that they are trading on thin ice, just like dictators are having sleepless nights, while we, the African youth, are readier than ever, I hope…

Go crazy with moderation, or Judge smash is gonna get you!

November 11, 2014, 12:09 am

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I do not know about you, but when I speak to the latest Christians, I can’t help but see some inconsistencies in their story; I suppose that is what faith is: easily identifying oneself with Jewish characters in a 2000 year old book of scary and confusing essays, told by a loud individual in a white robe. One character in particular seems to attract most of their passions: the messiah.

Now the book I am referring to is the bible, not the law. The law is a relatively recent, and regularly updated book of commands, supposedly based on common sense, also told by individuals in robes - dark in this case; who, unlike their Christian counterparts, are expected to be consistent, full of common sense, and with passion for no character in particular.

What happens when the two clash? Well, one day, the first group took it upon themselves to prophecy doom upon our country in a letter addressed to the president. The group had decided to identify themselves as ‘INTWARANE ZA YEZU NA MALIYA’ followers of Jesus and Mary; respectively the special character described above, and his mother, both major features of the 2000-year old book.

Now, we all know that the president is on twitter and facebook, and it feels good to ‘tweet’ him messages and sometimes get replies.

This group didn’t want to hear it; they wanted to use the old classical way of hand delivery and so they took to the Kiyovu streets, direction presidential residence, chanting apocalyptic songs. Predictably both the songs and the pilgrimage were interrupted by the police, who booked them a room at the nearest station.

When I heard of the story, I found it entertaining and bizarre, but not unusual. Knowing the ‘barokore’ of this town, it is uncanny how deprived of common sense they can be. The president even jokingly commented on it saying: ‘How can God talk to the people I lead without passing first to me?’ to the laughter of the audience.

This morning however, I wasn’t laughing when I read that the Kigali High Court had sentenced seven of them to five years in prison. In passing that harsh judgement, the court was almost apologetic for not making the sentence even harsher; the judgement read that they were sentenced to five years after finding that ‘although they participated in the demonstration, they did not have power to influence  the general public’.  Five years? To most deranged and confused of characters, who are crazy enough to mess with presidential guards? I mean who does that?

These people deserved, at worst, to get off with twenty lashes on their buttocks and a signed pledge to diversify their reading. Instead they will be locked away for five years - if their sentence is maintained in appeal.

I imagine that, due to our sensitive history, Rwandan Judges tend to over-think these behaviours to find alter motives. But remember, the same history make people victims of all sorts of dogmas and fantasies. We are all looking for ways to deal with our past and find some solace. If some of us go lunatic, we should be treated with decency and humanity, especially when our actions did not cause any material damage.

These people are being victimised twice; first, they were under the spell of white-robed charlatans whose business is to exploit people in weak states of mind, easily found in Rwanda. Now they are being victimised again by black-robed gurus, eager to please their own messiah…

This is a dangerous pattern; on 4 February 2011, another court sentenced journalists of Umurabyo newspaper to respectively 7 and 17 years for 'inciting unrest and civil disobedience', and essentially for slandering the president. I can’t say that the journalists were innocent; it is noteworthy though, that even the president said in a press conference that ‘the sentences were very heavy’ compared to the actual damage, if any, caused by the articles.

Either appropriate or not, heavy sentences such as these, for such immaterial actions,  send a chilling message to the Rwandan society: Go crazy with moderation – whatever that mean…

Education in the west: a Godsend rip off to Rwandan upper middle class

November 16, 2014, 6:12 am

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Young Mormons. Source: Internet

Think of these schools as Chinese I-Phones; they look like original I-Phones, but they are worse than ZTE; the authentic Chinese telephone brand. 
University is a broader experience that goes beyond school and books. It is a social experience of the city and the people. Children who study in the west are thus expected to comeback with a worldview of a New Yorker, a Londoner or a Bostonian. Except, this would be made possible if our children studied in secular and open environment, using standard curricula

Unfortunately: Rwandan children are being sent to substandard schools - or worse, to dogmatic monasteries: The ones that actually believe in a God-given duty to save poor countries; such as Rwanda for example…

So we frequently hear that children of so and so Minister or businessman, study at the Mormon University of Utah, the Jesuit Institute of Wyoming, or the Quakers’ college of Nebraska.

Alternatively, they will be studying in the London School of Commerce (LSC); a ‘Jua Kali’ little institution, purposely named so, Yes-to-be-confused with LSE – the renowned London School of Economics and Political Science.

But most parents have no frame of reference to differentiate standard universities and dodgy community colleges. Normally if you knew exactly what these schools are, you wouldn’t wish your enemy’s children to go there.

Then again, this has nothing to do with educating children, does it? It is all about social status in Kigali.

How I know this? Because it almost got me into trouble recently: See, I went with my family to visit a sibling at Riviera High School.  Now, Riviera is a great school, except, that is where the who’s who meet and brag.

While we were there, this lady walks up to where we are seated and says:

-       Yoo, amakuru? 

-       Ni Meza,

-       Where is your elder son?

-       Oh, he is in America, in West Virginia!

-       Oh, I am sure he frequently meets his friends; you know my first and second ones? They are in Oregon!

Now, I have never been to America, but I know some geography, so I think for a minute, then I go: wait! that would be difficult...

-       All I know is that Oregon and West Virginia couldn’t be further apart: You know the first is on the Atlantic and the second on the Pacific coast– I say…

Both parents turn and give me the look, and instantly I feel like a ‘najuwa’

-       Children have their ways… they finally comment, evasively.

-       It must be expensive for you isn’t it? says the lady;

-       Oh no, we manage, how about you?

Suddenly it hits me: These parents are not talking about their children; they are comparing the sizes of their… ‘pockets’

The fact that their children are being indoctrinated with Jehovah Witness beliefs in the deep cold of North Dakota is subsidiary. What matters is this moment here at the lawn of Riviera High School. And me, the impertinent downer, I am raining on their parade.

Ignoring me, they go on a ping-pong rant of fallacies they both believe on the virtues of western education:

1)    Schools overseas give your children more ‘critical thinking’

-       Really? I interject – but only in my mind this time; I don’t want to be disowned...

That is fine if you are happy with the fact that your children have Miley Cirus and Justin Bieber as their idols, and their history knowledge limited to the fact that Christopher Columbus discovered America; the civil war, that Africa is a country and Rwanda? Well, that it was an exotic kingdom, which recently suffered Genocide, and now has a strong president, who is doing better than most of his despotic peers...

2)   She goes again: living overseas make our children more open.

-       What? (Smiling slightly to contain my perplexity) Go visit them one day: most live on a farm or in small conservative towns – which I describe above - The kind of folks that elect Sarah Palin and Mit Rumney as governors…

When they finally get out, it is not to go visit museums, art galleries, the Library of the Congress, etc., especially if they’ve never visited the National Library in Kacyiru here; they go out to a baseball game between two local teams and it is called the ‘world series'…

How do you expect them to get a job here - and remember, it is regional integration, soon we'll have kids from Nairobi and Kampala, who know how to hassle. Innocent kids who talk about basketball and Jay-z don't get jobs in Kigali - you can ask them, they will usually be hanging around coffee shops, speaking distinctive 'muzungu' accents - with no job!

Here in Africa, critical thinking is a life skill. If you don’t have it you freaking die! Openness likewise: some of us are landlocked, so we have proverbial need to open up to develop. therefore, you shouldn't let anyone tell you that you will find openness and critical thinking in self-sufficient societies. Shallowness? Yes; selective promotion of values? Maybe. But critical thinking? You can have that anywhere…

3)   That since America is the leading country in technology and economy, your child will make us all rich when they comeback? Sure, I suppose you sent your child to Harvard or MIT. No? Oh well, black people – like your child, who go to community colleges – like your child, are poor and tend to live in New Orleans: you can Google it; its much worse than Kigali.

I look at them and feel like saying: Have you not noticed? All the geniuses and millionaires in America are white Jews. If the black Americans haven’t been able to breakthrough after 200 years of trying, what makes you think that your black Christian child will go, see and conquer; all the way from Nyarutarama?

Here are the signs that you are wasting your money and your child’s future:

-       If most students at his university are foreigners – from developing countries;

-      If his schools' domain name does not end with ‘ac’ or ‘edu’ (i.e. www.domain.edu) that means they did not qualify as a standard higher learning institution and their degrees are probably not recognised.

But the one indicator that really can’t deceive you is if your child comes back dumber than when they left – then maybe you should consider servicing your loans and sending them to UR instead…

The truth is, at bachelor’s degree level, the best education you can give to your child is at the University of Rwanda! Where all our taxes and efforts are put to give our children the best education Rwanda can offer. Where the lecturers regard education as a civic duty to educate Rwanda’s future generation, not a 25 to 30 thousand Dollar annual rip off, being sold to you as Godsend charity.

Then after UR, they will be mature and able to select what they want to learn. So, feel free to send them to Alaska for further studies;  Personally, I would recommend Hawaii, at least they can have some fun while they claim to be getting knowledge.  

Accordingly, if you want to send your children to Ivy-League, or Oxford or University of London, congratulations: that is really good education. If you can't, then send them to Asia. Their schools are not Ivy League, or Oxford, but they are of very good standard, in rapidly developing and highly dynamic cities. Don't send them to America to have substandard education. 

Like I said before, if you want to buy an I-Phone, buy an I-Phone, or a ZTE. but don't buy one thinking that you are buying the other.

The Rwandan Police: The civilians who wannabe the Army

November 20, 2014, 9:21 am

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Stormtrooper from Star Wars

Dear police,

Caligula[1] once said of Romans: 'Oderint dum metuant’- they may hate me so long as they fear me.

The idea is not that we hate you. Because you are there for us. We are the most precious thing that you have ever been called to protect; albeit partly (the army is doing most of the work). We do not want to fear you, we want to love you. you are all we got. We want to smile at you, to give you flowers, greet you and seek advise from you.

So why are you letting us down?

The problem with being too efficient in fighting criminality is that you start regarding everyone as potential criminals; you loose trust in civilians, you become suspicious – and that is where you become dangerous!

The moment you wear that uniform, you leave your ego with you civilian clothing. You are on a job, and civilians are your bosses; not the other way round. The thing is, you will have to forego around your 5 minutes of fame - you know when you scare people off and bring every activity to a stand still; when you close businesses and chase street vendors; there is no pride in any of that.

Your Vision is: ‘to make the people living in Rwanda feel safe, involved and reassured’.

Your Mission: ‘is dedication to the delivery of high quality services, accountability and transparency, safeguard the rule of law and provide a safe and crime free environment for all.

You also say that: ‘To achieve that mission requires a strong partnership with us, the people you serve.’ 

Here is my partnership to you:  what I saw last night is inconsistent with your mission and vision. It is inconsistent with you core value (3) Stability and social order, (4) Teamwork and partnership and (7) Community relation focus. I was in the middle of dancing salsa at Club Next, when I saw a police squad in full gear, entering the dance floor with frown faces, threatening to arrest the Disc Jokey, the owner, and round up the music instruments, all to the dismay of the dancers who were so tetanised, they thought the best thing to do was to tell the owner to surrender himself and do as he is told. Him was half terrorised, half fed up. Here is a man who is trying to do business, he has all the city council-approved soundproof installations, he has salaries to pay, taxes to pay, probably loans to pay, and couldn’t believe these guys decided to raid his club on a Wednesday, the only day in the week where he makes the biggest kill!

What I found remarkable is the conversations that were going on among people present, with no one of them daring to tell the police what they thought of their draconian behaviour. I attempted to speak to them; they looked at me from head to tow, and said; go home kid, you don’t want problems. I wanted to tell them that that was not cool, but a friend who feared for me ‘saved’ me. Later as we drove home, he told me: ‘hey, you can thank me later for saving you from the police.’ Really? Is that what is has come down to? People can be saved from the police in this city? Where are we?

Before I was pulled away by my friend, I wanted to ask the ‘afande’ what would have happened if he had sent in one policeman dressed in civilian, who would walk up to the DJ, discreetly show him his card and say: ‘hey man, turn that down, your sound has gone beyond acceptable decibels’. Instead three of them came in, attracted full attention, created a scandal and humiliated the owner. Fine! You win, but guess what? The joke is on you…

The army doesn’t talk; their job is to protects the boarders, and actually go to war. Even they, have been doing a lot of community work and getting closer to us. If I ran a popularity poll, I am sure they would come among the most loved. You on the other hand, I am not so sure…

The title of your book, which I am about to read is: ‘Policing a Rapidly Transforming post Genocide society: Making Rwanda Feel Safe, Involved and Re assured’. You can say what you want, none of us there felt reassured or involved. Reassuring means advising the public to comply with the law, assist them in that endeavour. That will make you accessible, attractive and much more efficient. I understand you are a small force of around ten thousand people (10.000), and now you have to serve beyond Rwandan boarders. You are overstretched; but are you overwhelmed?

In case you didn’t know, you are there to ensure that all goes smoothly and according to the law. You are not there to arrest people, to close down businesses. That should be the last resort; sadly, for you it is the first.

It is very common here that the prosecution puts someone in jail first and request for 30 days to go and look for incriminating evidence; It is very frequent that the police arrests suspects and parades them in front of media, allows the media to ask questions – like a jury, and subjects them to mob justice; in total violation of habeas corpus, due process, presumption of innocence, etc.

Those are the horrors of nightmarish police states that we were once before and that we never want to become; ever again!

You can do better than that: Ideally we can be on the same side, because you are there for me. Like teammates, you approach me, I give you information, make your work easy, when I am in fault, you help me get back on the right track; GENTLY! If you want to intimidate me however, let me tell you a secret: I DON’T FEAR YOU! I don’t even need to. Between you and I there is the law. I know my rights, I know them damn well!

I hope you do too, because the only thing you can do to me is arrest me for the night, maybe for the first thirty days as you look for evidence; but then I will come out…

I am a civilian. Civilians are going to remain civilians. With their imperfections, their mistakes, their disorder. But guess what? They are your bosses.  The reason you are police, is because unlike the army, you are supposed to be patient, flexible, understanding, but most importantly respectful.

Let me give you another image: there is a frigate and a super-tanker. A super-taker carries fuel and cargo, it is very heavy and turns very slowly; its captain doesn’t improvise, it is resistant to winds and currents, it almost never changes trajectories and it takes it a long time to adjusts its course. Now a frigate is swift and flexible. Its captain is there present; he improvises and makes judgement calls all the time.

In most circumstances, you are like the captain of a frigate, called upon to be judges and jury at the same time; that is when your training should kick in. Your training gives you the endurance and concentration of a super-tanker; and the flexibility of a frigate captain.

At the same time, your training makes you qualified to join the army. If you want to use brutal force, the police is probably not the place for you; the army is.

This is my city! I refuse to live in a city where I fear the police. Where we start asking ourselves: ‘what have we done? Have we created a monster that will devour us all? Because you are part of us; don’t make us think otherwise; and start calling you ‘part of them.’ If it gets to that point; you can go home; we wont need you anymore…

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[1]Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus commonly known as Caligula (12–41)

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What is love? my unorthodox understanding...

November 27, 2014, 12:19 am

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Jesus of Nazareth who was a poor man

Thomas Hobbes described the life of man as solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. - Leviathan (1651). I believe it doesn’t have to be that way. I believe it can be full, open, happy and meaningful. For that though, I need to tell you one thing:

You live for others! You live for others! The only time you become relevant, the only time your existence has a meaning is the time when you serve.

Success is not sum of your personal accomplishments, but the number of people who have been blessed by your actions.

This, sadly, is becoming increasingly hard, in a world full of fences, bars, locks, firewalls and boarders; both physical and mental:

The words ‘stressed’ or ‘busy’ or ‘uncomfortable’ are egocentric, materialistic concepts designed to insulate you into a depressing loneliness, that will enable your only ‘true’ friends: ‘Nakumat’, ‘DSTV’, ‘MTN’, ‘Mac book pro’ and the ‘Great church of salvation’ to save you from boredom, depression and hell. 

They cannot make you uncomfortable or stressed, so you think, because you have control over their behaviour. You can scan through TV channels, you can go in and out of a supermarket; sign in and out of a website; you can ‘friend’ or ‘unfriend’ anyone; you can change churches whenever you want…

In fact the opposite is true; they have control over you – you are addicted. How many times do you go on twitter to check if you have a new follower? How many times do you check the amounts of likes you have on your facebook post? How many hours do you spend watching television, even though you know you should be reading or resting? How many times you buy something in the supermarket and later realize you didn't need it?

Then there is the church. The place where you go and listen to how great your life is about to become. Where people smile at you, hug you and wish you blessings and good fortune…

How many friends, family and needy people have you not visited in a long time because you had church service, choir rehearsal, prayer cell? Where you won’t visit your keen, because you can’t miss the sermon of the guest pastor; pastors; from Rwanda, Nigeria, USA, etc.; all telling you how you are the chosen one, and what grand plans God has for you, so long as you stick with them and give all your possessions to their church.

Jesus said: go out there and give all you have to the poor, not come in here and give it all to me. He never said if you stay with me you would be rich; he said it would be difficult for a rich to enter the kingdom of God, than a Camel to go through the eye of a needle.

He never looked suave, dashingly dressed or perfumed; he looked poor, humble, he had only one dress and a pair of sandals – Ghandi style! He never gave himself titles and attended mundane banquets in company of the privileged. Even though he was the prince of peace, the Son of God, he surrounded himself with humble fishermen, dined with prostitutes and the plagued, wined with the widows and orphans.

VIP graves, Rusororo Cemetery. Even there, people are buried according to economic classes.

The reason for that is because he had plenty, he was gracious and generous. When you went to him, you didn’t give him anything, you received; not only blessing, but you received food, wine and healing: all for free! He never begged, he offered; there was no price for prayer or salvation.

So he didn’t need to con people; telling them to give him so that he can give to others; a scheme, churches seem to have mastered: ’please help our ministry support this, or that cause’ – they preach.

People should go out there and give to the needy, not give to the church first, so the church can give – that’s too much transactional cost. Church goers should visit the sick and help out – Solid Africa style; not trust pastors to visit the sick on their behalf; what version of the bible is that?!

This is why for many; charity is limited to giving to the church. They do not visit the sick or help the needy; they prefer going to church, make ‘generous’ offerings, look up and repeat to God that they love him twenty times, then go home and close the gates behind them.

God doesn’t need your love as much as the next guy. God is the creator of the universe and everything in it; you, a grain of sand in that universe; a drop of water in an endless sea, which is also a drop of water in another endless sea and so on. What do you think you can do for God? I you want to help out, you can do for me, you can for her; other grains of sand like yourself. The Almighty God doesn't need your help!

The guy selling you God has just found your weak spot, he is tapping into your fears, your confusion, and whispering in your ear exactly what you want to hear. It is not so much that he understands God; he understands you! He knows how to suck the maximum money from you, he is a charlatan.

Look I am no preacher. So without belabouring further, here is how I worked it out for myself: My answer to all: Love! Every action, every story, every politics that you hear, check it against the ‘love benchmark’

Accordingly, if your pastor tells you that other people, other churches are bad; he is sinning against the love benchmark. If you are about to pose an action or say something, think about love in the grand scheme of things and see if your action fits.

There are actions of love, actions of hate and actions that are useless:

- If you give money to your church; if you love your friends, your family, your pastor, your churchgoers. That is useless; If you go to church everyday and tell God that you love him so much: that is useless too.

- If you do not visit or help out people because you are too busy or tired or uncomfortable, or that you have a prayer to attend, that is hate;

Now, if you love your enemies, help out total strangers, say good things about people who hate you, accept people who are different from you; people that you don’t understand; If you share, not only your money, but your space and your time; if you love and spend time with people from other churches, other religions, other countries, other races, other class; now that is Love!Then you don’t need to tell God that you love him; he’ll already know…

Are evangelical churches good for our children?

November 27, 2014, 12:32 am

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Modern day prophet - Idol to my little sisters...

The bible says that food of life should not be given to dogs. My take on that is: not everyone should read the bible, only those with the needed maturity should adventure themselves to reading it.

My kid sister did her first paying job the other day. She was excited to be paid 500,000 for the first time in her life, and as soon as she cashed in her pay check, she made the first stop at her church, deposited 450,000 of the money and kept 50,000. When she told me I was stunned: ‘you need to stop reading the bible upside-down’, I told her. ‘The idea is to offer 10% of the money and remain with 90%!’ Even God must have been shocked!’

But of course she can give away 90% of her salary off to a church; she can give all of it. For her, salary doesn’t have a subsistence value; it is just an opportunity to boost her self-esteem. She has parents and big brothers to take care of her needs. We hang on to the little dime we earn because we are trying to survive with it, not to look good or feel good… 

By doing that she had made a big mistake though; one of pledging loyalty to the church. A few weeks later, she was supposed to go to London for her university.

Just before she went, she consulted her pastor for the usual guidance and blessing. Him, keen to keep all the milking cows in his church, ‘advised’ her that it was best to study in Rwanda. Going to London, he prophesied, would corrupt her faith…

We tried all we could to change her mind, she wouldn’t listen. Even I, the cool big bro who takes her on dates in nice coffee shops, failed to convince her not to study in one of these new private universities, where only those who couldn’t have the grades to qualify for University of Rwanda go.

In hindsight, we have ourselves to blame. When she started going to this church, I was happy to know that she will not be drinking or smoking or jumping the fence to go out dancing all night. I even frequently went out to clubs for monitoring purposes – of course; and I was reassured never to bump into her…

Now, I am not so sure that is worse. Come to think of it, I realise she could have been open-minded and less naïve, had she done all of the above. The education she has received at home would have been enough to keep her responsible.

I am 32 and even I still have dark areas when it comes to religion. I imagine what the thing can do to my 18 year old little sister, whom at the same time is going through that age phase where we are convinced that we detain the truth, and adults are all idiots.

I would like to tell her that I love her so much; that I have made so many mistakes in life; that I have lost so much time; so many opportunities that I can’t get back. But the stuff that they tell her at her church, her age phase, all make her designed not to listen to me, sadly. This reminds me of my father’s remarks: ‘ you will only respect me when you get children of your own…’

Now her mother is heartbroken. She is living under the fear that any moment now, my little sister will be bringing some choir boy to our home, and tell us that God visited him in a dream and revealed her as the one, and go off to a premature marriage…

To comfort her, I told her that it is still better than hearing on the news that her daughter went to Syria to join the Islamic state or that she was involved in suicide bombing in the middle of Kigali town…

Our freedom starts here...

December 21, 2014, 3:01 am

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Historically, Rwanda was a monarchical society. All subjects in their individual and family capacity paid allegiance to the king, at the top of the Pyramid and his structural representatives at regional and local levels. Subjects (Rwandans) regarded the king’s powers and decisions with awe and reverence. Resisting the king’s will, and its execution through his representatives, was thus unimaginable.

Although monarchy has been abolished and a republic ushered in, the allegiance and subservient mentality arguably persist. Rwandans have never experienced self-rule. They have always been under the clout of a strong ruler (Sometimes only in appearance). The only time Rwanda had a president who did not appear very strong, was between 1994 and 2000 under Pasteur Bizimungu. Then we saw the emergence of a powerful parliament, which questioned and sanctioned members of the executive; sacked ministers and finally, forced the president himself to resign. 

With the accession of President Paul Kagame to power, his charisma and influence somewhat hibernated the parliament. A body which used to move votes of no confidence upon failing ministers and routinely relieve them of their duties; nowadays, the same parliament takes their complaints to the president and leaves it to his discretion…

In my last post (Kagame and our faith), I left off where President Kagame was quoting the bible to us, saying: ‘worry not, for I shall find you a helper.’ I think that is a good thing. All things considered, we can trust him to make an objective decision; unlike Bongo, Eyadema, Museveni and many more African presidents, I am not aware of when Kagame appointed his kin to a high position. At the same time, I am not aware of the time when a decision of that importance was left to any other official - Ask former minister Karugarama...

See, when you watch how our president behaves, you are invigorated; He is a free thinker, a free speaker. He enjoys freedom of opinion upon just about everyone in the world; he said it himself: ‘the best thing of being president is that I can speak my mind’.

He writes Op-Eds in the financial times about world economy, governance, etc. He does not hesitate to criticise members of his own cabinet, his party, other presidents, donors, etc.; always on legitimate grounds I must say. For instance I was so moved, when during the African Development Bank summit in Kigali, he took a swing at west African presidents, in the presence of their delegations: ‘When I watch on television’ he said, ‘I am disappointed to see African presidents going to France to discuss the security of their own countries.’ Everyone in the room was in euphoria; him, he was on fire, so he went on ‘they just go there to sit around for a photo opportunity…’

There; the diplomatic bullshit was outta window, then he paused, gave it a quick thought, and went: ‘of course, I am saying this painfully given my position; I long for the day I will be like them’ he finally concluded, pointing in the direction of the panel, made of former presidents Mbeki and Obasanjo. 

He repeatedly urges Rwandans like myself, to uphold Agaciro (our dignity), see the big picture and free our minds. So the good old minister of justice; Mr. Karugarama wanted to do just that; him and I both misread the frontier of our freedom of opinion. Him, thought it fit to urge his boss - the president to step down when his term is done. He paid the price of his free speaking; His boss thought it wasn’t his place to make those comments and instantly sacked him. I, don’t work for government, so I have a bit more room, but I never frontally criticise him; I usually don’t even need to; I prefer describing issues… Got it?

 Anyway, I was saying that his charisma and authority have made it difficult for other members of his team to shine the right measure; not outshining him, but at the same time, not be oxymoron. So we probably have hidden talents waiting to burst into the limelight once given the chance.

All African revolutionaries started off on grand ideals; but we all know how they turned once in power. Our continent is replete of tales of heroes turned foes…

Boy, how lucky have we been in the last 14 years? It was a gamble to be ruled by such a powerful person, who did not misuse his powers; I suppose it was God’s way of saying sorry, after the genocide. It is unclear whether there were mechanisms in place that could have stopped him, had he tried. In fact, throughout his tenure, there have been tempters around him, 'to eat at the forbidden fruit’; there still are;  people who 'cry more than the berieved' as Chinua Achebe would put it…

Next time though, we may not be so lucky. It was not smart of us to place so much power in the hands of one individual; if we ever had a choice…

Now we have one! Lets not waste it speculating on whether he should change the constitution or not; that is being short-sighted (the big picture, Agaciro and all?). As his time, as president, draws to an end, let’s promise ourselves not to do the same mistake again. Next time, let’s be under the rule of strong institutions, where all decisions are submitted to voting; the parliament.

Luckily he will have a centre role in that institution. The Rwandan constitution, like many in the world, says that former heads of state who honorably complete their term become senators for life [Art. 82, 115(2)]. As the head of the party, and most probably our next head of the Senate, he will remain the chief whip, swaying the votes of an RPF dominated parliament in the direction of his fitting. 

Sadly, during plenary sessions, the speaker of the Senate plays the role of a mere moderator. Now you should see me laughing while asking the following question: how long will Paul Kagame endure sterile and endless debates without partaking?! When that day comes, I have to go to parliament to see it.

Charity is the new branding

December 29, 2014, 2:21 am

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Noah is a young Rwandan who experienced hardship from the day he was born. His life? A confluence of tragedies, which can only be withstood by his perpetual optimism and smile…

Born to a mother who is mentally ill and an unknown father, Noah had HIV/AIDS at birth, and could only survive thanks to good Samaritans who fed him. At the age of ten, Noah started to sing; his first song? ‘Lets fight AIDS, brothers and sisters…’

When I first heard of him, it was on Youtube; you know, when you are briefly out of the country, you tend to stalk everything that happen in and on Rwanda.

I watched a Youtube video of a Rwandan kid with a promising international music carrier, who was performing at ‘American Idol’, accompanied by Alicia Keys; he appeared and sung on Tyra Banks show. I found it exciting.

Alicia Keys described him as a ‘talented artist’ with a ‘powerful energy’; she had fallen to his charm - or so she said. Even though she briefly alluded to HIV/AIDS, I did not know of the child’s condition as I was absorbed by his performance.

Fast forward a few years later, a friend invites me to accompany her at the Kigali Central Hospital to visit a child that she helps. He is hospitalised there because he was born with HIV/AIDS, did not have food to eat and was out of school, she tells me.

When I met Noah in person, I didn’t recognise him, at first; He had grown older and thinner. What gave him away, was that optimism, energy and smile.

As we sat and talked, he told me about his brief, successful music carrier. He had travelled to America twice; he told me that Alicia Keys was his friend; that Tyra Banks had told him to call anytime. ‘I only need to get back on my feet’, he said; ‘I need to get back to singing…’

I looked at him, I saw a freaking optimist; I saw an innocent kid; another one, whose hardships had been exploited by Soulless vampires, avid of power, fame and money; who feed off people’s miseries for their self-aggrandizement;

I wondered why this one had not been ‘adopted’ by one of the good Samaritans? In my mind the ‘energetic’ kid I had seen on Tyra Banks show, would have been studying in a university in the US, on an American Idol scholarship. Instead, he was struggling to have food to eat…

I thought to tell him of the ‘save the African child campaign’, or in the case of Alecia Keys: the 'Keep a child alive' - her new self-promoting brand. But I also saw a young man who is stronger that me; with all my privileges I did not have a quarter of his faith. In the end, I simply said to him: ‘hey Noah, you know what Tupac said?: If you make it through the night, there is a brighter day!’

He made it through that night; he resumes school in January…

Africa failed Palestine. But we didn't have a choice..

January 3, 2015, 2:35 am

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Once upon a time, there was a vote tabled in the Security Council of the United Nations on whether what was happening in Rwanda was a Genocide or not. Many nations cited 'flowed process' to oppose the resolution, while others urged for more 'negotiations, analysis, information, dialogue' and other such meaningless terms, to defer a critical decision that would have saved lives of innocent Tutsis that were being slaughtered.

New Zealand, a not so powerful country, was the voice of reason and stood up against mighty France then, and kept pushing the agenda until the genocide of Tutsis was finally recognized by a UN resolution. Today, as the resolution to recognize the State of Palestine was being tabled, New-Zealand deserved to be in the Security Council in the place of both Rwanda and Nigeria.

Rwanda and Nigeria, two former western colonies, abstained from recognizing the State of Palestine; A people still colonized by Israel in 2015.

It is sad, that the two African non-permanent members in the Security Council, decided to abstain, instead of recognizing a people’s right to self-determination: the Palestine. It is heartbreaking.

What is hypocritical however, is their explanation: ‘we abstained because the decision was not negotiated; agreed upon by both parties; there was a flow in the process. it would escalate the conflict, etc.’ In what world does the oppressor’s view count when it comes to freedom fighting? After the recent mass murders in Gaza, how bad can it get? I imagined 20 years ago, the discussions being held at the UN on the recognition of the Genocide of Tutsis, and New-Zealand saying: ‘Ah, failed process…’

Oh Rwanda: the apostle of Africa’s dignity, (Agaciro), anti-colonialism, self-worth, etc. All, grand ideals conveniently used when it fits us; when it is addressed towards France? Where is the dignity in looking away when a call to support our fellow comrades is launched? Is this the example we set for our children? Double standards; #SelectiveAgaciro?

We weren’t even asked to oppose Israel; we were asked to recognize the Right of a people to be worth something; we abstained…

Nigeria! A country of more than 170 million people; half of whom Muslims, and leading Africa’s economy; they also abstained. But I was not as surprised with Nigeria’s vote as I was with Rwanda’s. Let me explain: Two points in Nigerian history would enlighten you on their abstention: The Biafra war would tell you that they never believed in peoples’ self-determination; Their opposition to Nkrumah’s project of one African Union however, (On the simple reason that he, a Ghanaian, wanted to be the first African President), would confirm that; except in numbers, Nigeria never really led Africa; in ideas…

Abstention is the worst form of cowardice; it means that one fears to do the right thing. But we were not cowards; we were prudent; there is a thin line between the two…

When I saw the vote, I twitted: ‘Disappointed and surprised by Rwanda's abstention on the vote on the Draft Resolution S/2014/916 on the State of Palestine. This abstention, which Rwanda justifies by 'failure in process', is inconsistent with our stand on self-determination and human dignity. Rwanda should always side with the weak and oppressed, even and especially when that is a painful decision to make. Palestinians need ‪#‎Agaciro‬ too. Process, procedure, politics, etc; all just words to justify systemic oppression; Rwanda is never at its worst, as when it goes against its own principles...’

I was quickly rebuffed by our deputy UN representative: @onduhungirehe “This is just good rhetoric. (He said): ‘Standing with the weak’ is supporting a negotiated deal not a unilateral move.” ; ‘Guys, you misunderstood Rwanda's position! It was not for or against any party!’

Before the Minister of Foreign Affairs replayed:  ‘#Rwanda is consistent w.its ideology we know what having a country means, we also think it shd be done right, if it's to last!’

But one @Coolerme summed it up in 2 tweets: ‘those matters are beyond Rw and I don't c Rwanda turning away from her most allies’; ‘we had no choice! RWANDA was in a high top players and that was it!’

Now, I do not live in wonderland; We are but a small, powerless country at the mercy of world super powers. That abstention was more for self-preservation more than anything. Having said that, we then shouldn't have been in the Security Council in the first place; because we weren't free to vote with our heart, but with our mind.

But who are we? The people born or raised in exile, children of the struggle for survival, for self-determination; freedom fighters – well at least that is how I like to view us. Guess what, I am wrong: we are nothing of the sort. That was then; Now, we are like everyone else; politicians, diplomats, heartless, calculating, indifferent to the suffering of other peoples, so long as our people are preserved. Is that bad? Not at all; sadly. It is just not Romanesque.

'Injustice occurs, when just people fail to act'. The history of that region is complex, but so are the histories of all other regions. Had Rwanda voted in favor, the US would have probably vetoed the resolution and killed it. So still, the Palestinian people were not out of trouble as yet.

I would like to apologize to Palestinians on our behalf: We do not hate you, we just fear for ourselves. Do not ask us, a people as weak as you to help; Ask God, the almighty, to solve your problem; only He can.

We are all waiting for the day an African country will be a permanent member of the UN Security Council; Now that Gaddafi is dead, Nigeria and Rwanda would be just two Oxymoron…

Guess who’s coming to dinner, A system that works!

February 6, 2015, 8:40 am

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I was introduced to Jill by my two clients ‘Innocent’ and ‘Emma’ – the Artist brothers, at ‘Neo Cafe',  en vogue in K-town. Like I always do when I meet interesting people there, I introduced myself and asked what she did; ‘Oh I’m a tech for twitter’, she replied candidly. That’s right: the Twitter.

I kept my cool, and to start a normal conversation, I told her that her name sounded like that of Gilberto Gil; the amasing Brazilian Musician/politician; she told me about her love for Rwanda’s sceneries.. For a geek, she turned out to be a fun girl to be around.

Anyway, one thing led to another and we found ourselves at dinner at Sole Luna.

Jill was here for three days;  she’d flown in to check on her girls, and the dinner was a way to reunite with them.

They arrived one after the other, Marie Claire Murekatete, and three others (names withheald for privacy). Suddenly I was seated with five top tech women; And indeed that’s what their group is called: ‘Tech Women’. I know this, because I tried to call them IT; They said no man, that’s just a small part of what we do, we are ‘Tech Women’!

Murekatete was the one seated across the table from me, so I started the conversation;

-       what do you do ‘nshuti’? I asked.

-       well I am senior software engeneer at RDB. Her friend was Accademic Vice-Rector at a Polytechnic University, the other one a senior Tech at Tigo and the other one, Aline, well she couldn’t tell me her title;

-       she travels a lot’, her friends told me;

-       ‘she travels around Africa, fixing technological problems’;

Bam! right there! A young girl in her late twenties; she fixes Africa’s Technological problems.

-       ‘We are in the same program’; Claire continued, “we are the ‘Tech Women’, we are around the world.”

-       ‘So where did you go to school Murekatete?’  I asked in excitment;

-       ‘I went to Carnegie Mellon, here, then I went to work at Sillicon Valley, before I came back to work for RDB’.

Marie Claire had short hair, drunk Fanta Orange and kept her hands folded. When I asked her where she prayed, it was a rhetorical question, for I’d already guessed that the answer would be ADPR; I was right - in cyahafi to be precise, one of the popular slums in Kigali.

She was not your typical ‘silicon valley’ girl – if you have seen one..

-       ‘Where did you do High school Murekate?’

-       ‘I went to College la fraternite’ in huye for my A-level, then to Groupe Scholaire de Kigeme in Gikongoro for my highschool; then to KIST’.

-       ‘How did you wind up at Silicon Valley ?!?’

-       ‘Well I applied to the Rwanda Education Board (REB) and was picked to go to Carnegie Mellon, then enrolled into ‘Tech Women’ – the rest is history…

I looked at this young woman and I was amazed. She is the daughter of a simple peasant from Huye, in fact, none of these girls are the daughters of a minister, an MP, an army general, not even the local RPF party chief of Gikongoro; these are regular, simple Rwandan women, whom, all they had to do was: ‘Apply’. The government paid 80,000 USD for this girl’s master’s degree at Carnegie Mellon because she is smart! She did not need references, she needed just to work hard.

But I also saw the product of the Rwanda of today. Jill had visited South Africa two days before, so I tried to explain to her and the girls my excitement; I tried to explain to them that what was happening was out of this world, but they looked at me, astonished, they didn’t understand.

See, I had lived in DRC, in South Africa and in Mozambique; I’d lost my innocence a long time ago; they had grown up in Rwanda…

-       ‘It is not hard’, they told me;‘you just work hard, then you apply to REB; what’s the big deal?’

-       ‘Girl’, I said to her, ‘I love you, and I love my country: you are both so pure…’

-       “In no country I have been to, and certainly in a few countries in the world, does the government offer its ‘crème de la crème’ privileges to those who actually deserve it – you! And quit frankly before I met you, I thought these were slogans…”

What moved me, was their innocence; as far as their concerned, that's how things work; in fact, they think every girl is like them. I wanted to go on and on, but my friend Emma gave me a quick look, and I realized I had done it again; I had brought my politics into a charming evening dinner, and it was making people uncomfortable...

So when Jill, asked me what I thought of such sharp ‘Tech Women', I tried to be romantic, I told her I thought they were sexy: Big mistake again! 

She turned to me as her and her girlfriends pulled the check, and said,

- ‘ah man, first of all, we are all married’ (not true), ‘and second we get tired of hearing that; we prefer to be complemented on what we do, not how we look’ - and on that, her and her friends pulled their bags and settled the whole dinner bill before we boys even had a chance to look at it…

This reminded me of the only time I sat with Prof. Emile Rwamasirabo – the former Rector of the National University of Rwanda, he told me of this story when he had gone in a one week retreat in Kinigi in the Gorrillas; a place known for being very cold. Every evening, the old watchman would come to make fire for them, and one evening he approached him:

-       ‘ariko mwebwe ndabazi’ (I know you sir);

-       ‘Eh, munzi mute se?’ (How do you know me sir?)

-       ‘Umuhungu wanjye ajya abambwira. Yiga kuri kaminuza nkuru y’igihugu’ (My son tells me about you, he is a student at the National University of Rwanda)

-       ‘Ah, mufite abana bangahe?’( how many children do you have) – he asked, keen to getting honest feedback for once;

-       ‘Nfite benshi, ariko n’uwakabiri agiye kuza iyo’ ( I have many, but my second is also coming there)

-       ‘Bara muhamagaye?’ (Has he been selected?)

-        ‘Oya, ariko ndabizi. Yabonye amanota meza’(Not yet, but I know. He had good marks in high school);

They looked at each other, and the old watchman's smiled – as if to say: ‘sir, you continue being Rector of university, I continue being watchman. But my son and yours; they will eat at the same table; if yours gets good marks that is; You and I have no beef...’ - Instead, he shook his head yes and said: ‘Mugire ijoro ryiza’ (Have a good night) - with a salute of gratitude to the ‘teacher’ of his first, and soon, second son…

- 'The watchman needed no favours', Prof Rwamasirabo told me, 'he had trust in the system!'

Last evening, I had a truly refreshing experience; I fell in love with all these girls, I fell in love with my country once again; with a system that works; a system that is pure!

This was no ’Jango Unchained’ story, this was no ‘12 Years a Slave’ story; this, is the Rwandan Story! and I am so privileged to be living it, telling it…

Mureka is no outstanding athlete, she's no genius, her parents are not millionaires; she is just a girl from Huye, who applied to REB...

-    ‘Why are you not at twitter with your friend Jill? 

-       ‘Maybe in the future, right now we (Pointing at the Accademic vice-rector) are focused on incubating younger girls’;

Oh God, the fact that she still prays in her ADPR church in Cyahafi, keeps her hair natural and short is just Maximum! These girls remained themselves: no goat hair, no fake accent: They went, they saw, they conquered, THEY CAME BACK! 

I wanted to invite Aline for a date this week-end, she is the only one who’s single, but I am worried I’d slow her down. I think I’ll let her go, fix Africa’s tech problems…

The last stand

February 11, 2015, 6:23 am

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On the side, former speaker of the Senate, Dr. Ntaukuriryayo; on the front, PM Murekezi. In the Background though: President Kagame, watching in silence.

Last week I was invited on Radio Contact to discuss constitutional change in Africa. The debate was moderated by my friend Albert Rudatsimburwa and my antagonist was Dr. Frederick Mutebi-Golooba; a man that I respect.

Fred was of the view that the constitution should be changed to let President Kagame stand again (I am summing-up); Even Albert went out of his way as moderator to take the same stand.

Of course they are well-read, intelligent men, and their arguments were couched on strong, valid points. Yet, I was of a different view. Alas, I found myself only agreeing with the ‘voice’, of a Ugandan who was coming on-and-off on a Skype – with bad connection.

This morning I read a moving piece by Dr. Col. Sen. Karemera Joseph: ‘great leader with a great track record: A recollection’. The reason I put up all his titles is to emphasize his distinguished caliber, which at the same time reflects the respect I have for him.

I particularly appreciated the fact that he has spoken from his heart, and of the good things that we stand to gain by keeping such an extraordinary man as Kagame. His article has spoken to me.

Others who have taken similar stands, did not speak from their hearts; they predicted the future, prophesied doom and dismissed the capacity of the Rwandan people to find another person to lead them in the absence of President Kagame; Their messages did not speak to me.

This will be my last comment on the issue. First, because after this I will have canvassed it from all angles (I have written five articles on it); second because the thought of disagreeing with Sen. Karemera doesn’t sit well with me.

But I won’t disagree with him, especially because most of the things he talks about; he was there! He knows, oh so may things that I don’t; and most importantly, I believe his position would be reasoned.

I just wish he could have come up with a different conclusion; I wish at the end of his article, he could have said: “… and that is why, having spent enough time observing and taking part in Kagame’s leadership, I feel ready to take over from him. And with his support as a member of my future ‘Presidential Advisory Council’, continue his legacy...”

Because if there were a man I would happily vote for, Dr. Karemera is that man. He reunites all the criteria I am looking for in our next president. Alternatively, Here is whom else I would vote for and why:

Rwanda is a small country:

I pointed this out in my first article on the issue; President Kagame’s ambitions transcend this tiny country at the heart of Africa. Unlike many Africans, he has understood that openness to the world is the key to developing one’s society.

Accordingly, he spends almost half of his time abroad; expanding Rwandan horizons and winning us new friends, instead of seating here fighting over peanuts and indulging in daily Rwandan intrigues.. 

Take two weeks ago for instance; he went to the ‘World Economic Forum’ and literally stole the show. There were all world leaders, and yet, a black president from an African country with 10 million people was setting the world’s agenda…

Ban Ki Moon is a happy man:

Throughout his term as UN Secretary General, he has had a benevolent consultant in Kagame. Every time there is a critical docket at hand, he asks Kagame to handle it; every time there is a crisis in Africa - or America, He asks Kagame to step in and help restore peace. Every time he wants to demonstrate that those UN’s models finally work, he sites Kagame's Rwanda.

And Kagame enjoys this; he has managed to put Rwanda on the map of the world; everyone knows Rwanda. Detractors say it is because Rwanda suffered the Genocide; that is not true; in fact, the recognition of what happened in Rwanda as genocide was another of Kagame’s successes. Not least, there are many African countries, which have experienced atrocities in the 20^th century - a particularly atrocious century - but none of their leaders commands similar respect.

Rwandans shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Our performance is so unprecedented, that it has ‘humbled’ many. So much so that, I am irritated by the cynical smile on their faces, when they say to me: ‘of course Kagame will change the constitution and remain in power for ever!’ as if to comfort themselves:‘ah finally, we aren't the fools – these Rwandans are not special after all!

Kagame as our next president remains a mortal, who can live and rule, maybe for another 30 years; Kagame who voluntarily steps down, becomes a God! An immortal, with unmatched personal achievements, whom every honest man will love and every cynic will hate. But who will have irreversibly restored the pride of the Rwandan people and the African people, for generations to come.

So are we ever going to be ready to replace Kagame? Most likely never! But is it necessary to do it? Yes!

So who for President then? I go for Dr. Donald Kaberuka. I don’t personally know him, but I know his track record: He has been a member of Kagame’s ‘Presidential Advisory Council’ – so has learned at Kagame’s school. He is an experienced economist, a great fundraiser; all qualities that would come in handy.

Besides, as president of the AfDB for ten years, he has the caliber and experience of a world’s statesman, and presidents lineup to see him. He has proven his hand when he stabilized Rwanda’s post-genocide economy, then went on to completely transform the African Development Bank. Today it has supplanted the World Bank as Africa’s biggest financier. Moreover, he has no known enemies and seems unanimously respected; He was named African of The Year by the Daily Trust in 2013 and by Forbes in 2014.

But the elephant in the room is: of course he remains a civilian, with no influence in the Rwandan Army.

I wouldn’t worry about that: I believe the Rwandan Army is the strongest institution in this country. And here I am not talking about guns; I am talking about organization, discipline and efficiency. And I don’t think South Sudanese, Central African Republicans or even Congolese would disagree with me.

And indeed that would be the opportunity to slowly transition to a republican army: One that is not under the clout of the Head of State, but under the command of republican institutions; the Supreme Court, the Parliament, the Executive, etc.; it is the attainment of the ideal principle of the supremacy of the civilian over the military in a republic;

The second reason I wouldn’t worry, is because President Kagame would still be there as the father of the nation; our version of the ‘Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’ – except ours will be revered beyond Rwanda, and allowed to travel the world and preach the good news.

He will be discharged of the daily routines of a president, namely: signing laws, holding cabinet meetings, inaugurating new hotels and factories, etc..

He will spend time fostering more friendships for Rwanda, writing his memoirs, inspiring young generations and thinking about what Rwanda and Africa should look like, when him and his comrade Dr. Karemera will be no more…

-       Oh, how beautiful would that be;

-       but that’s just the way I see;

-       Because this is my last column;

-       Let me end it with a poem: 

-       I don’t want a mere president, I want an African Icon;

-       I want a clean sheet, I want a grand slam; I want my champion.

-       Perhaps I can’t have it all, I don’t know what’s at stake,

-       I reckon am just a dreamer, and y’all are well awake;

Then,

-       My apologies, this was my last piece;

-       From now on, I’ll hold my peace…

On the Same Topic:

-       http://gateteviews.blogspot.com/2014/12/our-freedom-starts-here.html;

-       http://gateteviews.blogspot.com/2014/10/kagame-and-our-faith.html

-       http://gateteviews.blogspot.com/2014/03/to-people-of-south-sudan-retrospection.html;

-       http://gateteviews.blogspot.com/2013/03/rwandans-are-mature-enough.html;

-       http://gateteviews.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-dream-must-go-on_14.html

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Guest reaction to 'The Last Stand': 'Beyond 2017, With or Without President Kagame', by Kivu Ruhorahoza

February 12, 2015, 6:16 pm

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Once again, I’m being hosted by my friend Thierry Gatete and this time, we are talking about 2017 and the presidential elections in Rwanda.

Dr. Christophe Kayumba’s opinion in the East African was particularly clever in the way it addressed Fred Mufulukye’s pro-constitution amendment analysis in the The New Times.

You can find both here:

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/Rwanda/Opinion/Only-Mr-Kagame-can-deny-President-Kagame-a-third-term/-/1433246/2615458/-/f7ed1w/-/index.html

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2015-01-19/185109/

President Paul Kagame once said he will have failed if there was no successor to him, come 2017. He also said, he wished he would be succeeded by a woman. I believe that our president has, for a long time, known whom he wishes to be our next president. In 2017 or 2022 or 2024.

I do not agree with those who predict an inevitable decline or even an outburst of violence in the country if President Paul Kagame steps down in 2017. From July 1994 to 2000, Paul Kagame’s charisma as an exceptional military leader made it possible for him and his political family, the RPF-Inkotanyi, to impose a new way of doing things in the country. Even when he wasn’t the clear Boss, everyone learnt to behave, perform and deliver, because they knew him and the new system he was creating would not tolerate indiscipline and incompetence. 

Those were extremely volatile times but the party line and Kagame’s philosophy prevailed. There was a vision, there was discipline and there was Paul Kagame’s charisma as a military leader. Now, President Kagame’s star is shining even brighter after he convinced all the skeptical that he was not only a leader in times of war but also in times of peace. 

The vision is clearer, the discipline feels increasingly natural and no longer imposed and the charisma is indisputable. If President Kagame stepped down as President and remained the RPF Chairman, the country would function just fine for the reasons above-stated.

The weak opposition

President Paul Kagame is a formidable leader who does not deserve the weak and mediocre opposition we currently have in and outside Rwanda. Any reasonable and honest political observer would agree that beyond RPF gates, there is an ideological desert. Actually, most “political forces” opposing President Kagame and the RPF, including the unlikely ones, have decided to be driven by a genocidal ideology, revisionism or negationism.

To cut the story short, RFP is the only party capable of taking us beyond 2017. With or without President Paul Kagame.

Mister Paul Kagame, the man

President Paul Kagame never enjoyed the opportunity of being a 'normal citizen'. He was a refugee, then a young rebel under Yoweri Museveni, then a young intelligence officer for a victorious rebel army still in Uganda, then a rebel leader who stopped genocide in Rwanda; then a post-apocalyptic-type of leader who turned around a severely broken country and finally the father of a nation. 

But this current position as “father of a nation”, is the trickiest he could possibly wish for himself. There is a certain vocabulary that President Paul Kagame as a leader didn’t distance enough himself from: “father of a nation”, “godsend leader”… 

Yes, President Kagame should have said no to Cecafa being renamed Kagame Cup after he pledged and delivered his personal support to the tournament for years; he should have discouraged businesses from having his portrait everywhere, he should have shouted a loud “NO” to Boniface Rucagu with his Kagame adorned shirts; But he was absolutely right to be firm at many occasions in our recent history. 

If president Kagame allows a referendum on the amendment of the constitution on presidential term limits, the population will massively vote for the amendement. But since when does the population get whatever they wish for? Actually, I would not be surprised if the population voted massively for president Kagame to be a 'President for life' if they were proposed to.

Because he is massively popular with Girinka, Mitiweli, ARVs, exceptional road networks, women emancipation, electricity, security and so forth. Baturages went from being suspicious of him to feeling grateful to simply being fanatical about him. And us, the lucky, the elite who get to travel and see how it is outside, we see how, as Rwandans, we are perceived and treated with respect; we know…

We carefully avoid coming across as sycophants, fanatics or even nationalists but we know that we get warm inside when enjoying the fruits of the RPF leadership.

If President Paul Kagame lets the RPF and the population push him for a third term, one thing we can be sure about is that he will have to face among other inconveniences some devastatingly petty and malicious questions:

- Can he be a normal citizen like us?

- Can he travel on a normal commercial airline like other citizens?

- Did you think he would refurbish and extend the presidential compound in Kiyovu only for his successor to enjoy?

- Can he sit quietly when the next UN Secretary General or the next US President is in town meeting the new President?

- Whatever he ends up doing, is he humble enough to have a boss after years of being at the top of the pyramid?

Conclusion

Does Rwanda need President Paul Kagame after 2017? Yes, absolutely. Can I imagine Rwanda after 2017 with a “former President Paul Kagame”? Yes, absolutely. 

Not because some guy, sent by the Leader of the Free World said we have to respect the constitution, but because it might be necessary to enter a new phase for this nation of ours. 

Respecting this awkward limitation is part of the discipline that Rwandans have been taught since RPF took power. It is important to be disciplined as a people. Democratic routines are painful but necessary. 

We are lucky to hail from a nation that makes sense. A nation that existed before colonisation  unlike many other countries. Rwanda makes sense as a nation and what unites us as a people is stronger than ever. The Genocide against the Tutsis left us wounded and shaken but we had our shock therapy. We saw what hell looks like and we have learnt. There is so much to lose for us and whatever happens after 2017, I count on popular wisdom to not jeopardize what has been achieved.

The exceptional situation we are in right now is that Kagame can leave the presidency but not necessarily power. AFITE IGITSURE. Another simple truth in my opinion is that Rwanda needs RPF after 2017 because it is the only political force with the necessary maturity and the necessary authority to help the country really close that chapter opened in October 1990 and guide the Rwandan Defense Forces in transitioning to a republican army.

So who is good enough to become our next president, should President Kagame decide to step down? My friend Gatete proposed Dr. Donald Kaberuka; He is definitely a capable man with the right stature. 

But let us not forget Mrs. Valentine Sendanyoye Rugwabiza, our current Minister of East African Affairs. She seems to have the right competence, the right international contacts and she oozes charisma. There are others including Dr. Richard Sezibera, etc.

President Paul Kagame might stay or step down in 2017. Whatever his decision, we know what is expected of us: support the (new) president in his job, remain loyal, work even harder to prove wrong “abadutega iminsi”...

Kivu is an internationally acclaimed Rwandan film director, writer and producer. He has just produced his second feature: "Things of the Aimless wonderer" (2014), a film about the sensitive topic of relations between “Locals” and Westerners. A film about paranoia, mistrust and misunderstandings. It was officially selected to premiere in Sundance Film Festival in the New frontier program. Kivu gained international acclaim for his feature film Grey Matter which won the Jury Special Mention for Best Emerging Filmmaker at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival and the Ecumenical Jury special mention at the 2011 Warsaw Film Festival. He also won the Grand Prize of the Tübingen French Film Festival, Best Director and Signis Award of the Cordoba African Film Festival and the Jury Special Prize of the Khouribga Film Festival in Morocco. More on Kivu here

Where good Ideas come from

February 23, 2015, 2:33 am

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‘Grasses are always greener, unless you live in Rwanda’– John Stever; Founder of ‘the Office.

'The Office', 'Think' and 'Neo' Cafe all in one place in Kacyiru

When I finished high school, I started feeling like a grown up. Curfews were over, I owned a key to our home and started coming in late and I thought that was exciting.

My mates and I did the only cool thing that was available at the time; we found a bar and started drinking. We learned how to smoke and played billiard. Luckily some among us continued reading and playing tennis, but that was the uncool part; the part that I found ‘grown up’ was the time I spent in the bar.

Today my young brother just finished high school. Between Ingando (military training) and his University affectation, he joined K-lab, a Technology incubator, where him and his mates learn programing and IT.

The cool thing he did? He just delivered a website he developed for the Kanombe sector: for free! I have to say, that is so cool! But he knows it and is not shy of saying it; on his Facebook profile you can read: ‘if you are good you are good, if you are me you are cool’ – or some self-praise of that sort. Like me at his age, he likes to be cool, but this time, there is more to the city than bars and billiard tables.

What do he and his mates do when they are not developing websites? They hang out in coffee shops. 

 TIGO knows it; they have just set up an incubator for future Rwandan programmers; they called it… ‘THINK’. Next to it there is a coffee shop: ‘NEO’ with a motto: ‘Enter the new world’.

None of this is a coincidence; both ‘NEO – the new world’ and ‘TIGO – Think’have what they call in French; ‘Le sens de l’evenement’. It means they sensed that the time maybe now, in Rwanda; we maybe entering in the ‘New world’ of ‘Thinking’

Colleagues at the Lab, pondering a new concept over coffee

Next to them? - ‘The Office’; a space sharing workshop, set-up in a challenging, chaotic, brainstorming way, indeed to condition ‘Thinking’ differently. The founder of ‘The Office’ is John Stever; a non-conformist par excellence, now on the second phase of his expansion plan, after the first ‘The Office’ in Kiyovu turned out to be a total success. His motto: ‘Grasses are always greener, unless you live in Rwanda…’

  

If the names of spaces like ‘Think’, ‘K-Lab’, ‘Girl Hub’, ‘Neo’; sound catchy, it is because they are; they are meant to attract, stimulate thinking and incubate young talents.

But ‘that is where good ideas come from’. The title is of a TED-Talk, which explains how in the west in the beginning of the 20^th century, it was not unusual to drink a beer with breakfast, a glass of wine  with lunch, and a tot or two of scotch in the afternoon to help people stay awake; then proper drinking in the evening. Towards the middle of the century, people started saying; ‘maybe we should switch to coffee during the day and alcohol in the night’; that was the age of enlightenment. That is when the west took a leap into ‘the new world’ - as is the motto of Neo coffee - and developed exponentially.

I take personal pleasure in sitting at Neo coffee, looking across in the THINK, and seeing young Rwandans of tomorrow being incubated.

My young brother may be a social drinker some day; no rush. But he will not struggle to stop smoking as I did. The spaces he will spend he teenage in are called ‘Think’ or ‘Lab’ or ‘Coffee’ or ‘Hub’. They are not called ‘bar’, or ‘smoke’, or ‘drink’.

And accordingly, conversations in those spaces are different from conversations in the bar. You see, when you are in the bar you touch the legs of the waitress, you speak of sex, of money, of people; or if you are like me, of politics… 

My young brother will not be a champion at billiard, an alcoholic, a chain smoker or a misogynist; he will be an outstanding web designer, a recreational thinker, a heavy coffee drinker. For him thinking and innovating will not come as a strain, they will be daily activities; they will be part of his life.

Girls in action at Girl Hub

When he sees a girl, he will want to go to her and ask which algorithm she used to develop that application; he will not touch her legs, because he has not seen anyone do it before, in a coffee shop.  Even if he tried, she would put him right in his place. Why? because she is 'Nyampinga' (She's a miss). And she hangs out at the 'Girl Hub', where her and her girlfriends produce the 'Ninyampinga', A futuristic magazine that defines what a young miss should be. No looser can handle the feisty Girls at the hub. My feisty young brother and his mates though, can get along with them just fine.

My young sisters and brothers out there are offered more privileges than I ever had, they are that enlightened generation; not one of philosophers - like us, but one of practical thinkers, problem solvers and innovators;

Most importantly, my young sisters and brothers are no sycophants; they are no stage performers; they won’t sing or dance. If they go into art, it will be to compose, arrange and produce…

Go on kids, enter the new world, me ,I'll tell your story…

With love and admiration,

Your big brother

When will Rwanda practice the economy of scale?

February 26, 2015, 12:37 am

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‘My delegation and I, there is no string in our cloth that has been imported. Everything we are wearing has been tailored in Burkina-Faso’– Thomas Sankara, at the African Union Summit.

Such message is obviously alien to Rwandans; going around in Kigali malls and stores, you find China or Dubai imported products that can easily be made locally.

I have a friend who frequently travels to Dubai, GuangZu or Istanbul: Kurangura (To buy in wholesale). He buys a piece at 10 dollars and sells it in Kigali at 250.I know young bankers who have opened lines of credit with him, to supply them ‘Armani Suits’, ‘Versace blazers’, etc. – at that price… He is quickly getting rich, because you can’t wear the suit formore than three months…

Same thing withanother friend whom, in addition to fake clothes, brings couches in fake swede, fake leather, etc.

They both tell me they go to Italy, France and Germany. But I know, none of them ever got a Schengen visa; they don’t need to, they all go to China, Dubai, and sometimes Turkey...

This was all started with Bourbon Coffee. The model, country flagship coffee shop, furnished entirely in China imported fake plastic chairs, plastic tables and fake ebony couches. As a result, every Rwandan who was building a house, thought that was the trend.

They all went to Dubai to shop for the finishing of their houses, and brought doors in fake wood, handlers in fake metal, etc. In fact a store opened in town and claimed that its ‘tiles and marble are made in Italy’; the truth is they aren’t even in true marble; they are China made plastic tiles. The short lifespan of the ‘Italian’ tiles and door handles has since made the fortune of the shop owner; shockingly!

For Christ sake, we live in Africa; the equatorial forest is just next door. There are more carpenters than graduates in Rwanda; Timber: ‘Ebony’, ‘Libuyu’ – the real deal, are all accessible. Kivu-DRC has some of the best Ebonists there is.

I ask all these frequent travelers to Italy (read China) and France (read Dubai):

-       What do you bring there?

-       Nothing (read Dollars, which we take from Rwandans).

How can you visit a city 20 times, bringing them plenty of money in exchange of their junk, without ever suggesting to them something from your country? They must think you just climb down from a golden tree right?

I see an economy that is unable to harness the skills that are available on the market; growth that fails to tap into the available human resource; as a result, we import substandard products that we have to replace frequently, thereby exacerbating the income deficit and the inequality levels within the Rwandan society.

The talk of 'Kwihangira umurimo' (create your own jobs) is all fine, if it is followed by another one: 'lets consume locally'. Indeed, carpenters and tailors in the west are very rich; they are called artists; they are celebrities. In Rwanda they are miserable...

Why do we have to import clothes? Just, why? Why do we have to import chairs, and doors and fake tiles? Can’t we wear what we produce? We have the most beautiful stones such as Rugarika

Just visit 'Magda Cafe' in Kacyiru; their combination of locally made wood and cloth is just stunning! Visit Papyrus club and see their trademark Rugarika stones; Visit Gato Keza coffee shop at Kwetu and admire their combination of weaved chairs and live coloured couches; all homemade! beauty lies in simplicity and finesse... 

Why do we have to spend the little foreign currency we make with tourism and export of our best coffee on fake suits, plastic shoes, plastic chairs, plastic tiles? West Africans wear their own 'bazin' and look dashing in them!

Do we really have to import our plates from Italy and our chairs from Dubai?

-       When will the weaving association of widows ever make money?

-       When will the historically marginalized community of potters ever make money?

-       When will all the young graduates from Iwawa ever make money!!

A sustainable household is one that knows how to live within its means. At the same time, civilizations that have stood the test of time are the ones that were built with authentic structures…

If you can’t understand that, then you don’t even deserve IKEA; you deserve the fake tiles, the fake swede chairs and fake Armani suits; after all, can you even tell the difference? Can I?

Police brutality and self praise: the Kigali reality!

March 17, 2015, 8:55 am

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Oh, I miss the good old days when Chief Toni Kuramba would appear on television and say: ‘Twari twarababwiye, bareke ubujura na magendu. None twabafashe’. (We had warned them to stop theft and smuggling. Now they have been caught). Even though the Chief appeared to show off, at least no one died then. Nowadays we have daylight executions, followed by unapologetic statements meant to demean and shift the blame onto victims.

As far as I remember, the death penalty has been abolished in this country; That means no one should be killed. How then can the police put out a message to the public saying: ‘everyone should avoid anything that can lead him to be shot dead’?!

God, how does one avoid being shot at? Does it mean, everyone can be shot, anytime? Has being shot dead become part of our daily life?

Not a month ago, it was the president’s doctor who was shot dead. Official verdict: ‘He fought with a policeman with a gun and he shot him’. Hein? A man who was mentally unstable was detained in a place where there are guns? - Then tricked the policeman to go to the toilet - at gunpoint - once out there, he struggled with him for the gun, and pan! - the police shot him three bullets in the stomach…

Two weeks later, it is two thieves who were detained at a police station, tricked the police to go show them whatever things at their house; police accepted to drive them - not handcuffed, then the two thieves jumped the pick up, and Pan! – both shot dead! Official message? ‘They tried to escape; they were shot dead!’

In no case has the police apologised,  saying: ‘we are sorry to the bereaved family. We have no protocol of dealing with mentally erratic individuals, we shouldn’t have detained him in a jail cell like a mere criminal, or guns shouldn’t have been around him; in the second message: we are sorry, we should have had these individuals handcuffed the whole time we went out with them, then it would have been easy to apprehend them, had they tried to flee.

Instead, they beat their chest and say: ‘we warn the public to avoid doing anything that can get them shot dead!’ that’s that! Move on people, until the next summary killing…

In other places the chief of police resigns, or at least the chief of the station.

How come no legal suits are being filed against this? Is it because people are happy with the explanations? Or is it because people believe it’s a lost cause to use the judicial system against the police? When asked whether he wanted his trial to be held in camera or in public, one defendant recently responded: ‘whether you hold it in my house; out there in the open or in the stadium; I don’t care, lets just get it over with, shall we?’

Then tomorrow a report will be released, claiming that ‘more than 90% of the population is satisfied with the government.Yeah right! Like the same 90% who have mutuelle de santé…. Look, make it 99.9% if you want, here is at least one citizen who is not satisfied with the government right now; especially the police and the judiciary! If others fear to say it, I will! Until the police starts to own up for their deadly mistakes, and others are prosecuted for them.

Even in the so called corrupt countries surrounding us, at least there are judges who hold their ground against police brutality; God even in America, Obama goes ahead and says: ‘Yeah, we tortured some folks’

Situations like this lead to general fear. Like the proverbial kingdom of the blind, where the one eyed man is king. When the public can’t sort out what is true from what is manipulation, we live in rumorland - and fearland.

Sooner or later, some opportunists crawl out of the woodwork and claim to detain crucial revelations; people will believe them, for the simple reason that no one is fooled by the idyllic picture daily painted by the New Times.

But that is when the line between justice and tyranny becomes blurring. This don’t ask, don’t tell business is the best vector of injustice. If a squad is given carte blanche to do as they please, you cannot expect them to set their own limits.

Like Warthorne once said: ‘no one can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without ultimately being bewildered as to which one it true!’

I write these things because I still believe. Like the president said in Gabiro, individuals [in this case institutions] shouldn’t commit crimes, which are then attributed to the whole system. Answers need to start coming soon, and the best place to start would be to do away with cover-ups. In Kinyarwanda there is a saying: ‘ushaka gukira indwara, arayirata…’ (if you want to heal from a disease, you first break the silence about it)

Hargeisa; The Horn's best kept secret

March 21, 2015, 3:04 am

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One song keeps playing on my mind as I walk through the streets of Hargeysa, the capital city of Somaliland: Viens voir, toi qui parles sans savoir (Come and see, you who talk what you don’t know) – Tiken Jah Fakoly

My visit to Somaliland has reaffirmed my beliefs that media holds us hostage; like the saying goes: ‘If you don’t read media you are uninformed, if you do, you are misinformed’. Indeed Hargeisa may just be the safest city in the whole of East Africa; but that, we are not told. We are not told that it is a clean, safe and vibrant city, where even though everyone is Muslim, you can see women, young and old alike, working on the streets at night, enjoying the fresh air; undisturbed. On the sidewalk there are teashops, khat-chewing saloons and small businesses selling camel milk, biscuits and cigarettes; We are not told that Somaliland is not Somalia!

And for those who like that sort of things, you can also see shopping malls, banks, cable companies and hotels…

They did it themselves! First they sat down under a tree and agreed on their own peace. And second, they are building their cities, their country in their image; that of a hardworking people, hungry, ambitious and overachieving.

Walking into my host’s house, I was careful not to touch anything, with the firm conviction that the house, and its meticulous, sophisticated inside decorations, were all protected under UNESCO’s world heritage.

- Hey Gatete, come check out chairs made in Somalia! My colleague and host said as he led me into a Somali renaissance lounge. A holy-looking saloon, where a cup of tea would become a spiritual ritual; a mediation…

Not coming here would have been a loss for me. I would have missed out on one of the most remarkable turnarounds of a society in the last generation; It has been a truly refreshing experience for a Rwandan that I am, for it mirrors our own experience back home; one of a people that has managed to overcome their horrors and move forward against all odds. It made me think whether Somalilanders may just be accomplishing what we, Rwandans aspire for: self-sufficiency, economic and mental freedom!

Their non-recognition as a state by the African Union, is a testimony of retrogressive ideological prejudice, and a travesty to our Union’s motto of ‘people’s self-determination’. What they have accomplished here is so humbling; they have managed to build a viable, vibrant and stable city from scratch, with no one’s support.

Two peoples should definitely visit this place: the Zimbabweans and the Scottish. If the spectacular and massively covered collapse of the Zimbabwean economy was meant to warn us that no one can survive without the support of the Queen; the silent rise of Somaliland is meant to dispute that assertion; Eric Salmond has himself to blame; Had Scottish people visited this place before their vote; I am convinced that it would have gone in a different direction; as the powerful feeling of freedom here is contagious.

Roads are built by the contributions from the people and remittances from the diaspora. Their economy is organic, in the sense that it grows at the pace of human development; it is real, entrenched, equal and middle class-led; it is sustainable.

I was not surprised not to see beggars on the streets, nor homelessness. I knew Somalis to have a particular repulsion for begging; these people would really hate the arrogance that comes with foreign aid. The neo-colonial attitude of ‘expats’ wouldn’t coexist with the pride of Somalilanders.

Yet, they remain humble and say they would like to be recognized by the international community; I hope it comes soon. In the mean time, they should be proud, for they have attained the greatest recognition of all; their own.

They know who they are, have a clear grasp of the task ahead for their society to advance, and together; are working towards realizing the Somalilander’s dream; of the horn’s best-kept secret. It is the international community’s loss…

This trip made me question many things; Before I came here, I thought of clans’ discourse as an evil dividing factor; here I learned them to be nothing else but the Somali version of Africa’s highest value of ‘ubuntu’. While, like everywhere else, they have their fare share of intrigues, clans for example, provide joint collateral to young, innovative businesses, enabling them to access bank loans, without which they otherwise wouldn’t have seen the day; clans enable the poor and vulnerable to be taken care of by their kin; clans in fact are social cohesion device.

I have rediscovered the lost Africa here; I have rediscovered humanity, in the most inconspicuous of places – thanks to international media. But I saw what is not very attractive to the big news agencies: Normalcy! Yes, I would describe Somaliland as ‘Normal’ country. Which, taken from its particularly hostile geopolitical context, becomes no less than an extraordinary success story.

Thank you people of Somaliland; for you have shown a Blackman like me that it is possible. On a second thought, your recognition is already achieved, for you recognize who you are; here, you have a big lesson to teach Africa.

To the negative media that goes around telling lies about you: no one is better placed to answer them, than Tiken Jah himself; with another song: ‘Tous ca c’est Ohba ohba’ (all that is bla bla) – on that, we understand each other…

On a second thought, not being recognized by the international community may actually be godsend; like Cuba for South Americans, let this be our sanctuary; where we, Africans come to re-immerse ourselves in what freedom used to feel like. 

Go on warya, work, fight, thrive, stumble, fall and rise again. When the sun sets on the red sea, you can look back and say; yes! We did it on our own, with only Allah as our support. Whatever hardship comes ahead, we will overcome; Insha’Allah…