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The week-long workshop organized by the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (DPAPS) of African Union Commission in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital city, afforded me the opportunity to ground-truth some media reports and open-source information about the country. Located in East Africa, Rwanda has 14+ million population. It shares borders with Burundi, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Lake Kivu. The country gained political independence from Belgium in 1962 with 12 provinces, but in order to taper-off the negative effects of ethnocentrism and tribalistic slurs that reached its apogee in the 1994 genocide, the country was geographically restructured along five provinces: Kigali City Province, Southern Province, Western Province, Northern Province and Eastern Province, to foster ethnic diversity. And due to the high-altitude plateaus and rolling hills that dotted the larger part of the country’s landscape, Rwanda, rightly bears the moniker, “Land of a Thousand Hills”.
By all standards, Rwanda is a small country. But today, it is seen as a bright spot in the African continent. The country has not only bounced back from the trauma of holocaust, it has also tamed its structural vulnerabilities. The turnaround is attributed to strong and purposeful leadership under President Paul Kagame. Incidentally, I lodged in Hotel des Mille Collines which was noted as Hotel Rwanda in the film where Paul Rusesabagina shared the story of how, as the hotel manager, he sheltered over 1,200 refugees from Hutu extremists during the 100-day genocide. The movie gives a chilling account of man’s inhumanity against man and how the moral fibre of one good man can make a whole lot of difference in a society.
Moved by the massacre scenes on the streets, Rusesabagina worked alongside UN soldiers to save the lives of some defenseless Hutus, stating that, “We cannot allow them to die. We need to help one another. That is the only thing keeping us alive.” Though the Frech government had over the years absolved itself of complicity in the ethnic-cleansing of Tustis, the Report commissioned by President Emmanuel Macron in 2021 indicted France for “heavy and overwhelming responsibilities” in not arresting the drift that snowballed to the killing of many people from the Tusti minority tribe and moderate Hutus who tried to shield them from slaughter.
In quick succession, Rwandan government also published the Report of its commissioned study of the genocide where more than 250 witnesses were interviewed by the authors. The Report revealed that in the preceding years, “French officials armed, advised, trained, equipped, and protected the Rwandan government, heedless of the Habyarimana regime’s commitment to the dehumanisation and, ultimately, the destruction and death of Tutsi in Rwanda.” Thus, from the two reports, it was obvious that France’s preoccupation was influence expansion and not the well-being of Africans. Even when France eventually came to assist the Hutus, the help came too late as over 800,000 Hutus had been reportedly killed. As such, the alleged connivance of France in the escape of the perpetrators of the pogrom implicated her the more. However, President Macron, in a rare display of leadership and statesmanship refused to live in denial and has gone ahead to offer unreserved apologies to Rwanda.
And to have a feel of the likely hangover of the dark era, I visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial located in Kibuye, the capital of Western Province, where over 250,000 of the slaughtered Tustis were buried. Of course, it was reported that 90% of Tustis were killed in the area. But the government of Rwanda has turned it into a huge tourist centre. People come to the museum from all parts of the world to watch the gory details of what hatred can do to a people. Every year a whole week is set aside for wreath-laying and remembrance of those who died in the senseless carnage. The story is rehashed to teach the values of love for one another and how a nation can be great by avoiding ethnic divisions.
Kagame has raised the bar in governance. Through his alluring Spartan-like discipline and leadership by example, the country has become a model in Africa. Little things matter in Rwanda. The first thing a visitor will discover on the streets is the palpable sense of law and order. The cars, commercial taxi drivers and motorcyclists are well comported, civil, and courteous. Traffic lights are obeyed with regimental precision. Pedestrians enjoy the rights of free passage through zebra crossings. Vehicles are obligated by law to stop for them. Cameras are mounted to monitor traffic laws including speed limit on the well-paved roads. I rarely heard the horns of vehicles or motorcyclists blazing like a fireman on an emergency.
I witnessed a traffic jam in an area designated for markets. All the vehicles waited patiently like ants moving in files without an overseer. No meandering through shortcuts. No blowing of horns. No hopping off to the wrong lane. No form of desperation to outdo others. The psychology behind this is that Rwandans know that there are consequences for every misbehaviour.
The police are generally polite. They are urbane and professional. They don’t brazenly ask for tips or ‘roger’. Everybody is under technological surveillance. Even beggars are careful of the way they beg, especially the visitors. The streets are very neat. Kigali is known as the cleanest city in Africa. There is a high level of public awareness about hygiene and enforcement of sanitation rules. A ban on the use of plastic bags has been in force for years. Papers or cloths are largely used to wrap purchased items.
The citizens trust in government is very high due to security and safety, excellent service delivery, participatory governance, economic growth, and strong leadership. The digitization of government services reduces human interface and corruption. The home-grown Imihigo system is a results-based arrangement where government officials sign performance contracts with measurable indicators. Options of resignation or dismal await any officer who does not meet the set goals. Indeed, Rwanda is an example of the truism that everything rises and falls on leadership.
