An Opposition Focus in Rwanda

Rwanda has experienced some turmoil since the beginning of the year when presidential hopeful Ingabire Victoire Umuhoza returned to the country after 16 years in exile. In the wake of her return, events quickly unfolded that, so far at least, seem to have pulled back the curtain to expose the true intent of the regime in Kigali. Supporters of the regime switched from singing its praises and how it was a "beacon" in the region, to claiming that Rwanda needs action at the moment more than it needs democracy. As a result, Kagame is now seen as hogging power and more of a dictator than a democratically-elected leader.
Kagame is a man of many admirers and about as many critics. Yet, to all, it is clear that he is not interested in a conventional democracy. The opposition, and many foreign critics, have jumped on this fact and called for him to step down, either voluntarily or through elections, to allow for a more democracy-conducive atmosphere. However, if there is no Kagame, who can take the reins in Rwanda and prevent what could possibly rival the 1994 genocide and its bloodshed?
The key- and what the opposition should be focused on- is targeting the average citizen to change their mindset. Many in the middle and upper social classes have a lot of interest vested in the current regime that they don't want to, or are afraid to, see things change. The average citizen, poor and largely uneducated beyond a few years of primary school, is the pawn without which the game cannot be won.
In 1994, the majority of the killings were not carried out by the army, but by regular people. The people were conditioned by a system of hate and paranoia that they were able to be exploited to achieve ends beneficial to a few strongmen. This same system that conditions them in this way, also, allows for the creation of strongmen such as Kagame.
The only way to retain power in such a system is to divide the citizens and play them against each other through fear-mongering. As soon as someone rises up to question the role of the RPF, the current ruling party in Kigali, they are accused of "genocide ideology," a law so vague and convoluted that if it had a genuine purpose, it has since been lost. The Tutsi population, which is still hurting from 1994, is afraid that the numerically-superior Hutu are biding their time to finish what they weren't able to finish. The Hutu look at the militarily-superior Tutsi and wonder when they will be fell upon in revenge. Both look to Kagame as a savior, and he relishes this role while allowing this climate of fear to fester.
This is why the focus should be on the system that creates such people as Kagame. The only way to change the system is to change the hearts and minds of the average citizens so that these exploitative tactics don't work with them. Only the people will be able to prevent the rise of divisive strongmen from their midst. They have to be able to speak up for their rights, and be willing to lose their lives in the process, rather than cower in fear.
Yes, to many Kagame is a savior, but even Jesus, after saving the world from sin, did not stick around physically forever. Kagame, too, can step aside assured that, after 16 years, he can still guide the country through his actions while he was at the top...if those actions merit that. To be a great president, you don't need to single-handedly bring development to your nation. You don't need to stay forever, and you definitely don't need to suppress the free expression of ideas. What you need is to inspire people to take their future in their hands. George Washington did not stay president forever even though he was offered the option. Thomas Sankara, in his brief 4 years as president, turned an impoverished country around by empowering the people to control their own fate by building their country. There are many like them, and they are what we need in Rwanda in order to attain true development.
Kagame might feel that the country is not ready to move on without him, but, like a parent of a teenager off to college for the first time, reality has to be faced. He has to trust that his guidance the past 16 years has settled into the minds of the people and that they will make good decisions based on that. Whether Rwanda succeeds or fails if he steps aside is unpredictable, what is predictable, however, is that Rwanda will suffer if he doesn't.
Not yet, however, not until the opposition has been able to change the system and the people are ready to be led by someone who doesn't require to be regarded as an overprotective parent. Then, and only then, will the successive rule of strongmen be over in Rwanda.

From a Rwandan to the World

Dear World,

Sixteen years ago, you watched as my home was torn to the ground, my neighbors, family, and friends hacked to death, and rivers flowed red with blood of innocent souls. Sixteen years ago, some of my family were vilified as savages while others were glorified as beacons of liberation. We were divided by the world and the standards of division are yet to escape your minds.

However, we want to move on. We don’t want to be judged and classified as cattle in a barn. If you look closely, you will see that we eat together, drink together, sing together, sleep together, and struggle together. Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa are terms dear to our cultural inheritance and not a hindrance to our pursuit of happiness and development. We are not just ready to move on, we have already moved on- moved on from the politics of exploitation, of hate, of insecurity and fear.

My people believe in a united Rwanda in which we are allowed to speak our minds, follow our hearts, and justice is dispensed equally without regard to ethnicity, region of origin, clan, gender, religion, or any other measure of differentiation. This is what we believe…don’t listen to those who profit from our weaknesses.  All that we ask you- the world- is that you stand with us; not pulling or pushing us, but beside us so we can all grow together. We are now asking you to look into our eyes and see, not only the pain, but also our infinite will to attain true independence from a past that has worked to alienate ourselves from each other.

We have died, we’ve been maimed. We have been left widows and orphans, but we have also been left with an undying desire to move on. We are tired of being hostages of our past…a past which you had a hand in imposing upon us. Now that our muscles are strained and our voices raised in efforts to lift the yoke on our shoulders, that very hand is busy suppressing our efforts. For now, our struggle continues, but, with each passing moment, we grow older, we grow stronger, we grow bolder.

In time you shall join us in genuine celebration. We shall welcome you and work together towards a better world. We shall laugh and eat and drink. We shall not talk of the past for it will be the future we will be beholden to. We shall sing and dance to the ballads of unity and prosperity. Songs shall flow lauding the overthrow of the exploiter. You and your sons and daughters shall hold our hands, and we shall do the same. Remember, however, that we will forgive, but we will not forget…history can never let us forget…lest it happens again.

Sincerely,

Rwandan

Rwanda's Road Map for Lasting Peace

Most people who know anything about Rwanda, know mostly that which relates to the 1994 genocide. They might not know all the details, but they know that one ethnic group killed another in the fastest genocide in modern times. What these people don't know is the condition of Rwanda in the thirty years preceding the genocide, and fewer know about the colonial period, its policies, and the years before the arrival of the Europeans. These people, though well-intentioned, also lack information and insight as to the degree of mayhem that enveloped the region after 1994 and is still ongoing. Why is it easy for foreigners to focus in on one tragedy while they remain ignorant to others which led to, or emanated from, it?

Whether it be because 1994 was the climax in the tragedy that unfolded before an uncaring world or a result of mass media hypnosis in spreading the victors' tale, what is known is that these people who claim to know about Rwanda lack the information necessary to know the root of the problem in Rwanda. 1994 was not something that happened overnight...it was not planned in a year or two...it did not rise out of the RPF invasion of 1990, and it goes further than the 1959 revolution and the late 19th century arrival of Europeans. These events had an effect on 1994, but the root of the cause is as old as time itself.

I believe if we identify the root we will then be able to also come up with a solution that will, I hope, prevent future 1994s. I think it's safe to assume that everyone- Rwandan or not- wishes and prays that what occurred in 1994 was the last of its kind...in Rwanda and elsewhere.

The tragedy in Rwanda is rooted in the concept of exploitation of perceived differences between groups of people for the optimum purpose of gaining supreme concentration of power and its assured safeguarding.  Firstly, the people were divided and classes were established. Secondly, labels were assigned to the ethnicities and, subsequently, the clans. Thirdly, these labels were used to amass power, Fourthly, fear of the past was used to manipulate the masses to commit atrocities regarded as safeguarding their "freedom." Fifthly, purported pursuit and annihilation of such practices were used to attain and consolidate power. That, in a nutshell, is the story of Rwanda from the time of our ancestors to now.

The problem is not between Hutu and Tutsi, but rather between those who want to use the minute differences between the two to gain a grip on power. The differences between the two should not be enough to cause the slaughter of millions, but we saw how they were exploited.  To prevent this, I believe we have to find something for all groups (Hutu, Tutsi, Twa, and naturalized) to rally around. Our history is fragmented with each group choosing to glorify whatever pertains to it, and downplaying what pertains to the other side. Whatever happened in Rwanda is part of Rwandan history and nothing done can erase it. Whether we like it or not, we have to find a way to deal with it and let it bring us together rather than being a wedge between us. A house divided cannot stand...so it is everywhere, so it is in Rwanda. If you think the solution is for one group to be killed off while the other lives on to enjoy the land, you are mistaken...it has been tried and failed.
What will bring us together is patriotism and duty towards our country and not any particular person or political organization. We should abhor politicians who want to partition our loyalty while they reap and steal the harvest of our labor. If one truly cares about the people, let he/she work to unite all groups of Rwandans rather than playing them against each other. We have to recognize, rather than ignore, our differences and use them to build a stronger unity socially. We should keep them out of our political sphere because they tend to polarize us rather than unite us. We should be united behind the banner of development, education, health, and other goals rather than behind any one political party or person. If everyone is aware of what is demanded from them and is held accountable, that person is more likely to hold the leader accountable, too. If the leader is to be held accountable, it lessens the chance for authoritarian rule and abuse of power. This is what Rwanda needs...something more meaningful than umuganda and other programs that are more of a farce than anything.
Programs that raise awareness, empower the common person, and raise the overall development of the entire nation, not just a particular city or region, are what will propel Rwanda into a self-sufficient nation. As long as a significant portion of the population continues to struggle to gain a meager meal, they will be turned away from doing their part in developing the country, and the team will be on the field without enough players to threaten or defend against the opposition.
So, if we understand that the problem in Rwanda is not Hutu against Tutsi or vice versa and see that it's really between the oppressed and the oppressors, we can move to stamp out the weeds that keep choking our crops. All Rwandans have to answer to the same rallying cry and our allegiances have to lie with the nation, rather than an individual or political entity. All Rwandans have a stake in a developed, peaceful nation, so everyone's participation is essential. Though it's hard to assure each citizen's participation, they have to be encouraged and cannot be prevented from participating overtly or covertly. Without this, Rwanda is headed through successive cycles of Hutu- and Tutsi-led governments that will continue to play the citizens against each other and develop the country only as it benefits their respective agendas.