Development experts differ with rights groups on Rwanda

By Don Samford

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When Rwanda is mentioned to most Americans, they think of the movie "Hotel Rwanda" and the horrific 1994 genocide. This is only one small story of what happened in this tiny African country.

Stephen Kinzer's book, "A Thousand Hills," tells the background story of what led to the genocide and how the current leader, Paul Kagame is rebuilding Rwanda.

Development experts have been drawn there to watch the original, entrepreneur-driven program President Kagame is promoting. A Harvard Business School report last year said the country is possibly on its way to becoming the "Switzerland of Africa." Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa calls Rwanda "a miracle unfolding before our eyes.

Kagame models his plan after the rapidly developing East Asia countries.

First and most important is security, and under his rule, Rwanda has become the safest country in Africa.

Second is honest governance, and Kinzer states, "No African government has ever waged the kind of campaign against bribery and influence-peddling that Kagame is leading in Rwanda." Kinzer then details in the book the education, population control, first-class infrastructure, gender equality, good healthcare and strong sense of identity and how Kagame believes all this will lead to prosperity.

Because of the hatred generated by the previous Rwandan leadership to help fuel the genocide, Kagame does not allow the use of the terms Tutsi or Hutu and set up reconciliation councils around the country to convince Tutsi victims to live with Hutus who, in many cases, saw family members brutally tortured and/or murdered.

To enforce these terms and provide the security to prevent another genocide and revenge killings, Kagame rules in a very strong authoritarian manner. This has caused human rights groups to come down on the opposite side of the highly praising development specialists and make Kagame one of human rights advocate's most criticized violators of freedom and fairness.

While Kinzer is certainly hopeful that Kagame can lead his country out of poverty and sustain stability, he also gives plenty of time to Kagame's critics.

Rwanda just released a report in which they accuse the French government of helping institute and support the French-speaking Hutu genocide against the English-speaking Tutsi.

On the cover of a recent Time magazine is Rick Warren, whose church is working in Rwanda with Kagame.

Is President Paul Kagame the man who will lead Rwanda out of poverty providing a model for other African countries or is he the cruel dictator hiding his own group's atrocities and denying Rwandan people basic freedoms?




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