And Jesus replied: “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” – Matthew 11: 2-4
Not much of a churchgoer myself, I still couldn’t help but meditate on this word of God as I read the announcement of the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of State and Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali in June this year.
The Rwandan hospitality industry is elated – and rightfully so; If all goes well with this pandemic, they are expecting around 4000 guests from 54 countries, 32 States and 25 islands, representing 2.5 billion in population and over US$13 trillion in GDP (2020). Ahead of CHOGM, members of parliaments, civil society and investors will hold special forums in Kigali.
In terms of high calibre guests and business prospects, CHOGM is as big as it gets, bigger than the UN General Assembly, the Olympic Games or the World Cup. We are expecting friends from Mumbai, Nairobi, Kuala Lumpur, Bangalore, Johannesburg, Lagos, Dhaka, Toronto, Singapore, London, etc.
Beyond room occupancy however, CHOGM in Kigali means more to Rwanda geopolitically, than it would to any other host country. In turn, is a potential Waterloo to all ‘specialists’ who’ve been (mis)leading international opinion on Rwanda for more than two decades. (To young people: Waterloo means the final defeat of a tyrant!)
No media has been more hostile to post-genocide Rwanda than English speaking media; going as far as giving a platform to lawyers who defended Genocide perpetrators in international tribunals and researchers who worked with them in the forests of Eastern Congo, to rewrite the history of the genocide against the Tutsi.
That hostility is fueled by NGO workers with an old axe to grind with Paul Kagame’s atypical governance, his skepticism towards foreign interference and imported ready-made solutions. I discuss that at length here and here.
That’s finally bound to change: Granted Rwandans market their country to the world, but none of the “Visit Rwanda” campaigns even begins to do justice to the ‘vibe’ – and sheer happiness that Kigali, its capital city has to offer.
There won’t be skyscrapers to impress, smoke, noise and light pollution to stress.
There will be simple beauty, order, cleanliness and tranquillity.
It is small, it is crisp, it is auspicious and pristine!
A city where people tend to flowers, where walks are safe at all hours.
In Rwanda, women rule, young people lead and business is conducted in record time with no stress, red tape or corruption. It is an exciting African experience in a vibrant cosmopolitan society, with youthful civil servants – many educated overseas, where Mandarin, Spanish, English, French, Swahili and Portuguese are spoken seamlessly. Everyone is connected to the internet and political agitation is done in real time through social media – with instant response from government.
Rights groups and journalists will predictably go to the ends of the earth to prevent the world from discovering Rwandans, their country and leaders. They’re comfortable in their role as “go-betweens”, keeping the world addicted to a never-ending melodrama about horrible African presidents… It’s a well elaborate scam, a heist spanning 27 years…
Not to worry though, when you come, we won’t overbear you with politics, with reports and news. Of what is written of us, we really have nothing much to say, for a people shouldn’t be asked to justify how they made the best of what fate dealt them to make a dignified way of life…
Instead, we’ll take you on a date to Soy, on brunch to Pili Pili, and to dine at Republica, Amata n’Ubuki, before an after party at La Villa. You’ll see people laughing, people dancing; we’ll buy you cocktails at Ubumwe rooftop – a vantage point with a breathtaking 360-degree view of the city. When you leave, if you leave… your life will never be the same again.
As though you haven’t seen enough in Kigali, we’ll take you to Rubavu by Lake Kivu, not before a stop in Musanze, a bustling City where three countries meet: Rwanda, Uganda and DRC. Do not forget to book a permit for gorilla trekking; it is one of those bucket list things that everyone deserves to do once in their lifetime: Imagine hiking a rainforest amid misty extinct volcanoes, tracking the hairy monsters before suddenly coming face to face with an imposing silverback, ten times your size! bhhh…
Critical reports will be written after CHOGM, as they’ve been written before, painting a dystopian image of Rwanda. But this time you’ll read them, smile and speak like Kenyans: “vitu ni different kwa ground” (things are different on the ground), as you book a visit to the “big five” in the Akagera National Park or the canopy walk in Nyungwe rainforest.
Kenneth Roth of Human Rights Watch might lose his job, NGOs their funding and journalists their readers, for a week with Rwandans will change your perspective about Africa. You’ll see a people that has survived the worst and aspires for the best.
Suddenly the “Visit Rwanda” message on jerseys of European clubs Arsenal and Paris Saint Germain will make sense. The messages of hope of president Kagame will resonate. Our hope is that you make yours, the tragic history of Rwanda and its remarkable renaissance…
We encourage you to be a part of it, not just as a British MP building houses for the poor, but as a full-fledged protagonist; an investor, a resident, or even a citizen, indeed, our history of exile makes us open to fellow humans and our politics are of inclusion, rather than exclusion.
It is true president Kagame, our diplomat-in-chief, has made friends in the United States. Through his experience in military school in Kansas, he formed a bond with US generals, while his story as a liberator earned him respect from religious leaders and his love for basketball brought him close to the sports community. However, he hasn’t been close to the British or Commonwealth community.
Not least, his firm leadership style and early independence from NGOs, attracted unjustified acrimony from the ‘bien-pensance’ civil society in the west. Instead of hearing him out, they framed a narrative and froze it through time, never recognizing the bold reforms and significant progress that have taken place in the last 27 years in Rwanda.
A week in Kigali will disrupt all that. We won’t need to speak much. Guests will see, they will hear, they will believe!
For whatever will be said and written in the coming days or months won’t change the course of history. After two postponements due to a global pandemic, this time we have the world’s attention for a full week! We trust our city to make it worth their while, for once!
Like Italian film producers would say: Motore, Partito…. Azione!