Opinion
CHOGM put Rwanda under the spotlight and the country shone bright
Rwanda
hosted the 26th meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM)
from June 20 to 26. It was held two years late and postponed twice due to the
Covid-19 pandemic.
By
all accounts, the meeting was a resounding success and will be talked about for
a long time to come and become a reference point for future meetings. The long
wait and postponements, although obviously upsetting, appear not to have
affected its preparations. And by the close of the meeting, the Commonwealth
had grown by two new members, Gabon and Togo. The organisation must be
meaningful contrary to what critics say.
Rwandans
did what they are very good at: organise a flawless event, efficiently, without
fuss or noise. They managed to make a huge and important global event look like
it takes place here every day.
Of
course, behind the scenes, there must have been sleepless nights, anxious
moments and frantic efforts to put right and back on track what wasn’t going as
it should. That is normal. But we on the outside do not get to see it. We
only see the result of all that behind the scenes chaos. A completely different
outcome: orderly and seamless flow of events, focussed and relevant content,
and solutions-oriented.
The
organisers deserve credit for going through all those nerve-wracking moments
and yet produce an impeccable event. President Paul Kagame said it for all
Rwandans when, in a tweet, he thanked them for a well-run event and for doing
the country proud.
CHOGM
was here. The heads of government and their delegations are back in their
countries. We can already look back on it and talk about how it was, lessons
learnt from it and what Rwanda gained.
Many
of us did not attend the meeting but followed it radio and television, thanks
to Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA). And so we are able to talk about it as if
we were actually there.
CHOGM
proper started on June 24, but other meetings connected to it started a little
earlier. The first, and appropriately too, was the Commonwealth Youth Forum
(CYF) that opened on June 19.
As
would be expected the atmosphere was typically youthful: pulsating, full of
optimism, urgency and even impatience, but also plenty of ideas. They want to
be fully engaged and have solutions to offer.
The
language, too, reflected this. They spoke about doing things, bringing about
change and innovation. The word ‘future’ appeared prominently and frequently in
the conversation. Not surprisingly since they have a long life ahead to focus
on.
The
last day of CHOGM had a symbolic but also practical event that brought together
the youth and commonwealth leaders in what was called the inter-generational
dialogue. It was many things: a bridging of the gap between generations,
creating better understanding between them, constructive engagement by both,
and in many ways a readiness to pass on and to accept the baton.
If
anybody had fears about the direction of our countries in the years ahead, they
can now rest assured. The future is in good hands.
The
youth set the tone. Their enthusiasm and action-oriented approach were
infectious and the other groups associated to CHOGM –women, civil society and
business leaders gladly caught the contagion.
The women
talked about the usual issues of gender equality, empowerment, and health. We
heard less lamenting but more about actions that have been taken and produced
results and therefore worth replicating. Like the young people, the focus was
on action, solutions and the future.
From
the business people it was not the boring stuff of numbers, profit and loss,
risks and deals. There was more about opportunities for investment, cooperation
and benefits for all involved. But you cannot escape the deal as they insisted
there is a deal in it for everyone.
The
business forum must have been successful in terms of results as one attendee
enthused: people are scrambling to invest.
It
was the same with the civil society people and other side events like the
campaign against malaria and neglected tropical diseases and climate change.
The
leaders had their sessions behind closed doors and so we cannot tell how they
went about their business. But it must have been in the same spirit, judging
from their pronouncements and general appearance.
All-
politicians, youth, women, civil society and businesses – were
solutions-oriented. They agreed that these will come from cooperation and
partnerships, even from those usually competitive.
They
talked about narrowing the various gaps - between and within countries, the
financial and economic, gender, and even the digital divide. They committed to
pulling everybody along; no one left behind.
It
all sounded like Rwanda’s vision and practice: focus on the future, a leading
role for youth and women, businesses as drivers of change, and civil society as
partners, not rivals. It is perhaps an indication of the country’s imprint on
how the meeting went about its business and an indication of the direction
President Kagame will take the Commonwealth in his two years as
Chair-in-Office.
There
was a lot of story-telling, too. Many had a story to tell, human stories about
real people. That made us see another side about people that we rarely
see.
And
so business people are not the ruthless profit-only driven exploiters of
others. They are also caring solution-seekers.
Women
and gender activists are not the angry crusading type denouncing everybody and
everything. They are genuinely concerned about problems in society and want to
rectify them.
Politicians,
too, are not the simply deceitful manipulators of situations and a credulous,
adoring or ignorant public. They can also be passionately caring about people.
What has Rwanda gained from this CHOGM?
The
country has been under the spotlight and came out shining. There should be no
more ignorance, real or wilful, about this country, no more falsehoods peddled
from newsrooms and boardrooms outside Rwanda, or from individuals and groups
with their own agenda.
Rwanda
has been seen as it is, for what it is. There cannot be any more ambiguity or
ambivalence.
As
they say, seeing is believing. Leaders and people came from across the
Commonwealth, one third of humanity, and saw for themselves and believed what
they saw.
Prime
Minister Boris Johnson gave voice to this when he said people misunderstand
Rwanda and only have a stereotype image of the country. It is a lot more he
said; it has “gone through an absolute transformation”.
The
Prince of Wales said he had been overwhelmed by the experience. “Coming to
Rwanda for the first time,” he said “visiting the genocide memorial and
speaking to survivors, I have been overwhelmed by the resilience, grace and
determination of the Rwandan people” He added: “Today Rwanda upholds so much
that is extraordinary, as a centre for innovation, a world leader in women’s
empowerment, a growing hub for the green economy and a commitment to a united
future.”
The
Commonwealth also stands to gain from President Kagame’s leadership and those
qualities of Rwandans that so overwhelmed Prince Charles. The future of the
Commonwealth looks good.
Source:
www.newtimes.co.rw