Regional
Rwanda’s thick skin against criticisms is paying off
When
the Rwanda Patriotic Front/Army (RPF/A) stopped the 1994 Genocide against the
Tutsi, the country was in total ruins. No one believed it would rebuild; in
fact, some actors were suggesting either dividing the nation into two or
annexing it to its bigger neighbours.
Western
powers that supported the ousted Genocidal regime were definitely not happy
with the RPF/A taking power. They did everything in their capacity to weaken
the new government in Kigali, but only failed.
Now
that taking the RPF out of power was impossible, the next move was to belittle
any of their ambitions as a means to frustrate them and feel rejected. Little
did they know that more criticism and condemnations only empowered Rwanda to
move on, stand up, be counted, and reclaim its position in the global arena.
When
Rwanda embarked on sports investment through sponsoring Arsenal FC, back in
2018, Western media was outraged, criticizing the investment. They called it
sports washing, and they came up with all sorts of narratives; that Rwanda is
poor, lacks democracy, human rights, and all sorts of accusations.
The
criticisms were overwhelming, and unrelenting.
Rwanda
should have stopped at the Arsenal sponsorship, but Rwanda had done its
calculations well, and criticisms only made Rwanda stronger in the pursuit of
even bigger deals. Sports investments are aligned with attracting tourists. By
investing $40 million , it earned $800 million in return.
The
same criticisms poured when Rwanda invested in French giants Paris
Saint-Germain, a year later. Still, Rwanda was unshaken by the criticism and
went even further with a German giant, Bayern Munich, in another five-year
investment partnership.
Back
in the day, Rwanda chose Gacaca courts as a way of trying Genocide cases. The
West criticized it yet, to date, no form of judicial mechanism has yielded
better results and contributed to uniting Rwandans than Gacaca.
When
Rwanda stood firm against the former Rwandan army (Ex-FAR) that were
infiltrating the country and killing civilians in an attempt to continue the
Genocide against the Tutsi, the West slapped Rwanda with severe sanctions.
When
Rwanda embarked on infrastructure development like the construction of Kigali
Convention Center, criticisms poured that the country would not afford to pay
back the loans or even fully utilize the facility. Today, booking a venue in
Kigali Convention Center requires one to do so two years prior to the event, as
it is always fully booked.
Now
that Rwanda is stable, and extending a helping hand to fellow African nations,
still, the naysayers are armed with all sorts of criticism.
When
northern Mozambique fell into the hands of terrorists, those who are quick to
criticize Rwanda were silent. It was only when Rwanda was asked to help and
offered help that the naysayers came forward, asking about when Rwanda would
pull out and inquiring about who was funding Rwanda. None of that reached the
ears of Rwanda; the former remained steadfast and kept up with the mission that
has recorded tremendous success.
When
it came to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rwanda was criticized for strictly adhering
to global standards set by the World Health Organization. Rwanda ignored the
criticisms and emerged from the pandemic with very low death rates, infections,
and a high number of vaccinated people.
One might ask; what makes Rwanda so resistant to all sorts of heavy criticism? To understand that, one needs to refer to President Paul Kagame's speeches.
In
April 7, 2012, during the commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi,
President Kagame said: "Today we are stronger, with greater ability and
capacity than ever before. We have achieved stability; Rwandans feel good about
their lives; their participation in the social and economic transformation of
our country gives us hope that we can seize the many opportunities to rebuild
our country even further."
Rwanda's
focus and deliberate effort to stay the course are what have led Rwandans to
have a high life expectancy.
The
right to live is the most important human right, and Rwandans have it. So, the
more criticisms against Rwanda, the better the country becomes. Criticisms are
not pushing Rwanda off the cliff. They
are actually making the country climb higher.