A Conversation

     A few weeks ago we had someone over for dinner. We had continued our recent tradition of taco Tuesday and were quite excited to share an American tradition with someone in Rwanda. Our guest wasn't quite as excited as we were for tacos, but they enjoyed it none the less. I don't recall how or when, but somewhere along the line the dinner conversation turned to politics and elections. Everyone knows of the troubles in nearby Burundi. Everyday we see more and more cars with Burundi license plates and hear of another family that has rented a home. The boarder to Burundi is  less than 25 km down the main road and in all honesty, I'm surprised I haven't seen more refugees. But the Rwandan government and UNHCR appear to be handling the influx fairly well. 

     Many of the East African nations are facing election years over the next few and Julie and I often wondered out loud in our office if the 2017 Rwanda elections would have any effect on the program. Over the months we have heard little from the people about how they feel about elections, but then at the most unforeseen moments something is mentioned and you take note. For instance, when we traveled as hospital staff to give the cows to the genocide survivors in May, many of the staff translating for us mentioned letters. The local people wanted the officials to take their letters and give them to parliament so that the constitution could be amended. It took some prodding but finally we received better understandings explanations. The people are asking for the constitution to be amended to remove term limits for the president. When we were lucky enough to get our hands on an English newspaper from Kigali, there wasn't a week that went by that there wasn't some article on this topic. 

     It's a very controversial topic and almost taboo to discuss if you are actually Rwandan. Julie and I always have banter going during our working hours and this is a topic that gets tossed around a bit. Western governments, including the U.S. have already stated that they will not support Paul Kagame in another term as president (or for his life as a changed constitution would lead to this). But if it's what the people want and a democratic process to make the change, then what's the big deal? If there wasn't someone as strong a leader as Kagame in power in Rwanda, they certainly wouldn't be where they are today. They have made extraordinary improvements over 21 years and are a model for other developing nations attempting the road to recovery after civil unrest and war. 

     If anyone reads the New York Times, you may have seen the July 19th article on this very topic. It essentially argued that the reason Kagame is making a push for the constitutional change is otherwise he will be charged with war crimes by the ICC. This is most likely true though the New York Times tends to give its one sided account quite forcefully. Kagame didn't use to hide the fact that when he and the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) returned and ended the genocide they slaughtered thousands of Hutus, but he does now. You don't read that here. There is nothing to state this at the main genocide memorial in Kigali. In fact, they explicitly state that it was not a civil or ethnic war at this memorial. And if you do bring this knowledge to light and you're a Rwandan, you may not be heard from again. 

     We all knew that there had to be some kind of system because you joke that Kagame has eyes and ears everywhere, but in fact he does. At our dinner we learned that there is a report system in place and starting at 9 pm and going through the night the chain of command is followed and that eventually, Kagame himself receives a report of the happenings of the country. I without a doubt know that by the time I went to work the morning after our burglary someone very high up was well aware of it and probably sent people to keep and eye on the place without us even realizing it. 

     But back to the elections... Like I said, if it's democratic and the people really do love Kagame here, then why is the western world getting involved in the biggest African success story? This is where dinner conversation got very interesting. We were told that every Rwandan who is eligible to vote registers. Much like in the United States you don't have to pick a party, but it's heavily suggested you do. Our friend for a period of their life was not affiliated with a party, but one day was told they must align with a political party, it didn't matter which. They do not identify with the RPF and that's ok, many voters do not. But then we were told how our friend was invited and attended a caucus for the party where the leaders of the party decided to share with the members a letter they were sending to parliament. The contents of the letter states the political party supported constitutional change and would not oppose it and would not run a candidate in the upcoming 2017 election. Despite much opposition of this letter amongst the party members, the leaders submitted it to parliament. Well, I thought how very clever. To the outside world, Rwanda appears to be an ideal democratic country with multiple parties, but just how true is that?

Lesson Learned:

1) Appearances can be deceiving