- ethnic groups Hutu 98% Tutsi 8% Twa 1%
- NAME YOUR ASSIGNED COUNTRY:__Rwanda______________
- CAPITAL OF ASSIGNED COUNTRY: Kigali
- FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Republic
- DEMOGRAPHICS OF POPULATION:
ethnic groups Hutu 98% Tutsi 8% Twa 1%
Protestants 49.5% Catholics 43.7% Muslim 2%
main language Kinyarwanda.
Literacy total population: 70.5% (2015) male: 73.2% (2015 ) female: 68% (2015
Birth rates : 29.8 births/1,000 population
Population 12,187,400
- Location of the country on International Corruption Index: 51 of 180
- ALL COUNTRIES ADJACENT TO YOUR ASSIGNED COUNTRY. Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Congo
VIDEO 1
COUNTRY INVOLVED IN THE VIDEO: Rwanda
Type video: __ ____Movie_________
Title of Video/Broadcast: Hotel Rwanda
Location: /http of video: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0395169/mediaviewer/rm2273336576?ref_=tt_ov_i
Length of video- 2h 1min
When the video was taken (or about) if info is available- Mar 4, 2005
Identity of organization/person posting the video: IMDb
The movie hotel Rwanda starts with a black screen; a voice is heard over radio talking about the atrocities faced on the hands of the Tutsis. The voice resents about the Tutsi patronage in government. The Hutu power radio. The scene changes with a famous song of Umqombothi sang by South African Yvonne Chaka Chaka. The movie begins in Kigali the year 1994, the camera moves a pan and shows a busy Kigali uptown section, people are very busy as they go about their businesses, some in offices while others are leaving for home. The protagonist is introduced to us. He is in a car with the hotel’s driver Dube. Dube is Tutsi and worried and jokes about the lyrics of the theme song; he replaces the word ‘wema’ to Hutu. Paul’s driver is Tutsi.
The environment is hostile, and Hutu supremacy protesters are having a gathering at the town square as Paul. The manager is driving through one of the protester’s spots, his driver, he is automatically identified as Tutsi. The protester asks him what he was doing, and things would have gotten murkier. Had it not been for the manager’s intervention, he brandished a piece of cloth with Hutu colors and chanted Hutu supremacy. They are later allowed to move; they drive to their destination. They are headed to a local businessman who supplies the hotel beer. In the office, the businessman is called George; he urges the manager to join the movement and support his Hutu comrades. Paul and George leave for the warehouse to go for the merchandise. A rather unfortunate occurrence happens, a wooden container full of machetes drops down. The businessman looks perplexed. They leave for the hotel and meet a group of protesters. Dube is exasperated and counts himself lucky.
There are speculations of a guerilla coming. After meeting with the General who is a representative of the UN peacekeeping mission in Rwanda and the local Hutu General, Paul sets for home, he drives himself as he listens to the news on the radio, he understands that the UN-brokered peace cannot last for long and that a war is coming, he arrives home and is met with his wife and a friend called Odette an older woman. The looks on their faces indicate trouble; Paul’s wife is Tutsi, and she is aware that tribal clashes might start. They walk, and he meets his brother in law, inside the house, the children are doing homework, and Paul’s son informs them of the soldiers on the streets, Paul and his wife peep and see a few soldiers at Victor’s home and arrest him. Later that night in bed, Tatiana is so worried and asks Paul what might have been the reason for Victor’s arrest. Paul explains that Victor might have been accused of spying for Tutsi rebels. Paul stresses that family is important; therefore wasn’t in a capacity to help Victor.
The next day Paul meets two white journalists, of which one of them is already complaining about how bad the assignment would be. The other one convinces the disgruntled fellow to relax and enjoy the nice hotel. He walks to them and welcomes them to the Millie Collin Hotel. They meet in the bar with a local journalist and discuss the politics of succession in Rwanda and how the transfer of power to the majority created a feeling of revenge. Hutus were the underprivileged during the country’s colonial years.
The movie Hotel Rwanda is about the Rwandese genocide of 1994. Tutsis and Hutus killed each other while the world looked away. The movie doesn’t tell about the genocide. This is a tale of a good man who saved the lives of almost 1500 people. The role of the hotel manager is played by Don Cheadle, an American actor cum director. He is depicted as a quiet man, reliable and able-minded during the time of chaos. The protagonist, Paul Rusesabagina, is not the affluent man. He is the man who cares about humanity and the conservation of the dignity of human beings.
In a time where everyone in Rwanda looks at things with the tribal lenses, Paul is openhearted and sees the man and not the tribe. The movie is scripted in such a way that it tells a story of a man torn in between family or loyalty to the tribe. The latter he deserts when he tells his wife that the most important thing is the loyalty to the family and not tribe. The man is skilled and perfect in his job, he can close deals with the high and mighty and at the same time is flattery, he has mastered even the skills of bribery, this is seen in the movie when he gets a Cuban cigar to a potential business person. Hotel managers are an asset, they are multilingual, and others were even polyglots. They could fit clearly for the position of ambassador, and Paul was such a man. They are aware when the next bottle of scotch would come in and how to multiply it six-folds. They are very impressed with their people skills and can handle conflicts with ease. They know everyone and everything, from the penthouse living millionaire to the local pimp able to get you a girl.
Paul was that kind of a manager; he was a Hutu betrothed to a Tutsi called Tatiana played by Sophie Okonedo). Paul is foreign-trained and works in a four-star Hotel des Milles Collines in the capital city of Kigali. He does his job effectively; he understands the nitty-gritty of coded language when the General’s briefcase taken for keeping and when it is brought back after the keep with a bottle of scotch whiskey. He understands that to acquire exotic beer, hands must be smoothened, and bribes were given. He knows that his guests have a taste for luxury, and he offers nothing but that in the tiny East African country. Many would think that these situations make him a bad man, but contrary to that, he becomes a master of situations. the endgame of all is that the hotel runs swiftly.
Unfortunately, the genocide begins, and everyone is so tensed. The propaganda of war is generated, and the tides have to change. Historically Belgium used a disparaging tactic to distinguish between the Hutu and Tutsis. Creating a country split in two fronts, one the slave of another, the white man had gone, and it was the Hutus in power, they felt that it was time to pay back and to heal old wounds. This they thought would only happen with the spilling of Tutsi blood, after the Belgians had gone power was left to the Hutus, they never trusted the Tutsis. They felt that they were the main problem to the Rwandan society, but still, how could the Belgians allow the minority to rule the majority, that was the colonial tactic everywhere where tribes that collaborated were empowered as those who resist languishing in abject poverty.
This time all scores would be settled in one brutal war that Rwanda would never forget about. The colonial times marked a period when the Tutsis were powerful, Tutsis are a southern Cushitic people who specialize in pastoralism, in areas where there were Tutsis had almost similar characteristics to Hutus the Belgian government looked at the number of animals one had. The more the livestock you owned automatically, you would be branded Tutsi. The Belgians were overwhelmed not only with statistics but also with the demand for independence by the Hutus; they could not carry their pawns back with them to Belgium when they exited power was left in the hands of Hutus, they were bitter they wanted revenge and bade for Tutsi blood.
Thousands of Hutu army rummaged dwellings looking for Tutsis to kill. The united nations represented by colonel Oliver assesses the position in Rwanda, he even goes further to request for support from his bosses he is ignored. Paul tells the headquarters of the growing violence in Rwanda; unfortunately, the Rwandan branch is not a concern of the management. The onus is now on the two men to work effectively and hand in hand to save the thousands of lives they can. when the film premiered in Toronto 2004, there was criticism about how the film was more of a story about two individuals and not the analysis of the genocide itself. The directors have made a uniform stand that a film should not be about the murder of millions of people. Terry and others wrote and directed the movie, and the film was conceived when Pearson visited Rwanda and was told about the survivors.
Paul walks in one of the concentration camps and meets one of the Hutu militia leaders. The building looks like an abandoned warehouse, women and men alike are seen in the cold as they talk a moribund company of two men is slapping a woman. They move to the inner rooms still talking, and he removes cash, the rebel commander tells him that there is no scotch whiskey, Paul looks at him surprised and reflects on the situation in the country. He is worried about what his guests would think about the grand hotel.
The rebel commander talked about the captured Tutsis in the hotel as cockroaches and needed to be cleaned. He goes ahead and even alludes that Paul should hand over his wife, who was a Tutsi. The rebel looks at Paul, and his hate he has for Tutsis manifest on his face. Paul is shocked but helpless; the rebel leaders allude that once the United Nations exit Rwanda, they will complete their cleansing process of Rwanda. The rebel gives him rice, beer, and soft drinks for the kids. The rebel holds them for long with talks of how to end the Tutsis, Paul protests and states clearly that dawn is coming and that they have to go. They leave in a foggy and misty morning; visibility is blurred, and hardly can they see the road. The car veers off the road, and Paul complains to his driver that they are almost plunging into a river.
They stop the car and monitor the situation. He opens the door and falls on a pile of dead bodies. The river was being used as a dumping site of dead bodies.it was the most unusual and scary situation in his life, he was so afraid as he saw bodies of men, women, and children strewn all over. He screams and dries at the ambiguous site. The fog clears, and he can see a piece of eerie music again plays on the background, Paul walks a few meters and sees a field the size of a football pitch with rotten decaying human bodies. He walks back to his car and requests his driver to drive away.
Paul drives with his family, and as they pass almost every street they see bodies lying dead, the kids are frightened, his wife dejected seeing his people maimed and killed helter-skelter, bodies were thrown left and right. He tells his kids most gravely not to look at those scenarios. Rwanda is found in East Africa. Just like the United States, Rwanda has a stern relationship with the outside world. This has shaped Rwanda’s foreign PolicyPolicy. Rwanda was colonized by Belgium under trusteeship by the United Nations after the second world war, the United States too starts with a story of independence from Britain.
The movie Hotel Rwanda shows how individuals helped conserve life. The story of Paul Rusesabagina shows how individuals respect the law and the sanctity of human life. Gomez (2017) agrees that life is important, and nations should endeavor to have all-round citizens who strive to uphold the law at all times. The Rwandan genocide is not the first in Africa, in sub Saharan Africa where most countries are in a state of wanton poverty. McCrea et al (2019) reiterates that violence indeed contributes to poverty in the United States among black communities. The movie highlights very key issues related to justice. Of importance is the response of international bodies like the United Nations their response and the key questions why there was no coordinated response towards the plight of the Paul, the hotel manager. The United Nations, a body that is majorly funded by the United States of America was lackadaisical into coming to the plight of the Tutsis. Of importance was the bad precedence of the Belgian government where they used the Tutsis to oppress and trample on the rights of the Hutus, this created resentment that sprung after the majority took power. Gehen & Grey (2020) propounds that soldiers get frustrated and decide to support oppressive regimes. Osterberg (2017) explains explicitly the rigorous training experienced by the soldiers making them human robots .The happenings in Rwanda in 1994 has left a dent in its PolicyPolicy.The United States is portrayed as being selective and with no strong foreign policy. The world and the whole justice system need to learn from Rwanda. justice should not be applied selectively, and the whole world should have come to the aid of Rwanda
VIDEO 2
COUNTRY INVOLVED IN THE VIDEO: Rwanda
Type video: __ Documentary_____________
Title of Video/Broadcast: Rwanda — from genocide to a model state | DW Documentary
Location/http of video: https://youtu.be/cWUb9PSp3fc
Length of video- 28.25 minutes
When the video was taken (or about) if info is available- Nov 26 2019
Identity of organization/person posting the video: DW
The video starts with a group of young people lined outside a stadium in the capital of Rwanda, Kigali. They are there to commemorate the victims of the 1994 Rwandan genocide that claimed the lives of more than a million people in just 100 days. The line up in seats inside the stadium and light up candles in symbolic commemoration. During the genocide, The Hutu majority slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Tutsis and other minority groups in the country. The people inside the stadium observe silence as a woman is introduced. The woman was narrating the fateful day when the genocide reached her doorstep in an emotional rendition that is filled with tears and sobs. Speaking in Kinyarwanda, she emotionally tells how her neighbors went to her home and killed her family members. This is the introduction of a film by Sabine Bohland dubbed, Rwanda, the long road to reconciliation.
The next scene is filled with a crowd of jostling young people. The narrator explains that these are people who had not been born at the time of the genocide and are there to audition for an upcoming TV talent show dubbed, east Africa’s got talent. A short graphical moment is displayed with the director calling for action, and an actor emerges from the crowd comically commenting on how Rwanda has got the talent to the joy of the crowd who celebrate briefly and fervently. The narrator explains the similarity of this upcoming program with related shows that are broadcast in Europe and the USA. Simon Iyawema is in charge of the auditions and is a victim of the genocide who lost many family members to the genocide, like many members of the crowd.
Simon is directing a circus performer who is walking on poles. According to the narrator, Rwanda’s youth know the details of the massacre but try to use get together functions like the one shown, to forget the gory past. Amidst performers, jostling children in lines, Simon explains that the past does not matter and that they are using the function to remember their history, uniting people and renewing themselves as a nation. He adds that the function is taking place during the 100-day commemoration period and is part of their renewal.
A female announcer then calls people out one by one to audition in a hall. The film shifts focus to a jovial young woman called Vanessa Ruwaze, who has come to the audition with a friend who is an aspiring singer. She is an escort for her friend as she is too shy to sign up for the show. She is introduced as a survivor of the genocide. The audition hall is packed with a large number of hopeful people who have come for the auditions. Vanessa praises the show explaining that there are not many jobs for young people in Rwanda who want to work hard and achieve their dreams. She explains that this show might give them a chance to show what they have.
Vanessa is then shown helping Simon type something on the phone. The narrator explains that they first met at a support group for genocide survivors, and since then, Simon has become a surrogate father to Vanessa. The video transitions to another setting with videos of onlooking children dressed in some tattered clothes and rain falling. The next scene depicts a performing arts group called Masharika, which is rehearsing a play. the narrator explains that the various aspects of the Rwandan culture depict the effects of the genocide. A young girl in the play comes up crying out that all she has left is a blood-stained piece of cloth. The girl, Maya musenga, is playing the role of Vanessa in the play. Vanessa lost her parents in the genocide when she was still a baby.
Maya tells Vanessa’s story, lacking any clear memory of her parents, how they looked like. Maya explains that Vanessa, in the play, is a fragile, young confused child who represents a majority of the youth in modern Rwanda. The character does not know her history and is trying to speak to her dead mum seeking answers to her questions. A singer named Rosette is playing the role of Vanessa’s mother. She was depicting the situation of the war when Vanessa’s mother asked a young girl to take the toddler to safety. Vanessa then comes to question the issue of tribalism, asking if her mother knew Marie was a Hutu, probably the lady who rescued her.
The tale shifts to the real Vanessa, a Tutsi who was rescued by a 13-year-old Hutu named grace owamohoro. The two women peel bananas as they chat away while the narrator remembers when grace risked her own life to save Vanessa. Grace and Vanessa live together in a house with grace’s children. Grace explains that after the genocide, things did not return to normal immediately as there was still a lot of tension between ethnic groups, and it was not easy to get along easily. She was the subject of a lot of ridicule, including names like a cockroach, Hutu term used to insult Tutsis. Vanessa explains the changes stating that things have changed today as children at school are taught that all are citizens of Rwanda and that there are no differences between them.
The focus shifts to the play, which is titled Generation 25, and tells the stories of the people who were born in the year that the genocide took place. The members in the play are practicing a song as Maya comes up again to explain their quest for answers whose questions are difficult to answer. The founder and artistic director of the group Hope Azera say that genocide is a recurring theme in the Rwandan society and that some questions have no answers. She vividly imagines the transformation of man to the beast in the face of the genocide and hopes that the young generation can suppress such feelings.
The scene changes to a hilly landscape and city setting as the narrator explains that the genocide was ended by the overthrowing of the government by the Rwandan patriotic front, which is the current ruling regime that has transformed Rwandan into a modern African state. The economy is booming, the environment is clean, and the rates of corruption are negligible. As the shot transitions to a group of people at a bus stop, the narration explains that the RPF has imposed strict rules on the political rights of the people with claims that Rwanda is still under threat from the Hutu militia.
The journey shifts to the road to eastern Congo, where a large number of Hutu rebels fled to the forests on fear of retaliatory attacks by the new government that was led by the Tutsi. Amid the sprawling forest landscape, the narrator points out at occasional violence outbreaks in the region. The united nations are in efforts to stop the violence through a variety of means, such as offering sanctuaries to rebels who turn themselves in and stop fighting. Jack Meroza is shown sitting in an office, answering calls from rebels who want to turn themselves in. he notes down the details of the rebel’s location and armament status, suggesting they could pick him up at Tonga. Most of the rebel fighters fear coming back since they believe the authorities might punish them. However, Meroza explains that fighters as young as 25 years old have nothing to fear since they had nothing to do with the genocide. He explains that the militia leaders are using the fear of authorities to keep these young people fighting in the jungle.
A UN reception camp is shown, the first stop for fighters who manage to escape from the bush. Insabe Maneshanong, an ex-fighter, poses for a photograph. He is a former militia member who is here for the resettlement program. He is examined by a doctor and explains his hope in the transformation that is looming for him in his collaboration with the UN. He thinks that his parents cannot make the decisions that he did.
Elsewhere Jack Meroza is explaining to students the different militia groups in eastern Congo and explains that the militias are terrorizing civilians, especially the FDLR. Meroza explains that the rebel groups are exploiting the local villages by stealing food, capturing women and training young boys combat tactics. Meanwhile, Insabe and a friend, Havimana, who are enjoying their meal, are preparing for transportation to Rwanda for resettlement. Insabe and his friend express their joy about their success in getting away from the rebels and that they are going back to their country. As they board a bus taking them to Rwanda, the narrator explains Havimana’s history explaining that they had nothing to do with the massacre. To them, crossing the border is the advent of a new world, yet their country is still dealing with the effects of the genocide.
A catholic church building with a woman singing inside is shown, a memorial of five thousand people who died there in a single day during the genocide. As the singer continues lamenting, emotional people stream in to view the images of the genocide. Outside, a funeral procession files with the narrator explaining that remains of genocide victims are still found in Rwanda and get buried by the relatives to aid in the recovery process. A national commemoration event is held every year, and President Paul Kagame spoke in 2018, issuing a stern warning and threat to the militant groups. They are trying to destabilize the country.
The theater group is still rehearsing heir play depicting the story of a young man whose father took part in the genocide. The young man is trying to cope with the terrible legacies of his family crimes, referring to his father as a monster and thinking that he might be a monster too. The director of the group explains that these are painful wounds that must be rubbed and cleaned to heal. Maya explains that people are trying to share their stories and heal from the trauma and emotional distress of the genocide.
In another scene, the two rebels who turned themselves in have arrived at a camp where training is run by the government to prepare them for civilian life. Havimana likes the new experiencing and his meeting his former fellow fighters. The camp is large and contains a massive number of former rebels who have returned to the country. They are a bit skeptical but are happy to have escaped the war. Turning up the next day in a morning assembly, the former rebels sing songs of joy as they praise the peaceful government in Rwanda and rub off their tribal colors. The speaker at the assembly is urging the former rebels to talk about their experiences in an attempt to recover. However, the legal uncertainties still hang over the heads of the reformed rebels.
The former rebels face uncertain futures such as where they are going to live, perhaps with family members. The manager of the facility is a former soldier who helped stop the war. He believes in reconciliation and bringing together the two tribes. The rebel leaders, on the other side, keep discussing the genocide saying they had killed people and had to leave Rwanda and not come back. Havimana is given some money by the authorities to visit his family for three days as part of the reintegration process. In the lush hilly countryside, Havimana goes out to meet his mother, whom he hasn’t seen for years. His mother had returned ten years ago and is happy to see him. The neighbors who are a mixture of Hutus and Tutsis are happy to see him and inform him of the difficulties in making a living in the countryside as he explains their economic aspirations as soldiers in Congo, hope that they would find gold.
The economic questions ring out for youths such as Vanessa, who was forced to drop out of school for lack of money. Vanessa is taking part in a monthly compulsory cleaning process dubbed Omuganda, which means working together for a common purpose and pulls together the two formerly warring factions. Vanessa narrates the difficulty she faces in expressing the events of her former life, stating that she constantly has to rely on others for support.
The Kigali genocide memorial is the setting of the annual ceremony dubbed Kwibuka, (remembering), that commemorates the victims of the genocide. Hope and her crew are rehearsing before the final performance, and Simon is watching closely. The play will be premiered at the memorial site in Kigali, where a quarter of a million people were buried. The place holds a lot of significance for the commemoration of the genocide, as Hope Azeda explains. The audience in their hundreds turns up to see them play; most of the genocide victims like Vanessa. Former rebels, on the other hand, could feel guilty about the depiction of their parent’s crimes.
The play is exhilarating, and the narrator notes that it is just a part of the long and difficult process of reconciliation. The performance is a huge success, having depicted well the problems of the Rwandan society after the genocide. Maya hopes that such happenings could not repeat as the troupe gathers to read a congratulatory message from the US ambassador who wishes to throw them a party. The story switches to Simon Ayowema’s home, where he is hosting a dinner party for some friends. Vanessa is among the guests and enjoys meeting other survivors. Simon and his wife met up at such a party, and such groups that help people are sprawled all over the country. Vanessa appreciates the social experience in these groups, like this one that is mixed up with survivors and Simon’s family.
Simon explains the diversity in the group and why they need to come together. The ceremony ends with the introduction of Simons’s daughter being introduced to the guest, a traditional ritual in many parts of Rwanda that bonds the community. The narrator explains that the genocide nearly destroyed such ceremonies. Many people still grapple with the psychological trauma of the genocide, and survivors like Vanessa are learning to cope with it. The ceremony ends with people singing and clapping happily. The documentary ends with the aspirations of Vanessa, who is happily playing with Simon’s baby. The documentary perfectly depicts the situation in Rwanda currently and urges forward the reconciliation and healing process.
Analysis.
The reformation and rebuilding of Rwanda have been motivated by the government policy of reconciliation and forgiveness. Despite a strategy that could expose ex-rebels to prosecution, the government in coalition with the UN welcomes ex-rebels who surrender. Furthermore, the school systems are teaching an integrated cultural approach to kill the tribal mentality in the new age of Rwanda. It is emotionally challenging to heal the scars of the genocide as people grapple with tribal suspicion. Mukashema & Mullet suggests that the Rwandan society has been forced with the possibility of contending with unconditional forgiveness devoid of revisiting the wounds of the genocide. According to Staub (2014), the people of Rwanda have to grapple with severe mental and emotional barriers when trying to overcome the genocide. The United States of America has supported peace efforts in Rwanda with incentives like USAID that supports government initiatives in a bid to achieve total stability. The current president Donald Trump has had an amicable relationship with President Kagame as the US continues to consider Rwanda as a strategic partner in the region due to its stability and investment opportunity.
VIDEO 3
COUNTRY INVOLVED IN THE VIDEO: Rwanda
Type video: __ News feature_____________
Title of Video/Broadcast: Rwanda’s economy is booming, but at what cost?
Location/http of video: https://youtu.be/KITshBplTFo
Length of video- 9.39 minutes
When the video was taken (or about) if info is available- Sep 7 2019
Identity of organization/person posting video: PBS NewsHour
This piece starts with a news bulletin where the presenter introduces the death of Robert Mugabe, who was a hero in Zimbabwe, having helped them gain independence but degraded to a poor leader who crashed the economy of his country. Juxtaposing the Zimbabwean story with the Rwandese one, the presenter notes that many people respect and praise Kagame as a good leader. Still, most of his associates and opponents fear that he is setting a bad precedent with his repressive system of rule. Jean Bosco Ngarama left his country Rwanda seven years ago after undergoing ruthless torture. He recounts his experiences in a small torture room with barbaric implements such as machetes, axes, and electric cables. Ngarama’s predicament began in 2010 when he lived in Kigali, working for a human rights organization and started criticizing the government of Kagame.
After an episode where unknown assailants attacked the city with grenades, Ngarama was arrested by the government. He was forced to admit allegiance with the people who threw the grenades and was being coerced to reveal their identity. He was assaulted physically and even electrocuted and passed out. He was then held for eight months before being charged with conspiracy and acquitted. He currently lives in Philadelphia and is still determined to express his opinions. He says that his tormentors knew he was innocent, but the soldiers still proceeded to try and brainwash him.
These are some of the cases in Rwanda that are tarnishing a hard-earned international reputation characterized by a remarkable turnaround from the genocide in 1994. According to the reporter, Rwanda has one of the best economies of Africa with clean streets and universal healthcare. The efforts of Kagame to put his country on a good path has put him in the good books of the USA with President Donald Trump recently calling it an honor to have him as a friend. Likewise, media outlets have praised his efforts in his country with Forbes magazine listing him as the African president of the year 2018.
The Kigali convention center built for an estimated 200-300 million dollars would host the African business summit as Rwanda has branded itself the hub of business and tourism through companies like Rwandair, the national airline. The goal of the nation is to seek investment and prosperity by displaying what is friendly about the country. European Union ambassador to Rwanda Nicola Bellomo considers Rwanda a country that is becoming more distinct in the map with president Kagame becoming more the voice of Africa.
Despite the praise from the USA, the USA human rights report on Rwanda in 2018 reported cases of arbitrary killings, forced disappearances, torture, and arbitrary detention of Rwanda citizens. The journalist has been threatened by police or killed mysteriously. The huge risk persons are the direct opposers of the government like opposition leader Victoire Ingabire who in 2010 was running for president and was charged with abetting the genocide and causing divisionism. She was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison and was released in September 2018 after Kagame approved a pardon. Victoire says it is not easy to be in opposition in Rwanda as she displays in her office pictures of nine party members who are in jail and another who disappeared while in prison. She explains the system as a de facto party system where many political parties work under one umbrella.
Some close advisers to Kagame have fallen out with him with David Himbara, a former economic advisor and personal secretary. He describes Kagame as a one-person government that makes unanimous decisions. Additionally, people who came to power with Kagame have fled or are in exile or even missing. The rest, according to Himbara, have gone underground as he adds that Kagame’s life has been consumed by militarism and violence. Himbara has fled to the US, yet not all who flee are safe like Seragaya Patrick, the former spy chief who fled to South Africa and set up a political party but was found strangled to death in his hotel room. Despite links to the Rwandan government, Kagame denied the incident only to issue a warning about betrayal a few weeks later. People who have represented Rwanda in the UN, such as Richard Gassana has sought asylum in the USA, citing personal security concerns after falling out with Kagame.
His supporters, however, think that his strong approach is necessary for galvanizing the country that recently recovered from a genocide. Rwanda is targeting continued economic growth with a target of being a high-income country in 2050, and advisor Jean-Paul Kimonyo feels it requires a firm leader to achieve these things. As much as it is unclear how much support Kagame has in the country, he benefitted from a constitutional amendment that approves his stay in office until 2034. He was also reelected with a 98 percent vote tally despite opinions from human rights watch claiming that the voters are suppressed and can’t freely express their opinions. Kagame has, however, dismissed his critics, saying he works for the people of Rwanda with their approval.
This video discusses the oppressive regime of Rwanda amid projected and economic success. This situation has been ignored in recent years by strategic partners like the USA, which have an amicable relationship with the Rwandan strongman. The disappearance of political opponents is a common phenomenon in Rwanda as former allies run away from the country in fear of reprisal. Cruikshank (2017) agrees that the discussion of Rwandan political oppression is shoved aside because of the positive personality portrayed by Kagame in the international sphere. The portrayal of Rwanda as a good investment destination because of the relative peace shut the critics of Kagame. (Horton 2016) feels that Kagame has recruited an army of sycophants who help his oppressive course by reporting fellow citizens deemed disloyal. In the United States, on the other hand, is a country known as a capitalistic country that sells democracy. Political opinion is highly accepted, and pundits criticize the government policy without gagging.
VIDEO 4
COUNTRY INVOLVED IN THE VIDEO: Rwanda
Type video: __ News report_____________
Title of Video/Broadcast: How COVID-19 affected the agriculture sector in Rwanda
Location/http of video: https://youtu.be/kNhbBAJx-O0
Length of video- 2.45 min
When the video was taken (or about) if info is available- Apr 26, 2020
Identity of organization/person posting video: Rwanda TV
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected many economic sectors of countries all over the world, bringing the most profitable activities to a standstill. The agribusiness Rwanda is no exception facing several challenges in this epidemic. A poultry farmer Neohulu famously known as Mr. chicken in Wave and Nyarijenje districts is one of the farmers who have been greatly affected by the Coronavirus. He says that as much as he tries to deliver the poultry produce, chicken, and eggs, he cites inadequate market and decreased productivity as the main challenges hindering the business. Dairy farmers who supply milk products to the city are having difficulties taking the milk to the market due to poor transport services. Insurance and animal feed for the cows is also costly as there has been an increase in the pricing. The farmers can no longer supply milk to their customs in Kigali since many canteens have been closed down.
The farmers would like the government of Rwanda to provide them with travel documents to ease movement around the country during this time. In addition to that, it should help them pay eighty percent of the insurance costs as they pay 20 percent. This is because insurance money has since increased but is still required to pay on time, yet they don’t sell enough milk to cater for the costs. Poultry farmers also urge the government to intercede on their behalf to the industries producing animal feeds to reduce the price at which they are selling so that they can be able to afford them.
The deputy director of Agriculture and animal husbandry development Dr. Outu says that most of the market that was consuming the poultry and dairy has since stopped stocking the produce citing reasons such as the closing down of markets and the Rwanda flights that have been stopped. This results in sixty percent of the product not being consumed in the market. She says they will collaborate with the government so that the meat and chicken that have been produced be given to children aged five years and below, while the rest to be stocked and frozen to avoid further losses.
Rwanda was greatly flourishing in the agricultural sector before Covid 19 pandemic, which has seen slowed down productivity. Initially, over two million liters of milk was being produced daily, which has now reduced to about 100,000 liters per day. The production of eggs has reduced dramatically per day while Chicken production has fallen from 150 to 78 tons weekly. Farmers hope that the government will comply with their wishes before they incur further losses, which will stop their farming activities.
The thriving agricultural situation in Rwanda is proof of government commitment to raise the living standards of people through agriculture. By giving incentives to farmers to produce, the Rwandan government ensured people were well supplied with agricultural products. Harrison (2016) explains the formation of agricultural cooperatives in lush areas to support farmers. The cooperatives are also platforms for the sale of products and are conduits for agricultural products. Isaacs (2016) underlines the efforts of the government to introduce multiple cropping systems to reduce losses. The USA also has a comprehensive agricultural system that is multidimensional and covers different sectors of the economy because it is a major employer. The agriculture sector in the USA is independent, and the diverse economy does not depend on it. The sector contributes about 5.4 percent of the GDP of the USA.
The first video discusses hotel Rwanda, the focus on a single man who is determined to make a change in his immediate society. He has to brave conditions such as tribalism to help victims of the genocide. The next video discusses the aftermath of the war as the rebuilding process takes shape in the country. International relations with countries like Congo come into play as most of their rebels are in Eastern Congo and raid a few villages close to the border. The importance of the USA to the Rwandan building process by offering important commodities and aid is impactful. The third video discusses the political situation in Rwanda as president Kagame exercises his authority and power. Political opponents are jailed after arbitrary trial, disappear or are killed. This has been seen as a hypocritical approach by the USA that does not want to point out the atrocities of Kagame. The final video discusses the economic situation in Rwanda after the effects of the Covid 19 pandemic as farmers can’t access markets.
My first concern with Hotel Rwanda is the focus on the man as an individual amid a group of people who also tried to make a difference in the war. However, the portrayal is superb and teaches the possibility of making change alone. In the post-war Rwanda video, the video is in-depth coverage of the mental and affective consequences of the war. I feel that the documentary should have adequately covered the physical effects of the war for injury survivors trying to cope with life. The Rwandan case on political crackdown is an interesting one that keeps people guessing. Kagame might be planning to stay in power for forty years since he once took power. According to Kelley (2017), the interesting debate is about whether he would turn out to be another African dictator. The final video on the impact of the coronavirus on agriculture should motivate the government to strike a balance with the government concerning the transportation of products to potential markets.
References.
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Isaacs, K. B., Snapp, S. S., Chung, K., & Waldman, K. B. (2016). Assessing the value of diverse cropping systems under a new agricultural policy environment in Rwanda. Food Security, 8(3), 491-506.
Harrison, G. (2016). Rwanda: an agrarian developmental state?. Third World Quarterly, 37(2), 354-370.
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