Global Voices » Rwanda

Africa: Calls for Transparency Over Marked Increase in Land Deals

Lova Rakotomalala — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:25:59 +0000

An international coalition of researchers and NGOs have released the world's largest public database of international land deals, reports the Global Development blog of The Guardian's (UK). This marks an important milestone in highlighting a developmental issue that has received little attention in the international news cycle.

The report states that almost 5% of Africa's agricultural land has been bought or leased by investors since 2000, and emphasizes the fact that this is not a new issue, yet points out that the number of such land deals has increased tremendously in the past five years.

Many observers are increasingly worried that these land deals usually take place in the world's poorest countries and that they impact its most vulnerable population, the farmers. The benefits seldom go to the general population, partially because of a lack of transparency in the proceedings of the transactions.

An additional report by Global Witness, entitled Dealing with Disclosure, emphasizes the dire need for transparency in the making of land deals.

World's poorest nations targeted

The Global Witness report lists that 754 land deals have been identified, involving the majority of African countries for about 56.2 million hectares.

Target countries of land deals from the Land Matrix Project

The nations targeted are usually some of the poorest in the world. The countries with the most deals in place are Mozambique (92 deals), Ethiopia (83), Tanzania (58) and Madagascar (39). Some of those deals have made headlines because they were conducted to ensure control over food imports, when the targeted regions faced major food crises.

The NGO GRAIN has already explained in detail the gist of their concerns in an extensive report released in 2008:

Today’s food and financial crises have, in tandem, triggered a new global land grab. On the one hand, “food insecure” governments that rely on imports to feed their people are snatching up vast areas of farmland abroad for their own offshore food production. On the other hand, food corporations and private investors, hungry for profits in the midst of the deepening financial crisis, see investment in foreign farmland as an important new source of revenue. As a result, fertile agricultural land is becoming increasingly privatised and concentrated. If left unchecked, this global land grab could spell the end of small-scale farming, and rural livelihoods, in numerous places around the world.

In Malawi, land deals have grown increasingly prevalent to the detriment of the local farmers. A report from Bangula explains the challenges faced by Malawian farmers, Dorothy Dyton and her family:

Like most smallholder farmers in Malawi, they did not have a title deed for the land Dyton was born on, and in 2009 she and about 2,000 other subsistence farmers from the area were informed by their local chief that the land had been sold and they could no longer cultivate there. […] Since that time, said Dyton, “life has been very hard on us.” With a game reserve on one side of the community and the Shire river and Mozambique border on the other, there is no other available land for them to farm and the family now ekes out a living selling firewood they gather from the nearby forest.

Land construction in Madagascar. Photo by Foko Madagascar, used with the author's authorization

Farmers in Madagascar share similar concerns because they do not own the rights to the land they farm and an effective land reform is yet to be implemented. The Malagasy association Terres Malgaches has been at the forefront of land protection for the local population. They report that [fr]:

Les familles malgaches ne possèdent pas de document foncier pour sécuriser leurs terres contre les accaparements de toutes sortes. En effet, depuis la colonisation, l’obtention de titres fonciers auprès de l’un des 33 services des domaines d’un pays de 589 000 km2 nécessite 24 étapes, 6 ans en moyenne et jusqu’à 500 dollars US. (..) . Face aux convoitises et accaparements dont les terres malgaches font l’objet actuellement, seule la possession d’un titre ou d’un certificat foncier, seuls documents juridiques reconnus, permet d’entreprendre des actions en justice en cas de conflit.

Malagasy families do not usually own an estate property document that enable them to secure their lands against land grab. In fact, since colonial times, one has needed about 24 steps, 6 years and up to 500 US dollars to get such documents. There are merely around 33 agencies in the country that deliver such documents for a country that is 589,000 kilometres square […] In the face of the increasing land grabs that Malagasy land is currently at risk of, this certificate is the only document that can trigger legal action in case of conflict.

The association also reports on the practices of a mining company Sheritt, in Ambatovy, which have created a buzz in the local blogosphere because of environmental concerns for the local population and business malpractices (via MiningWatch Canada):

Sherritt International’s Ambatovy project in eastern Madagascar – costing $5.5 billion to build and scheduled to begin full production this month – will comprise a number of open pit mines (..) it will close in 29 years. There are already many concerns about the mine from the thousands of local people near the facilities. They say that their fields are destroyed ; the water is dirty ; the fish in the river are dead and there have been landslides near their village. During testing of the new plant, there have been at least four separate leaks of sulphur dioxide from the hydro-metallurgical facility which villagers say have killed at least two adults and two babies and sickened at least 50 more people. In January, laid-off construction workers from Ambatovy began a wildcat strike, arguing that the jobs they were promised when construction ended have not materialized. The people in nearby cities like Moramanga say that their daughters are increasingly engaged in prostitution.

Video of a worker's testimony in Ambatovy.

Solutions for the local population?

The plight of Madagascar's farmers' plight may be slowly changing though. Land reform discussions are in progress, according to this report:

According to a paper presented at the 2011 International Conference on Global Land Grabbing, about 50 agribusiness projects were announced between 2005 and 2010, about 30 of which are still active, covering a total land area of about 150,000 ha. Projects include plantations to produce sugar cane, cassava and jatropha-based biofuel.
To prevent the negative impacts of land grabbing, (The NGO) EFA has set up social models for investors, with funding from the UN Development Programme (UNDP). The goal is to help investors negotiate with the people in the area where they want to implement projects, as a way to prevent future problems.

Joachim Von Braun, formerly of the International Food Policy Insitute (IFPRI), wrote the following regarding land deals:

It is in the long-run interest of investors, host governments, and the local people involved to ensure that these arrangements are properly negotiated, practices are sustainable, and benefits are shared. Because of the transnational nature of such arrangements, no single institutional mechanism will ensure this outcome. Rather, a combination of international law, government policies, and the involvement of civil society, the media, and local communities is needed to minimize the threats and realize the benefits.

The need for transparency in land deals is further emphasized by Megan MacInnes, Senior Land Campaigner at Global Witness:

Far too many people are being kept in the dark about massive land deals that could destroy their homes and livelihoods. That this needs to change is well understood, but how to change it is not. For the first time, this report (Dealing with Disclosure) sets out in detail what tools governments, companies and citizens can harness to remove the shroud of secrecy that surrounds land acquisition. It takes lessons from efforts to improve transparency in other sectors and looks at what is likely to work for land. Companies should have to prove they are doing no harm, rather than communities with little information or power having to prove that a land deal is negatively affecting them.

Africa: Interview With Africa Desk Officer at the Committee to Protect Journalists

Abdoulaye Bah — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:58:37 +0000

Abdoulaye Bah (AB): First of all, who is Mohamed Keita ?

Mohamed Keita (MK): I run the Africa desk of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which is based in New-York.

AB: What are the aims of CPJ?

MK: CPJ is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization dedicated to defending press freedom worldwide since 1981. CPJ was founded by a group of eminent American journalists, including the late Walter Cronkyte and Dan Rather, to support their colleagues around the world during a period of kidnappings and murders of journalists in Lebanon and Latin America in the 1980s. CPJ cherishes its independence from any government and does not take any contributions from any state.

Logo of the Committee to Protect Journalists. Image source: http://cpj.org/.

AB: What are the African countries where freedom of expression is most at risk?

MK: Eritrea: President Isaias Afewerki brutally closed down the independent press in this Red Sea nation in a September 2001 crackdown on dissent. Since then, Isaias' information minister Ali Abdu runs and directs the propaganda machine of the state-controlled press. The government directs journalists what and how to report on. It is the African country whose prisons are holding the largest number of journalists (at least 28). All the journalists are held in secret prisons without charge or trial and without contact with their families, with many of them thought to have died in custody. Only Iran is imprisoning more journalists worldwide.

Ethiopia: In February 2011, Ethiopian police threatened to throw into prison dissident blogger Eskinder Nega if he did not stop comparing the Arab Spring uprisings to Ethiopia’s 2005 pro-democracy protests. Eskinder was arrested 9 months later on terrorism charges and faces a possible life sentence in a politicized case based on his critical online writings. Ethiopia operates sub-saharan Africa’s most extensive snd sophisticated Internet censorship infrasctructure and was ranked among CPJ’s top 10 Online Oppressors.

The government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is trailing only Eritrea in imprisonment of journalists. Almost all the journalists, including two Swedish reporters, have been charged with terrorism for reporting on opposition and rebel groups. With a series of restrictive laws, Meles' ruling EPRDF has tightned absolute grip over media licensing and regulation, the public state media and all public institutions. The independent press is limited to a handful of private newspapers and one radio station. The government also jams radio programs from Voice of America and Deutsche Welle and bans journalists’ access to the Ogaden where a rebellion is taking place. Meles' government has driven into exile the largest number of journalists in the world over the last decade.

Gambia: President Yahya Jammeh's years of intimidation of the press, a series of arson attacks on media houses, the closure of newspapers and radio stations, the unsolved murder of Deyda Hydara and the disappearance in government custody of reporter Ebrima Chief Manneh, have created a climate of terror for journalists in Gambia and forced the best journalists into exile.

Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe arrested and prosecuted a man last year for posting a political comment on Facebook. President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF has allowed only a handful of independent newspapers to operate in Zimbabwe while retaining absolute grip over media licensing and regulation and national airwaves. Journalists operate under some of the world's most restrictive security and media laws.

Equatorial Guinea: President Teodoro Obiang's grip on the oil-rich nation is based on strict control of news and information. The president and his associates control all the media outlets in the country and no journalist is able to report independently about national priorities or spending or corruption.

Rwanda: Paul Kagame justifies restrictions on the press by invoking Radio Milles Collines, which in fact was a government-sponsored radio station, not an independent station. Kagame's government also abuses laws against “genocide ideology” and “ethnic divisionism” to prosecute and jail critical journalists and opinions contradicting the official version of the 1994 genocide.

Somalia: all belligerents in Somalia's conflict target journalists who are caught in the crossfire between rival militias, warlords, government and insurgents. Somalia is the deadliest country for the press in Africa: at least 40 journalists have been killed since 1992.

South Africa: President Jacob Zuma's ruling African National Congress has faced press criticism over its record on corruption, crime and poverty. To silence the critics, the government has introduced a series of legislative proposals that would criminalize investigative journalists, including the controversial Protection of State Information Bill, which critics have called the secrecy bill. Verbal and physical intimidation of journalists, particularly by the ANC’s youth league is on the rise.

Angola: President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos and his associates of the ruling MPLA control most of Angola's media outlets and enforce censorship of news and information. only 2 newspapers and 2 radio stations were not controlled by the government. Journalists reporting about official corruption are prosecuted and given prison sentences. Security forces attacked and intimidated journalists reporting on anti-government protests by youths calling for Dos Santos to step down.

Angola and Cameroon have introduced legislative measures to combat “internet crime” but the laws punish the electronic dissemination of photos and videos of public events with prison terms.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Journalists operate at the mercy of security forces, rebel groups and powerful politicians who abuse journalists in total impunity. at least 8 journalists have been murdered since 2005 with justice falling short of solving the murders.

Ethiopia's dissident blogger Eskinder Nega. Photo courtesy of Lennart Kjörling.

AB: Bloggers from North Africa have contributed significantly to the success of revolts in the countries of North Africa. Is it conceivable that in sub-Saharan Africa bloggers play a similar role?

MK: Social media tools have become platforms for the kind of dissent that is repressed offline and they are used to organize protests offline. Some governments, such as Ethiopia, Angola, and Cameroon, are beginning to crack down on this use of the Internet, by passing laws against “cyber crime” or intimidating bloggers. In addition, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube users who are posting photos and videos from the streets using their cell phones are breaking some of the biggest news in Africa these days, and traditional media is trying to keep up with them.

AB: In Mozambique, in 2008 and 2010, well before the revolutions in the Arab world, the civil society was able to organize a demonstration against the rising cost of living using SMS. In Ghana, in 2010, citizens participated massively in constitutional review by using Facebook and mobile phones. Should these examples be regarded as exceptional cases or other similar events may occur elsewhere?

MK: Social media in the hands of young citizen journalists is fueling protest movements in Angola, Nigeria and Senegal.

The cover of CPJ

AB: What role do you attribute to social media in Africa and what are the obstacles?

MK: They have democratized news and information - making it more difficult for governments and the enemies of press freedom to keep a nation into the dark. it has created a virtual bridge between Africans in the Diaspora and those in the home countries. but the users are still largely unprepared to the dangers lurking online. Zimbabwe arrested and prosecuted a man last year for posting a political comment on Facebook. and many governments regularly demand email passwords of journalists in custody. Data security is the next challenge for journalists as more of them start to mostly work online.

AB: What can we expect from the African Union?

MK: The AU has a Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression but she works only part time and lacks the resource to do her job. AU member states still lack the political will to respect press freedom and protect journalists. Regional human rights instruments like the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African states (ECOWAS) give us hope. The court issued landmark rulings against the Gambia on cases of disappearance and torture of journalists, but the problem is enforcement.

AB: The year 2011 was difficult for the press freedom in Africa, how do you see the year 2012?

MK: Each new year brings new challenges in this battle to keep the press free. The secrecy bill in South Africa has to be defeated, because South Africa is a model of democracy and free press for the continent, and this bill threatens to undo 18 years of progress since the end of Apartheid. South Sudan, the world's newest nation, is already abusing press freedom, this is also worrying. Ethiopia and Burundi's abuse of terrorism laws to prosecute and jail critical journalists is a disturbing new trend that has to be stopped. Press freedom is on the brink of extinction in Ethiopia, Angola, Gambia and Rwanda. Niger is probably the best example of a country where press freedom has advanced.

You can follow Mohamed Keita on Twitter @africamedia_CPJ and also read his articles on CPJ blog.

Rwanda: How Free Eggs Affected Farmers

Ndesanjo Macha — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:15:16 +0000

A View From the Cave explains how free eggs for communities in Kigali, Rwanda from a church in Atlanta affected farmers: “However, the influx of eggs meant that prices suddenly dropped due to large supply of freely distributed eggs. Farmers who sold eggs in the market could no longer compete…”

Rwanda: Blogging From Rwanda

Ndesanjo Macha — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:23:43 +0000

Mpenzi2 is a blog by an East African based in Rwanda, his mission is to promote and encourage young Africans from different professional background who are making the difference to build a better Africa.

Rwanda: Online Reactions to Reduced Sentence for Genocide Mastermind

Etienne Mashuli — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 13:38:08 +0000

The Appeals Chamber at the International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda (ICTR) based in Arusha, Tanzania has reduced the sentence of Theoneste Bagosora from life to 35 years. Colonel Bagosora, often identified as the “king pin” of the Rwandan Genocide, was the director of cabinet in 1994 when the genocide against Tutsi occurred. Moreover, it is believed that he wielded the most clout on the Rwandan army during the genocide.

In his defense, Col. Bagosora claimed he was a victim of state propaganda by the current Tutsi dominated government. However, the court maintained that he had failed to use his influence to stop the 1994 slaughter. Bagosora who is aged 70 years will be 89 when his prison term ends.

At the same time, the co-accused, Anatole Nsengiyumva, got his sentence cut down to 15 years, which is the equivalence of the time he has spent in jail.

The reduction of Bagosora's sentence has been met with mixed reactions. Most Rwandans view the sentence as too lenient. President Paul Kagame added his input during the opening of the 9th National Dialogue. He stated:

It has taken them 17 years to try Bagosora a genocidaire and they tried him badly.

Adding that since the international community had failed to deliver justice, it lacked the legitimacy to question his human rights record:

Those who have failed to try genocidaires for 17 years are jokers and liars. Those who come to teach us freedoms are [the] same people letting the likes of murderers like Bagosora free.

The Newtimes, a leading newspaper in Rwanda, observed that the news was “greeted by surprise and shock” by many people including genocide survivors. Jean de Dieu Mucyo, the head of the National Commission for the Fight against Genocide, was quoted as saying:

Rwandan genocide kingpin Theoneste Bagosora. Image source: Theoneste Bagosora Facebook page.

I was shocked by the decision; it’s nothing but an insult to Genocide survivors; however, I need to read the ruling thoroughly to know the exact basis of the judgment.

Willis Shalita, a Rwandan American blogger, was similarly offended by the sentence which he described as “a mockery of justice”. He argued:

Theoneste Bagosora, Rwanda’s Himmler was arrested 15 years ago in Cameroon and later sentenced to life imprisonment for being the chief architect of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. Justice seemed to have been done then.

But now, this devil incarnate has had his sentence reduced to 35 years. With time served, Bagosora will be 89, God forbid, when he walks as a free man. Or will he?

Adding that if Bagosora is ever released it would send the “wrong message”:

The lessons about the genocide against the Tutsi keep unravelling. But this much we know : a crime against humanity was committed while the world looked on. That Bagosora can ever test freedom again sends the wrong message to those monsters who see genocide as the only means of settling political disagreements.

Ordinary Rwandans who mostly speak in Kinyarwanda expressed their views on the comment section of Igihe online newspaper.

A commentator identiffying as Mugasa wondered:

Ariko ibi si ukutwendereza ra ?

Isn't this a provocation?

Drake was equally surprised and angry:

Ndumiwe kabisa uburyo umuntu nka Bagosora wakoze amarorerwa nkariya wakabaye akatirwa burundu,umuntu wamennye ndetse akanamenesha amaraso inzirakarengane ngo yahawe mirongo itatu nitanu birenze ukwemera !

I am astonished that Bagosora who committed such unspeakable acts and spilled the blood of many innocent people, gets 35 years instead of a life sentence. It is beyond belief!

The uproar was also felt on Twitter.

@NastasyaTay: I was on his trial team. #Bagosora deserves life many times over.

@_rachelrichard: You can be a key organiser of a crime against humanity, GENOCIDE and only receive 35 years sentence. This is NOT justice. #Rwanda #Bagosora

@JMunyaneza: #ICTR,what! 35yrs for butcher #Bagosora,a man with blood of a million + innocent souls on his hands!The #Genocide master left with 20yrs in!

Before the appeal, Col. Bagosora had been sentenced to life imprisonment in 2008 for his involvement in the genocide. Moreover, he was also found responsible for the killing of ten Belgian peacekeepers by the Rwandan army at the time.

Africa: Awesome Africa

Ndesanjo Macha — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 13:21:06 +0000

Awesoma Africa is a travel series aimed at people who want to travel into Africa but do not know how to take the first step.

Rwanda: Tweeps Debate as President Kagame Eyes Third Term

Etienne Mashuli — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:15:48 +0000

Rwandan President Paul Kagame is comfortable with the debate on whether the country's constitution should be amended to allow him to run for a third term. Speaking at a press conference in Kampala, Uganda, where he had flown as the guest of honor for a local youth event, he argued that the Rwandan citizens are free to say they don't want him, but they are also free to say that they want him.

The Rwandan leader is widely credited for having put an end to the 1994 genocide that killed over 800,000 people. In recent years, human rights organizations have raised concerns over the country's deteriorating human rights record.

Rwanda President Paul Kagame. Photo released under Creative Commons (CC BY 2.0) by David Shankbone.

Rwandans activists campaigning for democracy were “chilled to the bone” by this announcement. The activists believe that President Kagame is pursuing a third term as a strategy to shield himself from future prosecution. In particular, they identify the recently released United Nations Mapping report that accuses him of war crimes against members of the Hutu ethnic group. The same report emphasized that the crimes could amount to genocide if proven in a court of law.

Analysts are also alarmed that this decision to seek another term could destabilize the Great Lakes region by leaving no option open to the Rwandan opposition other than to take up arms.

The presidential term limits debate in Rwanda is championed by internal security minister, Sheikh Musa Fazil Harerimana. Sheikh Fazil is also campaigning for the legal recognition of polygamous marriages, which are currently outlawed. President Kagame seems to agree with the Sheikh Fazil:

This Sheikh has a right to express himself and it's as if people expect me to go to this person and say ‘you shut up. Don't talk about this anymore.' No. This is not my business.

On Twitter, Ugandan journalist Timothy Kalyegira scoffed at the decision with an accompanying dose of satire:

@TimKalyegira: Thousands of tearful Rwandans will soon start narrating to world media how betrayed they will feel if Kagame does not seek a third term.

British journalist Ian Birell was equally unimpressed:

@ianbirell: People are free to say they want me to be president again, says Kagame. They're not free, of course, to say he should go…

But Ian Birell's comments immediately attracted the wrath of the Rwandan ambassador to the United Kingdom, Erneste Rwamucyo, who accused him of western paternalism:

@ErnestRwamucyo: This paternalism and ‘know it all attitude' on Africa and African leaders is not good. A pple out to be respected.

To which Mr. Birell responded:

@ianbirell: There is nothing paternalistic about supporting human rights and opposing repressive & despotic regimes

As the debate raged on, a heated exchange involving several Ugandan journalists ensued. It all started when Bob Muheebwa asked whether there were other Ugandan journalists apart from Andrew Mwenda and Alan Kasuja interested in interviewing President Kagame. The journalists wondered why Mwenda and Kasuja are never critical of President Kagame in their writings.

George Bankole's answer was more blunt. In an apparent reference to both journalists, Mwenda and Kasujja, he said:

@Snottyganda: @tijo5 Cos both hve been compromised with Cash incentives @mugumya@TimKalyegira@Gilespies@AndrewMwenda@kasujja

Giles Muhame, managing editor for the Ugandan newspaper Rolling Stone, seemed to agree:

@Gilespies: @Snottyganda What else can i add? @tijo5@mugumya@TimKalyegira@AndrewMwenda@kasujja

So did journalist Timothy Kalyegira:

@TimKalyegira: @Snottyganda@tijo5@mugumya@AndrewMwenda@kasujja Others compromised by the sheer flattery of being on casual terms with a head of state.

Andrew Mwenda maintained silence on the issue, but Allan Kasujja later denied the allegations:

@kasujja: @TimKalyegira @tijo5 @mugumya @AndrewMwenda I am amazed at how simplistic your arguments have become. Can't my motivation be justice?

Again, Timothy Kalyegira responded:

@TimKalyegira: @kasujja It can be justice. We just find it interesting, this parade of Ugandan journalists singing Kagame's praises.

Rwanda currently has a constitutional two term limits for the presidency. Each term is composed of a total of seven years, which is the longest single term in Africa. President Kagame officially assumed office in 2000 although many believe he has technically been in power since the 1994 genocide.

Rwanda: Murder of Rwandan Online Journalist Lights up the Internet

Etienne Mashuli — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:13:47 +0000

Charles Ingabire, an online Rwandan journalist and genocide survivor, is the latest victim in a series of bloody attacks targeting Rwandan journalists. Ingabire was killed in apparent execution style outside a Kampala bar on Sunday, November 30, 2011.

The attackers who were reportedly traveling in a Pajero immediately slipped away. A Ugandan police official at the crime scene stated that the victim's body had two bullet wounds (shot through his neck) and that five cartridges of a sub-machine gun were found at the crime scene.

Charles Ingabire was the editor of the Kinyarwanda-language news website Inyenyeri News.

Another journalist, Charles Rugambgage, was murdered in June 2010 in Rwanda. The car he was traveling in got sprayed with bullets as he approached his home in Kigali. According to Umuvugizi, arguably the most critical newspaper in Rwanda (now operating online after being banned), the gunman who was sentenced to ten years in jail has since been released, having served less than a year.

Rwandan online journalist Charles Ingabire. Photo courtesy of umuvugizi.com.

While the motive of Ingabire's murder is yet to be determined, it is well established that he had been a fierce critic of the Rwandan President Paul Kagame's regime. On its part, Rwanda has denied any responsibility stating that the journalist was not a well-known critic. However, several pieces published published by Ingabire were highly critical of the government.

Just before his murder, he had released an article implicating the First Lady, Janet Kagame, of corruption. In particular, the report accused the government of unfairly issuing tenders to companies linked to the First Lady. Some of the companies mentioned are Fair Construction, which reportedly gave kickbacks to Mrs. Kagame and a British company (name not mentioned) associated with former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

In the report, published a few days before his murder, he stated:

Ubutegetsi bwa Kagame bukunze kwigaragaza nk’ubutegetsi burwanya ruswa mu Rwanda, ndetse bukabyamamaza mu rwego rwo kwivuga ibigwi, ariko ibi byose ababyemera n’uko baba batazi ukuri ku isahurwa ry’umutungo wa leta ukorwa na perezida Kagame afatanyije n’umuryango we cyane umufasha we Jeanette Kagame.

Kagame's leadership likes to boasts as one that fights corruption in Rwanda, even to the extent of getting acclaimed. Those who believe this are naive about the embezzlement involving Kagame and his family, particularly his wife Jeanette.

Several organizations and exiled political parties have issued statements condemning the murder and calling for proper investigations. FDU Inkingi, the party of exiled politician Victoire Ingabire, released a statement saying:

The circumstances of his death show that he lost his precious life because of his opinions. It’s not the first time that a critic of the Rwandan government is assassinated in neighboring countries.

Rwanda National Congress (RNC), a party whose leader, Kayumba Nymawasa, survived an assassination attempt in South Africa last year also denounced the killing in a message released via the Facebook page of its coordinator, Theogene Rudasingwa:

Rwanda National Congress (RNC) condemns in the strongest terms possible, the heinous and cowardly policy of political assassination employed by President Paul Kagame to terrorize and silence all his critics and Rwandan in general. Over the years, President Paul Kagame has used assassinations, forced disappearances and imprisonment as a policy of sustaining himself in power. The Rwandan people both at home and abroad are living under a state of terror. Rwanda has become an Army with a state. It is an understatement to describe Rwanda as a police state in view of the fact that state agents arbitrary arrest, imprison and kill political opponents with impunity.

His murder has been widely discussed on Twitter, however, Paul Kagame, an avid Twitter user remained curiously quiet.

Below are a few of Twitter reactions:

@Rwandankunda: Charles Ingabire, gunned down by #Kagame's thugs yesterday had just published a report accusing Kagame's wife of corruption. #Rwanda

@jckato: no assassin will succeed in muzzling freedom of speech, RIP Charles Ingabire

@Nosa35: Mr. President, you previously told us that you respect the rule of law, but what is this murdered Rwandan journalist Charles Ingabire

@andybk82: Why are East African journalist's silent over the assassination of Charles Ingabire? Hypocrisy.

@Uburenganzira1: Government failed to protect the life of Charles Ingabire but it should now quickly investigate

@batinda123: @kagabo Hullo Frank, any reason why your paper has decided not to cover the death of Charles Ingabire? Are u the poodles of Kagame? Phew! [@Kagabo is a journalist with the New Times, a newspaper linked to the ruling party].

@mugumya: Guys thats all I had about Charles Ingabire. A journalist who attended funeral said most mourners were avoiding looking into his camera

@mugumya: Murdered #Rwanda Journo Charles Ingabire had the most weird funeral service. No Rwandan Embassy officials attended. more Spies than mourners

@Jendinda: RIP Charles Ingabire(Rwandan journalist critical to President Kagame) they have succeeded in silencing you but your work will be remembered

While most of the tweeps seemed to point the finger at the Rwandan government, a few took the official government's position:

philquin: I have seen no evidence — none, zero, nada, zip — that Charles Ingabire was, in any useful sense of the word, a journalist. #rwanda

@kagire: @mugumya You really seem to have made a judgement already.Ingabire Charles was an unknown fellow.If u are a scribe,dont rush to judgment

@Tlambert2011: That so called “political refugee” Charles Ingabire is not known by Rwandans. Don't mislead the people, let the police do its work

His murder was also widely covered by bloggers. Writing for Modern Ghana, Abbey Semuwemba, reflected on the murder of her own father, who was also journalist:

I have always admired Kagame's leadership compared to other African dictators but I think this is one of his weakest points, i.e. killing his political opponents abroad instead of calming things down. This is where Uganda's Museveni is better than him, i.e. at least, he kills some and bribes some. Killing is allegedly a last resort for Museveni, at least.

Cry for Freedom in Rwanda took issue with the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, for denying the victim's request for relocation to much safer country:

I have to say that UNHCR has a history of betraying Rwandan refugees. During my visit to Uganda in 2009, I was told that Rwandan dissidents were often denied refugee status by the agency. Some of them while bearing physical signs of torture, had been denied treatment. It seems the UNHCR still operates under the old-fashioned prism that views Kagame as the good guy. This is unfortunate since the UNHCR is mandated to protect refugees without discrimination. It defeats purpose that they would turn away a refugee faced with the threat of murder.

Liam pointed out that Kagame's reputation is increasingly being tarnished by his poor treatment of journalists:

This ambiguity and apprehension revolves around the possible –or as some would argue the likely – role of Rwandan President Paul Kagame; the one-time liberator who now rules Rwanda through tyranny and brutality, in a manner described as worse than Robert Mugabe’s.

The motive for Kagame’s involvement in the murder is clear: as editor of the anti-regime Inyenyeri news website, Ingabire has been a constant thorn in the side of the President and his cronies, leading to threats and harassment, that forced him into Uganda as a political refugee. Sustaining his online work in exile, he continued to provoke the regime, which will now certainly benefit from his demise.

Lastly, Alex Gakuru analyzed Ingabire's shooting through the frame-work of internet freedom. He argued that the Internet is proving to be a big threat to dictators all over the world. However, he added, dictators would do better by accepting criticism:

It would be far much easier, for everyone, if these rulers frightened by increasingly sophisticated social media platforms providing powerful new mass action avenues learned to accept their misgovernance criticisms and did something to fix it rather than resorting to murdering rights champions. Fomenting rebellions that likely lead to their forceful overthrows through people power. They need to realise that every assassination breeds grounds for multitudes of new online revolts which once crystallized consolidated will ungraciously hound them out of power that had got into their heads and veins.

Charles Ingabire is survived by his wife and a five month old baby.

African Bloggers React To UNESCO's Admission Of Palestine

Patricia Worth — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 14:44:19 +0000

[All links lead to French language pages except when otherwise noted]

The admission of Palestine as a full member of UNESCO on 31 October 2011 has prompted an intense debate, with people taking very different stands. Africans from the continent as well as the diaspora have also taken an active part in the debate online. However, whether they agreed or disagreed with Palestine's admission to UNESCO, the different sides have often projected the debate onto the internal problems of their own countries.

UNESCO admits Palestine. Photo by Salaam Shalom on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

The site ouestaf.com reveals which African countries abstained from voting:

Trois pays ouest africains figurent dans le lot des abstentionnistes : Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Togo. Ils constituent avec le Cameroun, l’Ouganda, la Zambie et le Rwanda les seuls pays africains à n’avoir pas voté en faveur de la résolution faisant de Palestine un Etat membre à part entière de l’Unesco.

Three West African countries figure among the non-voters: Ivory Coast, Liberia and Togo. With Cameroon, Uganda, Zambia and Rwanda, these three are the only African countries to have voted against the resolution to make Palestine a full member state of UNESCO.

Each of the countries that chose to abstain gave its official reasons, which bloggers then quickly tore apart. The site amaizo.info published an article giving valid reasons for most of the countries:

En réalité, ces pays ont en commun d’assurer une partie de leur sécurité rapprochée jusqu’au niveau des gardes présidentielles avec Israël sans compter les aides économiques.

Ces « neutralistes » se cachent derrière l’obligation de réserve au lieu d’expliquer qu’ils sont tous directement ou indirectement tributaires du soutien des pays qui ne veulent pas entendre parler d’un Etat Palestinien pour le moment. Nommons Israël, les Etats-Unis, le Canada et la Colombie, etc. La France a voté en faveur de l’adhésion de la Palestine à l’UNESCO, mais annonce qu’elle s’abstiendra au Conseil de Sécurité.

In reality, these countries have a common purpose in ensuring part of their security, up to the level of presidential guards, with Israel, not counting economic aid.

The ‘neutral ones' hide behind the duty to preserve secrecy, instead of explaining that they are all directly or indirectly dependent on the support of countries that, for the moment, don't want to hear about a Palestinian state. Just to name some: Israel, the United States, Canada, Colombia etc. France voted in favour of Palestine joining UNESCO, but announced that it would abstain from the Security Council.

Explaining the position of Ivory Coast, the only African country run by a Muslim president to have opted for abstention, S. Débailly writes in an article entitled “Palestine in UNESCO / Ivory Coast abstains from voting - Why Alassane Ouattara didn't say yes to Nicolas Sarkozy”, published by abidjan.net:

Une source au ministère d’Etat, ministère des Affaires étrangères reconnaît que la pression a été forte. Mais, ajoute-t-elle, elle est restée fidèle à sa nouvelle ligne de conduite dictée par la recherche de la paix par la négociation et la volonté de préserver les amitiés avec tous les Etats du monde. Un peu comme la philosophie diplomatique du père fondateur [Félix Houphouët-Boigny], à savoir : ‘’la Côte d’Ivoire, amie de tous, ennemie de personne’’.

A source in the state ministry, the Foreign Affairs ministry, acknowledges that the pressure has been strong. But, she adds, Ivory Coast has remained faithful to her new line of conduct dictated by the search for peace through negotiation and the desire to preserve friendships with all the world's governments. A bit like the diplomatic philosophy of the founding father (Félix Houphouët-Boigny), that is, “Ivory Coast, friend of all, enemy of no one”.

But Roch Tieh, a resident of Sétif in Morocco, commenting on that article, has quite a different explanation, more personal, for President Abdourahmane Dramane Ouattara (ADO):

Loin de partager l'avis de la plupart des frères qui sont intervenus sur ce sujet, j'ai une autre vision de la chose. Je risque de choquer certains, mais pour ceux qui me voient souvent prendre position pour ADO, je dirai ici (Sans en avoir la preuve) que le vote de notre Pays a été influencé, par la Première Dame (Que je respecte beaucoup). Elle serait d'origine Juive et donc comme le dit l'Agade: Ce qui Femme veut, DIEU le veut aussi. Notre Président a demandé que notre Pays s'abstienne, si on ne peut pas voter pour l'adhésion de la Palestine à l'Unesco, il faut rester neutre. C'est sage de sa part et il n'y a pas de Palabres inutiles à la maison.

Far from sharing the advice of most of the brothers who intervened on this subject, I have a different view of things. I risk shocking some people, but for those who see me often taking a stand for ADO, I will say here (without having any proof) that our country's vote was influenced by the First Lady (for whom I have a lot of respect). She would be of Jewish origin, thus as Agade says: What Woman wants, GOD also wants. Our president asked that our country abstain; if we cannot vote for Palestine to become a member of UNESCO, we must remain neutral. For his part, it's wise; there'll be no endless, useless discussions at home.

A story written by Alain Noah Awana of the journal Le Messager (The Messenger) on cameroon-info.net agrees with the previous analysis on why Cameroon also abstained:

Joint sur son téléphone portable alors qu'il se trouvait à Paris, le Pr. Messanga Nyamding donne les trois raisons qui, selon lui, ont poussé le Cameroun sur la voie de l'abstention….En filigrane, on peut comprendre que le pays a choisi la neutralité pour ne pas attirer les foudres de la communauté internationale, notamment celles des Etats-Unis. Deuxièmement, il se pourrait que le Cameroun ait voulu éviter de «frustrer» un pays ami. Là, le professeur parle d'Israël, qui était formellement opposé à l'admission de la Palestine à l'Unesco. «Le Cameroun a de très bonnes relations avec Israël, sur les plans économique et militaire. C'est un partenaire privilégié que nous n'avons pas voulu frustrer», argue-t-il. Enfin, et c'est la troisième raison, la position du Cameroun tient lieu du fait que c'est un pays très attaché aux groupes du tiers monde et des non alignés. «Nous avons donc choisi la voie du milieu, en attendant qu'il y ait visibilité. Et c'est d'ailleurs ce que le chef de l'Etat a toujours prôné», appuie-t-il.

Calling from his mobile phone while he was in Paris, Professor Messanga Nyamding gave three reasons which, according to him, drove Cameroon along the abstention path … It is implicit that we understand that this country chose neutrality in order not to attract angry responses from the international community, particularly the United States. Secondly, it might be that Cameroon wanted to avoid ‘frustrating' a friendly country. Here, the professor is talking about Israel, which was formally opposed to admitting Palestine to UNESCO. “Cameroon has very good relations with Israel, on economic and military levels. It's a special relationship that we don't want to trample on,” he argues. Finally, the third reason is that Cameroon's position is a substitute for the fact that it's a country that's very attached to third world and non-aligned groups. “So we have chosen the middle road, while waiting for things to become clearer. And this is, may I add, what the head of state has always advocated,” he insists.

These explanations don't seem to convince Massaknowall, who makes the following remarks in the comment section:

La garde rapprochée de Biya est formée par les israëliens ceci explique peut-être cela tout simplement

Biya's bodyguard is composed of Israelis; perhaps this might be a simpler explanation.

In a comment on a story by Justin Daboné, entitled “Palestine in UNESCO: Those American anti-democrats”, which appeared on the online site for L'Observateur Paalga in Burkina Faso, a reader named Osiris wrote, addressing President Obama:

vous devez user de votre influence pour amener les durs d' Israel à mettre un peu d'eau dans leurs vins§ beaucoup d'Israeliens ont payé de leur vie et idem pour les palestiniens ! Il est temps de donner un état à ce peuple.

You have to use your influence to bring the tough guys from Israel to put a little water in their wine. A lot of Israelis have paid with their life and ditto for the Palestinians! It's time to give this people a state.

Clive Chanda finds another reason for Zambia's abstention [en]:

… in 1991, several Jewish Rabbis, came to Zambia, and held a press conference at one of the top hotels in Lusaka, I forget which one. At this conference, they said that God Almighty had told them that there was a lost tribe of Jews in northern Zambia.

Another comment by Yambayamba published on zambianwatchdog.com draws conclusions [en] which sum up the point of view of many Africans:

Palestinians have suffered long enough. Telling Israel this truth does not mean, or should it ever be interpreted as being ANTI JEWISH. Good friends tell friends the truth. Sometimes truth is hard to hear, but it is the truth nonetheless. Because for how long are the Israelis going to sustain the current existing “status quo” between them and their neighbors, the Palestinians? The earlier they deal with this issue, the less physical and psychological damage it is going to cause to future generations in that part of the world.

Protecting African Forests: Wangari Maathai's Legacy

Lova Rakotomalala — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 09:46:19 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Forest Focus: Amazon.

Wangari Maathai, a prominent Kenyan environmental and political activist and 2004 Nobel prize winner passed away on September 25, 2011. She was the first African woman to be awarded the prize and is recognized worldwide as the leading figure in the fight to protect the environment through sustainable actions on African continent. She was also part of the jury at the World Future Council Award this past week.

Wangari Maathai. Image under CC License from Wikipedia.

The council has selected Rwanda and Gambia as the winners of an award for best forest policies in 2011. The awards also highlighted the US Lacey Act amendment of 2008 which prohibits all trade in wood and plant products that are knowingly illegally sourced. The Lacey Act has already had a major impact in curbing down the illegal logging of rosewood from Madagascar's rainforests.

Other African nations have also done remarkably well in protecting their environment in the face of increasing threats from climate change.

Rwanda

Rwanda was awarded the prize for their continued effort in reversal in the trend of declining forest cover. The philosophy behind the prioritizing of reforestation is explained as follows [fr] on afrik.com:

Les experts disent que le transfert de propriété des terres et des ressources aux communautés locales est un moyen de sortir de la tragédie des biens communs, [..] Le gouvernement est actuellement en train de mettre en oeuvre une stratégie de développement économique et de réduction de la pauvreté qui considère l’inversion de la déforestation comme un facteur crucial dans la réduction de la pauvreté, et a fixé l’objectif d’augmenter la couverture forestière du pays de 30 pour cent d’ici à 2020. La couverture forestière a déjà augmenté de 37 pour cent depuis 1990.

Experts argue that the transfer of land properties and resources to local communities is an important channel to exit the tragedy of commons […] the government is currently putting in place a strategy for economic development and poverty reduction that regards reforestation as crucial factor in poverty reduction and sets as a goal to increase the forest area of the country by 30% from now to 2020. The forest cover has already increased by 37% since 1990.

Gambia

Tree in Gambia by Guillaume Colin on Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

The Gambia’s Community Forest Policy is the other African nation recipient of the first Silver award. Eduardo Rojas Briales, assistant director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, explains:

The success of the Gambia's Community Forest Policy proves that even in the world's poorest countries, with the right policies and adequate legislation in place rural populations can benefit economically and significantly improve their food security. In Gambia the innovative policy included forest tenure transition from state ownership to management by local communities, which enabled them to reduce illegal logging and benefit from using the forest products.[..] Gambia has managed to buck a strong deforestation trend in Africa with over 350 villages managing twelve percent of the country’s forests, with a net increase in forest cover of 8.5 percent over the last two decades.

Madagascar

The institutional measures with the most successful impact with protecting the endangered rain forest of Madagascar can be credited to the US Lacey Act amendment of 2008 which prohibits all trade in wood and plant products that are knowingly illegally sourced.

Illegal logging of Madagascar rosewood has plagued conservation effort for several years. This trafficking has increased at an alarming rate since the political crisis of 2009, as explained previously on in these interviews and in this report.

Why is the Lacey Act effective in having an impact across borders ? Tewolde Berhan Egziabher, director general of Environmental Protection Authority in Ethiopia explains:

The strength of the Act lies in its ability to target and place responsibility on every stage of the timber supply chain. It has forced importers to take responsibility for their wood products and has already produced positive results in increasing due diligence assessments and demand for certified wood products.

This Act has also been critical in protecting the endangered species of lemurs in the the Malagasy rain forest, most notably the silky Sifaka:

Trouble in Lemur Land from Erik R Patel on Vimeo.

The Lacey Act has also indirectly created a small diplomatic incident between France and the United States, when the First Lady Michelle Obama gifted a Gibson guitar to the model/singer and France's first lady Carla Bruni [fr]. Malagasy blogger Avylavitra explains the incident [mg]:

Fa ny tena anton-dresaka eto dia ny fanomezana nomen’ny vadin’ny filoha Amerikana, Michelle Obama ho an’i Carla Bruni, vadin’ny filoha frantsay Sarkozy, nandritra ny vovonan’ny OTAN tany Strasbourg tamin’ny taona 2009. Gitara Gibson no natolony tamin’izay fotoana izay, vita avy amin’ny hazo Andramena, hazo sarobidy voarara ny famoahana azy avy aty Madagasikara,

What really got people talking was the fact that the gift that American first lady Michelle Obama gave Sarkozy's wife Carla Bruni at the NATO meeting in Strasbourg, France in 2009. The Gibson guitar is made of rosewood, a type of precious wood that is protected from commercial endeavors in Madagascar.

Senegal

Protecting forests also means fighting back the desertification across the African continent due to climate change. The Green Great Wall (GGW) initiative is a transcontinental project, under the umbrella of Community of the Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) and the African Union that strives to be a multi-species vegetal belt 15 km wide that will link Dakar and Djibouti and stretch over a distance of about 7000 km.

The Sécheresse/Désertification blog explains in further detail the implications of project [fr]:

Entre 2006 et 2007, quatre mille hectares soit environ sept kilomètres d’arbres ont déjà été plantés sur le tracé sénégalais de la Grande Muraille Verte. en 2008, l’Etat plantera des arbres sur une superficie de deux mille hectares dans la région de Louga. Ces végétaux sélectionés et adaptés au territoire, seront boisés en bloc contrairement aux plantations déjà existantes qui sont cultivées de façon discontinue [..] La muraille traversera le Sénégal, la Mauritanie, le Mali, le Burkina Faso, le Niger, le Nigeria, le Soudan, l’Erythrée et finira à Djibouti [..] Le professeur Dia a annoncé que la désertification a fait perdre au Sénégal près de deux millions d’hectares de terres arables.

In 2006-07, 4000 hectares, i.e 7 kilometers of trees were planted on the Senegalese trace of the Great Green Wall. In 2008, the State will also plant 2,000 hectares in the Louga region. The selected plants are adapted to the territory and will be grown in block as opposed to the existing parsimonious vegetation [..] The Wall will cross Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Eritrea and will end in Djibouti [..] Professor Dia states that desertification has already caused the loss of 2 millions hectares of arable lands in Senegal

The legacy of Wangari Maathai will live on with all the measures taken by each African nation. Her message to the world was that we collectively need to make sure that the challenge of desertification is being met heads on and to realize that local communities must be an integral part of this challenge.

This post is part of our special coverage Forest Focus: Amazon.

Rwanda: Bloggers' Reaction to Victoire Ingabire’s Trial

Etienne Mashuli — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:40:41 +0000

The trial of Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire resumed on Monday 5 September, 2011. An outspoken critic of President Paul Kagame’s leadership, Ingabire is accused of collaborating with terrorist organizations, forming an armed group with the aim of destabilizing the country. For seventeen years, Ingabire was exiled in the Netherlands but remained politically active among the Rwandan Diaspora.

She returned to Rwanda in January 2010 to run for the presidential election. However, she was unable to contest as her party was denied accreditation.

Victoire Ingabire, Rwandan politician and the Chairperson of the Unified Democratic Forces. Photo source: Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza for President Facebook page.

A few months prior to the elections, she was arrested and has been in detention since then. She was earlier arraigned in court in May but her trial was postponed to allow the defense to translate 2500 pages of documents used by the prosecutor from Kinyarwanda to English. She denies all the charges which she claims are politically motivated. Blogging at Democracy Watch, Susan Thomson bemoans the government’s interference with Ingabire’s prosecution and is concerned that the international community will remain silent:

Yet, on Twitter, the Government of Rwanda has declared victory in the case, stating that it (not the prosecution) has documents to prove her ties to ‘terrorist' groups in the region, and thus her guilt. Nice to see the government being *this* transparent on its interference in the judicial system. I wonder what diplomats resident in Kigali might have to say on this. My guess is a muted response, particularly since President Kagame recently called international justice two-faced in reaction to the denial of visitors visas for several members of his delegation to France (or at least the timing of his reaction suggests as such).

Since parts of the charges are based on a poorly defined genocide ideology law, Susan is skeptical that justice will be met:

What I think we are looking at is not justice, but rather fodder for Kagame's duplicitous actions vis-a-vis international criticism of his regime. Indeed, Ingabire's trial corresponds to continued demands from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and others to revise and update the genocide ideology and ethnic divisionism laws.

Victoire Ingabire in handcuffs. Photo source: Free-Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza Facebook page.

On his part, Kigali blogger Sunny Ntayombya welcomes the trial, which he sees as an opportunity to silence international criticism. But he is almost convinced of Ingabire’s guilt:

I was getting tired of reading about her unfair imprisonment in ‘maximum security’ on the Internet. For too long she seemed like a victim that was being unfairly harassed by the State, but now that the case has begun, finally, people will have the opportunity to learn why she’s been in prison for almost a year now.

Dismissing the criticism that Rwandan courts lack judicial independence, Sunny hopes that Ingabire’s trial will vindicate his opinion:

Various ‘experts’ in all things Rwandan had immediately deemed the charges “politically motivated” without even analyzing the merits of the case. Opening the case to the full scrutiny of the general public was a masterful stroke by the Judiciary because it will force people to acknowledge the facts of the case. I’m not saying that the judges will necessarily agree with the Prosecution, that is their prerogative; however, the Prosecution will be given the opportunity to state the facts as they see them. And the defense will be also given the opportunity to dismiss these facts. I think that it’s important that this judicial process be seen as transparent, not just for the benefit of our foreign detractors, but to the general public as well. They must feel that the process is free, fair and transparent.

For Ambrose Nizeyimana, Victoire Ingabire is an icon of the struggle for democracy in Rwanda. Ambrose wants the British aid agency, DFID, to take a tougher stance against the Rwandan regime which he accuses of committing “despite an unspeakable record of crimes”:

The Rwandan government budget is today kept afloat with £83 millions from Britain each year. More than 50% of its budget is financed by donors despite an unspeakable record of crimes Paul Kagame is officially accused of by Spanish and French Judges, and UN through in its Mapping Report published on 1/10/10. Not reviewing and changing completely current approach of UK government towards recurrent abuses of human rights and freedom of speech by the Rwandan government look today as a sign of deplorable indifference for the thousands of Rwandan victims. While dictatorial regimes on the African continent are forced out for political change, it will positively be appreciated if the UK government disassociates itself immediately from regimes which are at the wrong side of African history.

Rwanda: Interacting With the Tweeting President

Gershom Ndhlovu — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 11:20:05 +0000

My Twitter timeline boasts of one of Britain’s richest entrepreneurs, Lord Alan Sugar, rapper 50cent and CNN’s Piers Morgan, but receiving a response from a president of a promising African country is just staggering, even to an experienced journalist and blogger like me.

The problem with celebrities like Lord Sugar usually called Shugs by his followers on Twitter, Morgan called Piersy by his army of followers and 50cent with his overly ambitious project to feed one billion Africans (literally the entire population of the continent) in the next five years, is that they rarely, if ever, respond to tweets.

Paul Kagame: Rwanda's tweeting President. Photo source: Kagame's Twitter account.

A few days ago, just as a joke and coming from a cautionary position of the number of fake and spoof Twitter and other social media accounts of celebrities and famous people, I responded to a tweet which mentioned Rwandan president Paul Kagame to which I did not expect a response from him. If anything, the response I expected was to come from the original poster.

Admittedly, it was a banal exchange on why he carries a whole range of gadgets from an iPod to a Blackberry to an iPad which more or less serve the same purpose.

The exchange went thus:

@RobertAlai:

@paulkagame uses iPad 2, BlackBerry Torch and an iPod. #Mindspeak

I responded:

@RobertAlai: @paulkagame uses iPad 2, BlackBerry Torch and an iPod. #Mindspeak” I thought an iPad had an iPod provision. Lol.

It is the next few tweets coming from Paul Kagame, whose bio simply states, “President of the Republic of Rwanda, write to: paulkagame@gov.rw” also giving his website as http://www.paulkagame.com, that surprise me. Apparently, he writes in conversational style with one tweet running into the next and so on:

@PaulKagame:

@GNdhlovu. But one was obtained long after the other…and have the freedom to use one as I want even if in some aspects they may serve same

@PaulKagame:

@GNdhlovu …purpose! There are definately some overlaps on all of them….how u use them is your bizness!

@PaulKagame:

@GNdhlovu. And have difrnt convinient uses too…!

I responded before I saw his timeline to show that he has actually been talking about why he uses all these gadgets:

@GNdhlovu:

@PaulKagame: @GNdhlovu. And have difrnt convinient uses too…!” Agreed HE [His Exellency]. The ipod fits in the pocket nicely. Tx for rspnse.

Upon realising that since the topic is on iPods/iPads, I then quickly followed it up with a question on the type of music on his iPod to which, unfortunately, he has not responded–yet.

@GNdhlovu:

@PaulKagame As a matter of interest HE, what type of music is on yr iPod & who r yr most popular musicians on it? Any Rwandan acts on it?

Going through President Kagame’s timeline, it appears that he engages in regular exchange with other netizens on a wide range of subjects. For instance, in the exchange below in what seems to be a question on the Rwandan economy, he elaborated how his government has been going about improving the economy.

@PaulKagame:

@ramaisibo. Both procedure and outcome are important-better to get both right-if one was to turn out not so good it shdnt be the outcome!!

He brought his Minister for Finance into the discussion:

@MinFinanceRw. Tell him more abt how strategy has started bearing fruit as well-bcse export earnings have grown steadily! I would have..

@PaulKagame:

@MinFinanceRw …expected frm @ramaisibo more in terms of ideas (contributing to a solution) than asking the kind of question, tho !

@PaulKagame:

@ramaisibo. I am wondering whether this debate between ppl like u is helpful in this way it being done!!!! If @ramaisibo lacked forum ..

@PaulKagame:

@ramaisibo ..in which to express his ideas-I would understand! I am sure u will only end up going back and forth w/out much else…!!

@PaulKagame:

@ramaisibo …years has been on a v.sound footing! Inflation being also lowest in the region and beyond,if u may not kno! So,really I am ..

@PaulKagame:

@ramaisibo …only advising that there is a better way of contributing to the debate(that has alwz been there all along)!!!

Kagame’s Twitter exchange with netizens is surely innovative and puts him far ahead of his contemporary African leaders who are, at best, unreachable by the majority of citizens and, at worst, they just don’t bother listening to their citizens, let alone netizens regardless of whether or not they are their citizens.

On May 5, 2011, Paul Kagame became the first African leader to be interviewed on YouTube World View. Early this year, a Kenyan blogger based in Rwanda invited Paul Kagame via Twitter to visit children at The Ibirunga Tennis Court in Musanze Town. President Kagame replied to the tweet and ended up visiting them.

Paul Kagame Twitter account displays a “Verified Badge”. Twitter uses verification system to establish the authenticity of identities of Twitter users.

Africa: LGBTI Rights in Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi

Ndesanjo Macha — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:40:45 +0000

Learn about LGBTI rights in Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi from a paper written by Naome Ruzindana. Naome is a feminist and founding member of the Coalition of African Lesbians.

Rwanda: Through the Eyes of Hope

Ndesanjo Macha — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 09:35:20 +0000

Yolande interviews Linda Smith, a photojournalist based in Rwanda, who is the founder of the “Through the Eyes of Hope” (TEOH) Project: “In a tiny, dimly lit room in Mayange, Linda is instructing five students on the “Cards of Hope” postcard project. The students are all boys who have been with the project for the last four years and range in age from 13 to 18 years old.”

Africa: Following TED Fellows

Ndesanjo Macha — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:45:39 +0000

Emeka follows TED Fellows around Africa: “…Alexandra Graham, cofounder of Lagray Chemicals, the first vertically integrated pharmaceutical manufacturing company in West Africa; Mohammed Bah Abba, innovator behind the pot-in-pot cooling device;Ainea Kimaro, biogas evangelist, whose work has reached from Rwanda to Tanzania; and Segeni Ngethe, founder of Kenyan e-commerce pioneer Mama Mikes…”