Urugwiro Village — President Paul Kagame, on Tuesday evening, hosted a group of 18 students from Harvard Kennedy School, at Urugwiro Village.
The students have been in the country for the last 10 days, getting a first-hand account of Rwanda’s remarkable transformation journey.
During their stay, the students interacted with top government officials, who also explained to them Rwanda’s economic reconstruction and how the country has improved her business climate, among other issues.
The students also attended the eighth National Dialogue that ended Tuesday, and visited various public institutions and private entities.
Speaking to The New Times after meeting the President, Angelique Kantengwa, a Rwandan student at the Kennedy School said that the experience was worthwhile.
“When I reached at Harvard, I met many people who were curious about Rwanda,” she said.
“There are very many stories about our country outside there, some of which are negative, so I seized this opportunity to bring these students so that they can meet the Rwandan people, and the President and hear (Rwanda’s story) from him, by themselves,” she said, adding that they were going to be ambassadors when they go back.
In an interview, Mark Tracy, a member of the delegation said that Rwanda as a country, its people and President Kagame have taught them many lessons that they are eager to take to their own countries when they go back.
“Frankly speaking, the portrayal of Rwanda in the Western press does not equal what we have seen here, so we are very enthusiastic about becoming ambassadors and taking the message back to our countries,” he said.
Tracy also lauded the progress that the country has made in as far as unity and reconciliation is concerned.
“It is so humbling to see the progress that has been made on such a difficult process like reconciliation,” he said, adding that hearing first hand testimonies from survivors of the Genocide against the Tutsi was so meaningful.
“To hear such things directly from people who experienced the Genocide is just stunning and the whole world has a lesson to learn.”
Kantengwa said that she hopes to have more students from Harvard coming to Rwanda as a way of building a lasting relationship between the University and Rwanda, which could probably pave way for bigger projects like having a branch of the University in Rwanda.
TIA: This is Africa
“TIA” is an expression most often used by people from the United States who work in Africa. Typically, it is used to describe a situation that did not go as planned. Jacqueline Muna Musiitwa, contributor to Thought Leader and friend of Bridge2Rwanda, assigns new meaning to “TIA” to describe wonder-filled events and achievements with enthusiasm, amazement and enduring hope.
“TIA — This is Africa” by Jacqueline Muna Musiitwa
“This is Africa” (TIA) is used in the context of what is perceived to be “African” versus “unAfrican”. For this article, unAfrican includes, but is not limited to, systems that work, clean places and timeliness. African, however, is dirty, tardy and disorganised. Even though I surround myself with Afro-optimists, I have never heard TIA used in a positive context. As such, it perpetuates negative stereotypes of Africa. TIA is used by Africans and non-Africans alike but the tones are sometimes different. For non-Africans it is said with a certain nostalgia of home and worse yet an acceptance of Africa as a place to survive to tell the tale of a unique adventure endured. Africans say it with a sense of jest or a degree of resignation of the current state of affairs. For the Africans who travel beyond the continent, there is a certain longing for their country to morph into whatever country they have been to. This makes me envious of those who have not travelled as they do not miss what they have never experienced, that is no longer the case.
Africa isn’t dirty, it’s charming
Rwanda in many ways defies the TIA phenomenon. Rwanda like many other African countries had a history of many things considered African. But the current government is changing that. For instance, visitors to Kigali express shock that, “Kigali is so clean”. Why should it be such a shock that an African city is clean? In fact, Rwanda is now leading a continental campaign for sanitation. Contrast New York City to Kigali or other African cities. Some parts of NYC are much dirtier than the downtown areas of Cape Town or Harare (yes, even Robert Mugabe tries to keep his capital clean). Those not mortified by trash, mould, rats, sometimes the smell of urine in the subway system and sometimes graffiti-laden buildings consider NYC charming. There is no charm in disease-laden critters!
Organised chaos is still a form of organisation
Visitors to Rwanda also express shock at the general sense of “organisation”. The motorways in some African cities tend to give the faint of heart an experience that leaves them groaning; not Kigali. Kigali streets are limited to vehicles and motorcycles (where both passengers and drivers are required to wear helmets). Further, the drive from Kigali’s airport to the city centre is laced with palm trees, new shiny buildings, non-potholed roads and without beggars or touts (other than those representing MTN or Tigo). The ever-present traffic police impose bribe-free fines. Kigali has its share of chaos, it is just organised.
Cities are ‘the real Africa’
I often wonder what people mean when they say they want to see “the real Africa”. Is it the Discovery Channel picture of a lion chasing an antelope or slum dog voyeurism of a big-bellied child with a fly on its mouth sitting next to an open sewer? Sometimes when those seeking authentic African experiences go to African cities, they quickly protest saying they did not go to Africa to have indoor plumbing and electricity. They want to live as Africans do. News brief: Africans have indoor plumbing and electricity (not all, but the number is increasing). In fact, Rwanda aims to be 50% electrified by 2017. Bottom line is, bush and poverty alone do not define Africa. According to the United Nations, by 2050, 67% of the African population will be urban and modernisation will have taken place. Good luck finding “the real Africa” then.
‘African time’
African time is the stereotype that Africans are never punctual. It is a peculiar feature of African time that one can set up an appointment and show up late, if at all. Count yourself lucky to be contacted the next day to reschedule, but punctuality is still in question. These situations happen in Rwanda too, but in my experience considerably less than in other African countries. The notion of African time is an excuse made up by the irresponsible and incompetent trying to justify their lack of respect for others. There are people who turn up late all over the world yet no one accepts it as normal. Why are low performance standards accepted and even expected in Africa?
TIA indeed
Despite pre-existing stereotypes, Africa is quickly changing and the notion of TIA is hampering people’s mental progress of these changes. How can you expect change to happen when you constantly repeat a vote of no confidence by expecting the worst or expressing shock when the worst does not happen? Furthermore, it is unrealistic to make blanket assumptions about the continent. Despite the human need for even a little morbidity, it is high time we redefined our mental frame of reference to acknowledge the positive of TIA.