'master of disinformation'

In March of this year, I was publicly denounced as a "master of disinformation" by the Rwandan Ambassador to Canada. He was speaking to a group of graduate students and faculty at Dalhousie University in Halifax when he mentioned my work as "very dangerous" and "not to be tolerated". After much to-ing and fro-ing with the Rwandan Embassy in Ottawa, I decided to stop posting for a while... My research on Rwanda relies heavily on the voices and perspectives of ordinary Rwandans and I wanted to put some distance between the comments of the Ambassador, and my work. So, I feel now like enough time has passed and I can get back to blogging.

In the interests of transparency, I have made most of my written work, whether draft or final form, available on my website. I would be interested in hearing from others out there who have had concerns about the impact of their research on local communities and the individuals who live there...

That said, onto the criticism. Rwanda recently celebrated its 13th independence day. So called because it is the day that the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) took state power after it had successfully stopped the 1994 genocide on 1 July 1994. The Arusha Accords were to guide the transition period, and the RPF was much heralded for its instrumental role in stopping the killing.

In 1998, the RPF embarked on a programme of national unity that was designed to promote "one Rwanda for all Rwandans" and do away with once-and-for-all the divisive ethnic policies of the past. While President Kagame and his crew work the international community, selling Rwanda as a beacon of stability and prosperity in the troubled Great Lakes Region of Africa, the treatment of domestic actors has gone unnoticed, and as a result, unchallenged, by the international community. International donors, and investors, all laud Rwanda as an example of what can be done to transform a state from war to peace. The economy continues to grow at an estimated 8% per year, reconciliation and national unity are the basis of social programmes, HIV/AIDS treatment is "widely available" and the country is secure and stable.

In practice, the economy is fueling growth in the centre (read, Kigali) and for urban, educated, elites. Poverty continues to deepen as food insecurity grows. Reconciliation and national unity are but catch-phrases for an international community all-too-willing to participate in turning around a country that was "shattered" by genocide. Local elites determine who reconciles with whom on orders from central government offices. Authentic reconciliation and national unity are light-years away. HIV/AIDS is touching the lives of most Rwandans through their dense family and community ties. Only those individuals who can get to a government-sponsored health clinic can receive care; and care is decided on the basis of who did what during the genocide. Female survivors, rightfully I think, receive the lion's share; but what of other Rwandans? HIV/AIDS treatment is contingent on social networks and political alliances.... The security and prosperity of Rwanda is urban-centric. Insecurity of all types prevails in the hillsides, where 90% of Rwandans eek out a subsistence existence.

This disconnect is further reinforced by recent glowing comments about Rwandan in "Vanity Fair". Quincy Jones goes so far as to say that Rwandan President Paul Kagame is one of his heros. Celebrity accolades are far of the mark in this case.