Paul Kagame
On October 23, 1957, Paul Kagame was born in the southern part of Rwanda. He was the last of six children, born to Deogratias Kagame and Asteria Rutagambwa Kagame. Paul‟s parents were both Tutsis with royal connections. Two years later, Paul‟s life almost ended along with that of the rest of the family. The story goes back to an earlier time.
For centuries, the Tutsi and the Hutu lived in peace with each other, even worshipping together. You wouldn't think they were from different ethnic groups. Both tribes appear to be of Bantu extraction. I‟ll say a word later on stereotypical physiognomy. Things changed in the twentieth century when Belgium took control of the nation, convincing the Hutu that they were different from and better than the Tutsi and should dominate them. The solution was elimination of the latter. It was similar to two brothers who loved each and got along well but were convinced by a friend that that should fight one another.
On November 3, 1959, the onslaught began. Three days later, the Hutus death squads set out to reach the Kagame home and kill them. The project was called Hutu emancipation. Queen Rosalie Gicanda was the cousin of Paul‟s mother and aware of what was happening, so she sent over the royal chauffeur. Soon Asteria, two young sons and three daughters were in the car, away from danger and driven to the royal palace. The Kagames stayed there for a few days and then returned home, but not for long. Eventually they headed north to a place near Uganda and then crossed the border and were reunited with Deogratias. They were refugees from Rwanda along with many others.
Growing up, Paul was a good student, earning a place at the Ntare School, a prestigious secondary place of learning in Uganda. Being in the refugee camp was discouraging, but it was there Paul met Fred Rwigyema and they became close friends. People who saw them may have felt they were brothers. Once at Ntare, Paul changed. His schoolwork suffered and he fought others constantly, even those bigger than he was. Deogratias despaired as well and died when Paul was only fifteen, affecting his son deeply, as did Fred‟s moving away suddenly. Paul was suspended from the Ntare School and then attended the Old Kampala Secondary School, graduating in 1976. He saw a few opportunities for further training, but was discriminated against because he was Tutsi. One thing you could say about him was that he was determined and didn't give up under any circumstances. In 1977 and 1978, Kagame secretly visited Rwanda, visiting family and friends and learning as much as he could about what was happening in his homeland. This would help him later.
I‟m sure his spirits were uplifted in 1978 when Rwigyema returned to Uganda. During the time he was away, Fred became a part of the Yoweri Museveni army, which planned on overthrowing Idi Amin, which it did in time. The old friends aligned with Museveni along with other refugees and Paul traveled to Tanzania, where he learned the art of espionage. Museveni lost a disputed election to the incumbent, Milton Obote, and he and his group left the government, forming the National Resistance Army (NRA) in 1981. Their aim was to overthrow Obote‟s government, which culminated in the Ugandan Bush War. Kagame and Rwigyema also hoped to eventually return to Rwanda with other refugees. The NRA captured the capital city of Kampala in 1986 with 14,000 soldiers.
The next project was reclaiming their homeland. The two had joined the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), with the assault to begin on October 1, 1990. Paul was in the United States at Fort Leavenworth, so Fred led the charge into Rwanda. Being overseas, Paul called a few times but couldn‟t reach his friend. He tried again and eventually learned that Fred had been shot in the head and killed in the first week of the war, perhaps even by his own commander. The RPF was disheartened to lose their leader and was forced to retreat. Paul soon took over, but not before regrouping. They went into the Virunga Mountains and were protected against Rwanda troops, which had been enhanced by the French and Zaire. In the beginning of 1991, the RPF launched an attack on Ruhengeri and later began guerrilla warfare for a year and a half until there was talk of a possible peace settlement. That failed but in August 1993, a deal was worked out at the Arusha Accords. The United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force arrived to help matters, but they were as much use as a bucket full of holes being used to bail out a sinking boat.
Historical accounts talk of the Rwanda Genocide as encompassing a three-month period beginning in April 1994. It was probably started when the plane carrying President Juvenal Habyarimana and Burundi President Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down on April 6. Some may have forgotten what had begun in November 1959, indicating that the genocide went on for decades, not just 100 days. Those killed were men, women and children, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. They were Tutsi and Hutu and it seemed that no one was safe unless you had a weapon. Those killing the people were made up of the political elite akuza, the National Police and the Rwandan army. Militias, such as the Interahamwe and Impuzamugambi, as well as civilian Hutus took part.
Kagame saw that the UN just took up space, so he warned them that if they didn't do something, he and the RPF would. Kagame and his troops had been well trained in espionage and combat, so it didn't take long before they advanced on Kigali. The Rwanda forces‟ morale dissipated and on July 4, 1994, the government army had been beaten. By the end of the month, the RPF had control of most of Rwanda. What the RPF accomplished was without western support or that of the UN, whose feeling was that they couldn‟t interfere in the squabbles of a nation. Many countries didn't help because they didn’t realize the genocide was happening. When asked about the genocide, one individual insisted it was an act of genocide, but not genocide. Huh?
Paul and the RPF saved many lives but there was another person who contributed as well. Paul Rusesabagina was manager of the Hôtel des Mille Collines who protected hundreds of men, women and children at the hotel from being slaughtered by the Interahamwe. His resourcefulness was incredible and he used various methods, even bribery, but never used guns or any type of violence. Being a very successful hotel owner, he could have been satisfied with his achievements and not even bothered doing what he did. He realized that human lives were much more precious than gold or silver. His courageous and unselfish story can be viewed in the difficult to watch but nonetheless inspiring 2004 movie, Hotel Rwanda.
Some question whether Rusesabagina really accomplished all this. Senator Odette Nyiramirimo was one of those whose lives were saved at the hotel. She is no longer his friend because he‟s against the Rwandan government and Paul, trying to undermine him. According to Odette, Rusesabagina also lies a great deal. He probably did save lives, but seems to have changed.
As difficult as matters had been, the challenges were just beginning. Now the refugees were Hutus, who fled to Zaire. The United Nations set up the camps. What could go wrong there? Many of those fleeing Rwanda kept two things: their hope for revenge and their weapons. This meant that the war could resume at any time. Paul knew this could be an issue and figured an attack or two on Zaire may be needed to stem the retaliatory action of the Hutu, even before it happened. In the years that followed, the Hutu attacked and were attacked as well, and it appeared that there would be no end in site to the fighting and killing. Don‟t forget that the RPF had murdered a few in their quest for their homeland. They really didn't have much choice.
Boniface Rucagu had been one of many of those committing genocide, a genocidaire. He was arrested, imprisoned, but then released. After having been arrested six times, Kagame made him governor of Ruhengeri. Paul did this because Rwanda was a nation for both Hutu and Tutsi. He needed all these people and had to convince them that war wasn't the answer. In addition, Kagame filled positions in the new government with Hutu for the same reason, rather than his Tutsi associates. Calm seemed to be coming to the nation in early 2000. Another praiseworthy but controversial action by Kagame was the reconciliation of survivors of the genocide with those who killed their families. Forgiveness is commendable but hard to do, but in some degree it was occurring. Deo Gashagaza ran a mission called Prison Fellowship, which emphasized forgiveness as a way of overcoming hatred of others. It was quite successful and Kagame put the method into practice, despite the extreme difficulty.
A small percentage of the population is Anglican, as is Bishop John Rucyahana. First glancing at him might make you believe he‟s a Hutu because of his height and width. When he asks others to guess his background, the answer is usually Hutu, but they‟re wrong. He‟s Tutsi and it illustrates the ludicrousness of classifying people by race. As is expected, Bishop John is an advocate for education and a relentless, thoroughly convincing fundraiser for his causes, including the Sonrise School. Rucyahana is a family man, entrepreneurial, a man of God and very inspirational. He probably knows of the Catholic Church in Kigali that still exhibits shrapnel and bullet holes. It was one of many houses of worship that was used to protect citizens, but it didn't stop the genocidaires. On one of the walls can be found a banner stating: If you knew me, and if you really knew yourself, you would not have killed me.
Paul had a great deal of power as vice president and in April 2000, he was elected president. There were lofty goals for Rwanda: make it a commercial and trade hub of the central and eastern part of Africa; build networks on the Internet, airways, railroads and highways; promote gender equality; improve education; have more private investment; do all this in honest, transparent and impartial ways.
Kagame may have been unorthodox in his methods, but he was an innovator, driven to greatness with many friends outside Rwanda as well as within. With the use of plastics bags, which Paul felt needed to be curbed, he mentioned the environmental damage and banned them. When he noticed that the country‟s way of producing bricks was too polluting, he outlawed them. At times he may have been a dictator, but it was what the nation needed at that time. Above all, the people welcomed it. When people outside the area complained, Rwandans recalled that those who griped were those who didn't come to the aid of the nation when it was needed, and shouldn‟t be listened to.
One of his goals was to end poverty and corruption in Rwanda. Ethics in government was imperative. Those who flaunted their riches could expect no mercy. Posters could be found in Kigali with the words, Corruption Is the Enemy of Development, and He Who Practices Corruption Destroys His Country.
Referring to Kagame, Bishop John stated that there is a unique gifting of the person of this president. He is curative to the nation, like medicine. He is an intended blessing to us from God. After a trip to Rwanda, Reverend Rick Warren of Lake Forest, California, offered that Paul is a wonderful Christian leader who has brought a spirit of hope and reconciliation to his country. Musical artist Quincy Jones mentioned Kagame as one of his heroes in real life. Representative Donald Payne of New Jersey complimented Paul as a moral leader who has done an outstanding job of moving Rwanda forward. He‟s admired by liberals and conservatives: the former because of his anti-imperialism and social justice; the latter for his business acumen and what has transpired in the country.
As far as Kagame‟s priorities, they follow in this order: work, family, reading, sports, visiting with relatives and friends.
He‟s serious about his tennis. All you need do is ask his partner in the game. Paul insists that he‟s not that hard on other players, insisting that he won‟t put up with someone who doesn‟t show effort. Sometimes I make problems for my partner, especially if he simply lets a ball go by. He should go for it! It’s all right to fail to succeed, but not to fail to try. I just want to try. A few books have been written about the Rwandan genocide and Paul Kagame, including the 2008 book by Stephen Kinser, A Thousand Hills: Rwanda’s Rebirth And The Man Who Dreamed It, which I recommend.