Rwanda: A Country Run on Fear
By Kathurima Mwongera
On my first time traveling to Rwanda, I was in a group of pilgrims on a journey to the Shrine of Our Lady of Kibeho in the south of the country. This group consisted of Catholic pilgrims from Kenya and Uganda. Before this, I had desired to visit Rwanda for some years but had never managed to. For those of us within the East African region, we know how brutal Rwanda is in implementing its laws. So, whenever I mentioned to my friends that I was finally going to Rwanda, there were more warnings and concerns about my stay in Rwanda than there were wishes for a safe journey. My seatmate in the bus who was a Ugandan traveling from Nairobi to Kampala was full of stories of how Rwanda is a country to fear. We ended up becoming friends and even as I write this article, she thinks I should be careful.
Border Processing
When we got to the Gatuna Border Post, the leader of the pilgrims had to give a warning. He said,
We are now entering Rwanda and this is not Uganda. Please ensure your documents are alright otherwise we will leave you here.
Besides ensuring our travel documents were right, everyone tried to either hide or discard anything they thought would be considered illegal or inappropriate by Rwandan border authorities. Primarily, there was a massive discarding of plastic carrier bags that are still in use in Uganda but are illegal in Rwanda. There was the fear that Rwandan authorities would not compromise and so everything had to be right. The crossing was uneventful though. We were all successfully processed to proceed.
When the pilgrimage was over, and I informed the leader of the group that I wanted to stay in Rwanda for a longer visit, he was not only shocked but confused. He created all manner of stories of how Rwandan authorities give limited days for stay and that I was only given three days to stay in the country. That was untrue though because as an East African, one is allowed to remain in Rwanda for up to six months as long as they are not running businesses, working, or doing anything illegal. He said that if we were in Uganda, he would not be worried. Finally, I agreed to board the bus back to Uganda and then come back on my own to reduce the worry of the pilgrimage leader.
I had already organized my accommodation in Rwanda beforehand. My Rwandan friend who had organized my lodging offered to travel to the border to help my case. They questioned him for almost an hour while I sat and watched because they were speaking in Kinyarwanda. Finally, they let me back into the country without further action on my documents. Except I had to state the date when I intended to leave the country. I do not know what they told my friend because every time I went out without him, he would constantly call inquiring where I was and what I was doing. Was he told to keep an eye on me?
Locals Dealing With Foreigners
For the most part, Rwandans are respectful and kind to foreigners. However, they also have a high level of distrust for foreigners. It takes time for a Rwandan to trust a foreigner. At least, that was my experience. My other challenge in interacting with Rwandans was the language barrier. It was only in 2008 that Rwanda started transitioning from French to English and so only the younger generation has an understanding of English. A smaller portion of this generation has conversational skills in English because Kinyarwanda is the national language and the one primarily used on the streets, for business, and pretty much every form of communication. I thus had a challenge using my English and Swahili.
I have an interest in farming and one of my objectives in Rwanda was to interact with their young farmers. My numerous requests to visit some farms were unsuccessful because they could not just allow me to visit them. In one instance, the farmer suggested that I needed approval from the government to arrange a visit. Another suggested that I should visit the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board to get guidance from there. I only managed to meet one farmer, and not even on their farm but in a restaurant. In Kenya, I have contacted numerous foreigners for my projects without requiring approval from the government!
I visited a church that was among the sites of the 1994 genocide. The most globally recognizable aspects of Rwanda are the 1994 genocide and the 2004 Hollywood film, Hotel Rwanda. At this particular church, the priest refused to answer most of the questions asked claiming that he was not authorized to answer genocide-related questions. He guided us to the nearby genocide memorial site. Unfortunately, the only authorized person to give a narrative was absent on that day and we were only allowed a silent tour of the site. The priest clearly said that if he overstepped his mandate, he would be jailed.
When the locals are, however, clear that the foreigner’s mission would not rattle the authorities, they are lovely people willing to offer guidance and stories about their beautiful country. When I was not asking about sensitive details or seeking to visit sensitive sites, the locals I met were amazing humans. I am still in touch with quite a number of them.
Rwandans Dealing With Each Other
There are three rules that almost everyone visiting Rwanda for the first time is made aware of from online searches. One is that you should never ask people about their tribe. Secondly, is to avoid discussing genocide-related stories. Thirdly, is to keep off internal politics. While I was in the country, however, I came across another rule: no talks about Hotel Rwanda. I interacted with someone who said that she felt offended anytime a foreigner asked them about Hotel Rwanda. Sadly, I was on an explorative mission and I crossed all these red lines.
I did not quite ask people about their tribes, but I sought clarity on the difference between my preconceptions of Rwandan people and the reality on the ground. My desire to understand the difference between my earlier perception of the Rwandans and the actual people in the country is what led to the tribe discussion. One of the people who cared to clarify the disparity told me it was because I was used to viewing Rwanda in the eyes of the Tutsi tribe. They are predominantly the taller and darker ones. The shortest and the poorest are the Twa tribe. Again, these are not discussions Rwandans entertain openly but they are willing to discuss in private. A friend mentioned that if I asked such a question where two Rwandans were present, I would not get an answer because they are suspicious of each other. In an extreme case, one of the people I interacted with said that had I been in Rwanda during the genocide, they could have killed me because of my nose which made me look like I belonged to one of the tribes.
Although politics is not quite as sensitive as the tribe and genocide debate, Rwandans are not interested in political discussions. A few times I tried initiating political discussions but I was put off each time. In one instance, I met two young Rwandans in a bar. One was a political representative of the country’s ruling party, Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi), and was in charge of the youth in one of the administrative units. The other was a corporate person. It was a few months towards the general elections and I wanted to know whether they would vote and why they kept voting for Kagame, the president of Rwanda, every time and with over 90% rate. The corporate friend said that he did not intend to vote and would spend the day resting because it would be a public holiday. When I wanted to understand why he was not interested in taking part in the elections, he brushed off the topic and asked that we talk about other things. I thought he was uncomfortable discussing his reasons in the presence of the other Rwandan.
The Law is Truly Supreme
Laws, orders, and directives are followed strictly and fearfully in Rwanda. This is both by foreigners and natives. The good thing is that Rwandans have gotten used to the strictness of their rules and have no problem getting by. One night I was walking along the country’s national stadium, Amahoro Stadium. Some construction was going on and around 9 PM the workers were washing the road near the construction site. Being Kenyan, I found that surprising. The following day when I asked my friend about it, he jokingly mentioned that if Kagame passed by and found the road dirty, the contractors risked losing the contract. Although he said this lightly, I could see the seriousness with which the contractors must have tried to uphold the city’s cleanliness standards and guidelines.
In my country, people will construct road reserves, public lands, and riparian zones without permits and get away with it. In Rwanda, this is extremely rare if not impossible. A friend mentioned that even if one manages to bypass the government and construct illegally, the government will come to demolish the structure and send the offender to jail.
All the streetlights and signs that I came across were intact and working. Vandalism is extremely rare in Rwanda. One evening I asked a friend why no one steals even those village markers and he said
No one wants to be used as a lesson for the others. No one would be willing to buy stolen property.
The fear of the law truly maintains order in Rwanda. I admired the discipline on the roads from both pedestrians and motorists.
The fear of the law could, however, also have negative effects. For example, I met a young person whose contract had ended with an NGO. I asked him why he was not applying to work for the government despite his extensive experience. He was categorical that working for the government was not an option for him. Besides low pay, his other major reason was that he feared being sent to prison for the pettiest of the mistakes at the workplace.
The Corruption Question
One thing I admire about Rwanda is its fear of corruption. As a Kenyan, this is understandable because even basic services in Kenya do not come easily. The fear of being caught corrupting or being corrupted in Rwanda is so high that there is even a blurred line between appreciation for a service well done and corruption. My friend who picked me up from the border and welcomed me into Rwanda often kept making jokes that “Hapa hakuna kitu kidogo,” loosely translated to “Here there is no corruption.” The fear of corruption makes government services in Rwanda easily accessible even to the poor.
The Kagame Regime
Leadership in Rwanda revolves around President Kagame. He is feared and that keeps people doing what they have to do. Nevertheless, he is more loved than feared. Does this explain why Rwandans keep electing him with over 90% of the votes? In this year’s general elections, for example, Kagame won with over 99% of the valid votes cast. The big question around Kagame is: Is he a dictator or a darling for the Rwandans?
From my experience in the three months I stayed in Rwanda, he is a darling for Rwandans living in Rwanda. He is considered a dictator by the West, and a torturer by Rwandans in exile. He is considered a thorn in the neck by his neighbors, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi. I admire how much he has been able to achieve for his country since the genocide.
Rwandans consider President Kagame as many things. He is their savior from genocide, a father, a builder, and a protector. Rwandans consider post-genocide as the time that their country has existed because so much was destroyed and they had to rebuild from scratch. While explaining why the contractors were cleaning the road at night, my friend mentioned that President Kagame has made them aware that they have little as a country and that they need to utilize what they have in the best way and take care of it.
The element of fear also keeps Kagame at the top. The fear is two-way: Rwandans are not ready to take risks and gamble with a new face at the helm, and Kagame himself does not wish to be blamed for stepping aside. Rwandans trust Kagame so much that they only feel safe under him and that is why they even changed their constitution to allow Kagame to continue leading. The big question that I keep asking myself and even asked some of the Rwandans who were open to discussing it was: How is Rwanda preparing for a post-Kagame period? There were no easy answers to this question.
The Fear Goes Beyond Rwandan Borders
There is fear of people disappearing or being abducted by the Rwandan government. We kept making jokes about disappearing with the friend who received me in Rwanda. He kept warning me that I should not rattle the government or I will disappear. Among the internationally known cases of how the Rwandan government deals with its critics is the story of the abduction and detention of Paul Rusesabagina, the Hotel Rwanda hero. A closer look into social media reveals that almost all those criticizing the Rwandan government do so not within the borders but in other countries. While on my way back to Kenya, I sat next to a lady who looked Rwandan. When I asked her whether she was Rwandan, she denied it and continued to talk about how Kagame was a dictator and how he oppressed Rwandans. Later, I came to learn from the female friend I had made during my bus ride to Kampala on my trip to Rwanda that the lady could have been a Rwandan living in Uganda and was hesitant to be identified by a stranger.
Sadly, this fear might also affect non-Rwandans who may wish to visit Rwanda. In May this year, Rwanda denied entry to Clémentine de Montjoye, a senior official at Human Rights Watch. Largely, Rwandan authorities do not entertain criticism and as such, foreigners who wish to visit the country are also compelled to behave timidly like the Rwandans else they risk being at odds with authorities.
Although I first entered Rwanda as a pilgrim, the pilgrimage only lasted three days. I spent most of my three-month stay as an explorer as demonstrated in this article. I fell in love with Rwanda and I hope this article won’t be used to deny me entry next time I visit the country.
