On 30th July 2011 Saturday, in Rwanda Kigali Kyciru area near the ministry of agriculture (MINAGRI) we had opportunity to participate in Rwanda monthly clean-up exercise called Umuganda (communal work) and thereafter listened to debates and discussion on the question of social development and Reconciliation in Rwanda as the government official and the village community leaders informed the people on the plans of the government in collecting statistics of the most poor people in the country to be enlisted in the social security program and education sponsorship, where some of the definition of the poor person was contested by the people who had gathered that day after communal work for discussion after the communal work and they informed the government official to review the description of the poor person as, in order to encourage the people to see their potential and dignity even in poverty, while the government was collecting the statistics of different economic classes in Rwanda during the communal work ,a challenge that Rwanda is struggling with to heal the wounds of genocide and political violence through social justice programs and reconciliation from the government of Rwanda under President Paul Kagame.
Although it took our courage to join the clean up as visitors in the area as we were inspired and encouraged by the beauty of Kigali one of the clean and safest capital city to walk even at night in East africa community and the new social development that is shaping social change and reconciliation in Rwanda from the history of genocide that has left the horrible scar in Africa and the world in the 21 centaury. I and my colleague fellows with Fahamu Pan-African fellowship program in East africa placement in Rwanda attached to Ishyo community Arts and cultural centre , a community centre that was started by Rwandese women to support youth in culture and arts for social justice , On our arrival that day at venue of community communal clean up exercise at around 9.30 am, although we were late, as the clean up had started an hour ago, we were welcomed and encouraged by a student and a resident of Kyciru area a place that 4000 Tutsi were massacred in 1994 genocide and today bubbling with middle class and tourist guest houses sandwiched in between by low income houses that remind you of growing inequality in the new Rwanda . To welcome us was Mr. Innocent Rukundo and his younger brother who we found at the end of clean-up line and later helped us to interpret some of the discussion that were being conducted in Kinyarwanda, and sometimes in Kiswahili, after the clean-up exercise where organic debates and discussion take place on reconciliation and social development in reflection of the history of genocide and developments plans a form of participatory dialogue that anchored on the communal work,Our friends and the residents of Kyciru area who we spoke to were very happy and encouraged in our spirit to join them that day in the communal clean up as it was not usual to see visitors coming from their guest houses and joining the communal clean-up that is done monthly nation-wide in Rwanda as symbol of reconciliation and healing from the history of the genocide.
Rwanda and Burundi are the new members of the East africa community from the Great lakes region which bring in to the community another tortured history of genocide in Rwanda , Civil war in Burundi and in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and complex crisis of refugee with unresolved historical injustices and question of nationality of millions of people in DRC Congo , Uganda, Rwanda , Burundi , Tanzania and recent addition to this problem is new state of Southern Sudan which has made its intention to join the East africa community with its history of civil and refugee, Most of the Great lake region crisis is due to colonial boundaries and false constructed political identities by imperialism and the africa ruling elite that continue to fuel tension and poverty in the region which is endowed with great natural resources of minerals, like Coltan Cobalt, timber, diamonds gold, and rich agricultural land with underground oil fields , fresh water lakes , and permanent rivers that flow to the great River Nile the livelihood of great Egypt that can be harnessed to bring social development in the region and humanize the millions of African peoples in this region from the history of exploitation and death from poverty linked diseases , political violence and civil war for many years.
The Umuganda the communal clean up in Republic of Rwanda dates back to the historical customs of the Banyarwanda people and the ideas of developmental states that was championed by africa independence movements, The developmental state in africa nationalist movement had fused the custom and the culture, with colonial inherited states structures during independence in creating the state as centre of politics and as instrument of social development, and hence the history of Umuganda a form of Africa socialism that was borrowed from custom and africa cultural values of solidarity with the family and the community, that in africa village a peasant who was in need of house and shelter he was required by customs to prepare the traditional brew and food and thereafter make an invitation to the community members in the village in for communal work to build the house and cerebrate the opening of the house with food and traditional brew what Mwalimu Nyerere called Ujamaa, or Harambee in Kenya that was abused by new Africa ruling elite.
On this date of 30th July 2011 in Rwanda President Paul Kagame had invited Uganda president Yoweri Museveni on four days state visit to which both participated in communal work in community clean up and construction of schools buildings in Kigali , what the two described as modern day Umuganda to advance social development and integration in East Africa region, a Visit that was politically pregnant in cementing their historical political relationship since the souring of the diplomatic ties between the two President who are authors of second liberation guerrillas and Pan-Africanist alternative politics in the region , that removed the regime of dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997 of former Zaire today the Democratic Republic of Congo by supporting the rebel movement in Eastern DRC Congo lead by Prof. Wamba Ndia Wamba and Laurent Desire Kabila senior in 1996-1997 who struggle with Mobutu regime dated back to the days of the first Prime minister Patrice Lumumba, this political intervention that overthrow dictator Mobutu who was USA Protégé for 30 years in power during the era of cold war, was hailed by Mwalimu Nyerere as an Africa intervention in africa problem as he did himself with Uganda Idi Amin regime , It is during this time of joint political intervention by Uganda and Rwanda army in DRC Congo in 2000 when tension erupted between the two armies due to conflict of interest in DRC Congo natural resources that lead the infighting of the Rwanda and Uganda Army in DRC Congo soil , which planted the seeds of mistrust between Kagame and Museveni that slowed down their political friendship, and undermined Pan-Africanism political ideology for East Africa integration.
The Rwanda monthly communal work , manifested in the Kigali capital the clean and secure beautiful city in africa today carry with itself the redemption cross with wounds, and painful historical memory of the Rwanda genocide, as symbolized by Kigali genocide memorial centre, where in reflection during the 1994 genocide Umuganda custom of communual work was invoked by Hutu youth militia Interahamwe as call to invite the Hutu to participate in communal work to massacre Tutsi and moderate Hutu who had refused to participate in the Massacre of the Tutsi , as Prof. Mamdani Books writes in his book When the victims became killers , Colonialism, Nativism and the Genocide in Rwanda, page in page 194 that local official were instructed to kill Tutsi as part of their communal work obligation, where killings came to be referred to Umugunda ‘’ during the prelude to the 1994 genocide. not only the customs and culture were used during the killings even the shared historical ecology of water system rivers was invoked to drive hate, and destruction of life , as one leading genocide ideologue a Canadian educated linguistic named Leon Mugesera had called the elimination of Tutsi as final solution to retain the Hutu elite power and advised that the Tutsi be returned to Ethiopia , from where they had come from, “invoking a colonially produced native history that was created by Belgium, catholic missionaries and Germans imperialist Anthropologist about Banyarwanda people who had common history and identity of several clans and hence constructed the Tutsi and Hutu as different political colonial Identity and nationalities in divide and rule tactics “ during scramble of africa in 1884 in Berlin conference . In 1994 genocide the Tutsi were said to be returned from their colonially created original home dead through River Nyabarongo , which feeds into the great River Nile , As we visited Nyamata church genocide memorial site where 45000 people are buried, A long the way back as we left Nyamata trading centre I inquired from the students of senior 5 of Nyamata high school who had joined us in the bus after the end school term the name of the river as we passed through, Which they readily answered to me that it was called River Nyabarogo, the river has well cultivated farms around the river banks of Bananas, cassava, and fresh vegetables ,which is giving hope, of Rwanda healing from the wounds of 1994 Rwanda genocide hopes that the life manifesting mother Earth clothed by rivers, forest and fresh water lakes of region that is shared by Africa people in Rwanda is giving life back to humanity that was visited by hate of politically constructed colonial identities and boundaries by Belgium imperialism the origin of Hutu and Tutsi false political identities that divided the Banyarwanda peoples who had common language , culture and history the colonial boundaries that defined the Germans and Belgium imperial powers and their sphere of influence which divided africa people and communities from their cultural and ecological heritage and planted seeds of self-destruction, that has brought the region in this social upheavals through divide and rule tactics during the scramble of africa in Berlin conference 1884 when German East africa took Rwanada –Burundi as their colony and there after the Belgium took over from German when they were defeated in the first world war. The colonial division and boundaries in africa today continue to fuel citizenship crisis of refuge in the Great lakes region, which continue to undermine the quest East africa community integration, and social development , for peaceful existence, which can only be healed by Pan-Africanism vision that advocate for africa unity and liberation of the masses, from neo-colonial poverty and boundaries, that divide our people.
The president of Uganda who had four days visit in Rwanda, to cement the historical relationship between Rwanda and Uganda, although they did not unpackaged their joint press communiqué on the agenda of first tracking the East africa community and the question of community political federation there are number of challenges facing the East africa community which today population is about 120 million people within five members states that make the community this being Rwanda , Burundi, Kenya ,Ugandan and united republic of Tanzania, the challenge of building democratic institution and culture of rule of law within the region is paramount which can guaranteed participatory democracy, social development in the East africa community . The President of Uganda and his comrade Paul Kagame have their political friendship dating back to the history of colonial constructed boundaries and the regional refugee crisis of Great lakes region , When Paul Kagame at the age of 3 years old and other thousands of Banyarwanda peoples were forced into refugees in Uganda from the Rwandan post- colonial crisis of 1959 that overthrew the Tutsi despotic feudal monarchy that were used by Belgium colonialism to exploit and plunder Rwanda territory and divide the people.
The political relationship of the two president was forged and strengthened by the founding father of East africa community and great Pan-Africanist Mwalimu Julias Kabarage Nyerere , Where the president of Uganda and Rwanda and many political and intellectuals leaders in East Africa become beneficiary of Mwalimu Nyerere social- economic infrastructure of (Ujamaa) and Pan-Africanism contact in Africa and the region that helped to incubated, Africa liberation independence and intellectual movements in Africa. Dar es Salaam University laid formative stages and development of National Resistance Movement (NRM) which was a peasant guerrilla movement (NRM) that removed the fascism regime of Idi Amin in Uganda through support from Tanzania Army under the President of Tanzania the Late. Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, later the Uganda comrades under Yoweri Museveni government and NRM after taking power in Uganda in 1986 they supported Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) That was lead by Mojor Paul Kagame and the Late Fred Rwigyema a guerilla Pan-africanist in Africa and many Rwandase national who were in political exiled and refugee in Uganda and a number of them had participated in Ugandan liberation movement with (NRM) which helped them to launch a liberation movement in Rwanda, in 1990,that resulted to Rwanda Arusha accord agreement of power sharing in 1993 between RPF and the Rwandan government of late President Juvenel Habyarimana who was assassinated in 1994 with the President of Burundi when their plane was brought down in Kigali by Hutu Extremist that were opposing the power sharing with RPF in the Arusha Accord , this lead the wave of genocidal killings where 800,000 peoples and more were killed, and later the crisis of refugee in Eastern Congo that subsequent lead a civil war in Democratic republic of Congo (DRC) that was still under Mobutu Dictatorship.
A generation which fails to build a society which its children are proud of to inherit is a failed generation , and duty of our youthful generation in East africa community as Pan-Africanist is to hand over to future generation a better East africa community to inherit without hate, poverty , colonial boundaries and destruction of life that has been hall mark of East africa community in the last few decades, and it is very sad to understand that before the Kenya-post election violence where a thousand and more people were killed in 2007 a number of high level delegation of political class and human rights organization had made visit Rwanda genocide memorial centre’s to warn themselves about the politics of hate and divide and rule ethnic chauvinism ideology that continue to shape Kenya politics even today even after the crisis of 2007/2008 that ended up with imperialism intervention in the name of international criminal court( ICC) in Hague where six suspect named Ocampo six are appearing on various charges of crime against humanity in 2007 Kenya Post-election violence , which expose the East Africa Community as nothing but a tool for neo-liberal free market forces that cant intervene in the question of political , social and criminal justice issues that affect the community, this also is shown by Kenya state failure to support the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda which is based in Arusha Tanzania to deliver Felician Kabuga one of the Rwanda genocide criminal who financed genocide propaganda in 1994 believed to be hiding in Kenya and protected by the political ruling class that are in complicit partners in Business interests , this even after the tribunal in Arusha requesting Kenya state to honor its obligation in international law and corporate with tribunal.
The dream of original East Africa community was inspired by Mwalimu Nyerere, and its founding vision in 1967 was of Pan-Africanism , ant-imperialist and nationalist in its political character and ideology . The Treaty of establishment of East africa community that was signed in 1999 by the original three partner states of Kenya , Uganda and Republic of Tanzania, to revive the community was inspired mostly by neo-liberal free market economy and anchored on selfish-interest of chauvinism nationalism between the states and greed of market forces in the name of competitiveness which continue to boil tension with the five states while undermining the original dream of East africa community that was grounded social justice anti- imperialist Pan-Africanism and solidarity of our people, most of the project within the East Africa community today are petty and mostly donor funded that even the East africa community secretariat operate through charity from Imperialist donors, which is a great shame to the leaders in the region. The original East africa community was united by strategic public investment which were community flagship that advance social development in the region, and created contact between the people of East Africa, among this was the East Africa Railway and Harbours that connected , Nairobi , Kampala, and Dar es Saalam , the East Africa Post and Telecommunications and the East Africa Airways, Makarere and Nairobi University which Mwalimu Nyerere was one its Chancellor in East africa and Dar es Saalam University the intellectual hill that was ideological centre of Pan- Africanism movement and political hot bed of africa liberation movements struggle that helped to forge and incubate a new generation of Pan- Africanist political leader and progressive intellectual before the community collapsed in 1977 due created political instability in Uganda by British imperialism economic interest in the region, that had created Kenya as its outpost of western interest, to undermine the Pan-Africanism dream the history of mistrust that continue to fog the community intergration
Mwai Kibaki . Yoweri Museveni Jakaya Kikwet , and Paul Kagame all are beneficiary of original East Africa community social-economic and higher of education infrastructure and they have failed to live that dream of Pan- Africanism movement integration for and improved livelihoods, healthcare, education for all and free from hunger for people of the region as Mwalimu Nyerere envisioned today the region is prone with famine , refugee, poverty related diseases , Nairobi , Kampala and Dar es Salaam are capital cities clothed by slums of poverty , garbage, street families and darkness due to luck of electricity connection that is slowing the industrial and social development in the region while community unity continue to be in danger due to tension of territorial fanaticism of colonial boundaries like Migingo Island in Lake Victoria, between Uganda and Kenya due to failure of a political leadership in the region to think beyond their colonially constructed boundaries and greed of neo-liberal commercial interest and political elite in the region that continue to undermine Pan-Africanism political movement dream that can be the seed of community integration and development, Uganda and Kenya continue to waste resource in surveying and mapping the waters of Lake. Victoria to affirm the colonial boundaries while stationing the paramilitary police brigades in the in the small islands in the largest fresh water lake in Africa that continue to waste resources and intimate small fisherman who cross the colonial boundaries while fishing , in the same time the leaders in East Africa continue to speak about East Africa Common market and single custom union and political federation, for Multinational companies in East Africa.
As poems , traditional songs, dance, night comedies , and theatre artists, played in Rwanda Revenue Authority theatre Hall from 4th august 6th 2011 from different countries , that were attending a three days centre by centre theatre and artist annual festival in Rwanda that was organized by Ishyo arts community centre and Interdisciplinary Genocide studies centre the question of many young people Artist , theatre performance and dancers who were attending the annual theatre festival from Congo DRC , Rwanda Burundi and Uganda Kenya was who is nurturing the future Pan- Africanism leaders of the East africa, and healing the wounds of civil war , plunder and pillage of africa naturals resources, notable on this was the performance, by a dance group named Inshoza Dance troupe from student of Rwanda – Butare national university who said poems on Pan- Africanism and songs about africa culture passed from generation to generation through dance steps, Where it invites all Africans to regain the ownership of their culture and thus build their continent that has been facing all sorts of neo-colonial division and violence.
The effect of neo-liberal dictatorship on political, economic and academic sphere in East Africa community that preach liberalization of trade , privatization of national resources and assets and comodifications of social services e.g education and healthcare , has left East africa community exposed to greed of market forces and exploitation , in the region that has left the masses boiling with anger. Today in Kenya the question of maize and maize flour that is staple food for the majority rural poor and urban proletariat has invited street demonstration and picketing in government offices to demand reduction of the price of essential commodities that has skyrocketed to100% which three millers and cartel control this food industry in Kenya which is connected to the political ruling class , the same situation is being experienced in Kampala and Kigali where there is shortage of sugar and other essential commodities today Tanzania and Kenya are country in drowning in darkness with no electricity because of corruption and following blindly IMF and World Bank neoliberal policies that advices on power generation to being left to private sector who motivation only is profit and not strategic investment for social development, with long term impact. As I was writing this article, millions of people are starving and dying because of famine , in East africa and especially in Kenya which has dubious distinction in the region of being economic house of East Africa. This has promoted the private sector in kenya lead by Multinational companies like Barclays Bank and Safaricom, in partnership of Kenya Red cross and tokens from political ruling class which all are beneficiary of disaster capitalism in the neoliberal economy that rake billions in profit annually, Have launched a charity drive dubbed Kenyans for Kenya to contribute to the famine, which exposes their greed and ignorance on their role in creating conditions that bring food insecurity i.e. famine and hunger to the people of East africa as Prof. Yash Tandon has questioned the Political and economic power elite in his writing on globalization in Nordic Africa Institute that hunger and famine today in africa is brought by the neoliberal policies that africa government have being following for the last 25-35 years. The same question of hunger and famine in East africa community was also put to President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni on 1st August 2011 during his joint press conference with Paul Kagame in Urugwiro village in Kigali on his four days visit in Rwanda on East Africa community leadership sense of responsibility, it is sad this head of states skirted the question without concretely addressing the root cause of the problem, Where the President invited charity from those who had accumulated what they called in their own language ( Amafaranga) to assist in the famine and hunger in the horn of africa, the corporate sector and International community who benefit from disaster capitalism and political chaos have responded well in the space and role of East Africa community governments in the name of charity as invited by Museveni.
Lastly is some inspiring words to Pan-Africanist youth in East Africa of the first Prime Minister of Democratic Republic of Congo ,Patrice Lumumba he wrote in a letter to his wife Pauline Lumumba before he was killed by Belgium and CIA imperialist in acquiesced with today United Nations as he pledged in the name of mother africa for total liberation that “ The day will come when history will speak, But it will not be the history , which will be taught in Brussels, Paris ,Washington or the United Nations , it will be the history that will be taught in the countries , which have won freedom from neo-colonialism and its puppets and Africa will write its own history of glory and dignity”
Aluta continua.
Notes.
1. Congo wars Conflict Myth and Reality book by
Thomas Turner
2. Intellectuals at The Hill (Essays and Talks 1969-1993), book Issa G. Shivji
3. When Victims Became Killers Colonialism Nativism and Genocide In Rwanda
Prof.Mamdani
4. Rwanda Business Daily News paper August 5th -12 2011
5. Yash Tandon, The Nordic Africa Institute report 2009
