The latest so-called conversation, in actual sense an anti-Rwanda propaganda fest, between Hubert Leclercq and Michela Wrong, published in a Belgian publication La Libre, is a prime example of Western journalism that assumes the authority to understand Africa better than Africans themselves. This type of “journalism” perpetuates hackneyed stereotypes that have historically justified colonization, slavery, and other forms of exploitation.
Leclercq and Wrong’s interview starts with a highly distorted portrayal of President Paul Kagame, with their depiction seemingly originating from the delusional ramblings of someone from a far-off galaxy. They describe Kagame as a “président hors norme qui veut tout controller,” or a president beyond the norm who wants to control everything. This oversimplifies and intentionally distorts President Kagame’s leadership approach, which emphasizes strong institutions and decentralized governance.
Moreover, the claims of human rights violations and political oppression made by Leclercq and Wrong are exaggerated and lack contextualization. In a region plagued by genocidal militias seeking to undermine Rwanda’s economic development, President Kagame has had to take tough measures to maintain stability and security. Should he allow genocidal forces and their Hutu Power allies, who continue to work towards resuming the “unfinished job” of 1994, to operate freely in Rwanda just to satisfy Western notions of human rights and political freedom? Leclercq and Wrong seem to suggest so, ignoring the unique circumstances and challenges that Kagame’s government has had to navigate in post-genocide Rwanda.
Lastly, Leclercq and Wrong’s limited perspective fails to acknowledge the significant strides Rwanda has made under Kagame’s leadership in providing essential services to its citizens, including accessible health insurance coverage, milk for undernourished children, universal primary education, and substantial expansion of higher education without any discrimination based on ethnicity, which existed before Kagame’s presidency. Their biases seem to blind them to why Rwandans consistently vote for Kagame, which is a reflection of the Rwandan people’s will.
ellenkampire