Rwanda Cross Roads, The Last 150 Years, Let us Embrace the New Rwanda

By DR Michael M. Biryabarema

The book discusses the times in the last 150 year history of Rwanda when certain internal and external dynamics came into play which brought the nation to the crossroads. It discusses these seasons and who were at the center of the events and the great lessons that can be lean't from that history. The book also looks at some decisions taken by key people or institutions during those critical periods and their consequences then and the consequences that still linger. It asserts that looking at history with objectivity helps build a more progressive future and helps focus on what worked very well or that which was disastrous, to be avoided. The book looks at certain principles that are key for building a united and prosperous nation
The book further discusses the new hope since the time of the genocide against the Tutsi till today and how the nation has moved from total darkness to becoming a normal nation that is aspiring for a very bright future. The role of the RPF’s core political values of democracy, dialogue and consensus building are briefly discussed as the keys that made possible this new optimistic dynamism, a philosophy helping the Rwandan people build a good history. The book calls for a deep reflection on what brought us to the blink of 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and what will put us very far away from such quagmire. It calls the current generation to work tirelessly to erase the very bad legacy over us as a nation. The book calls for putting in place structures to help us always move up the ladder of sanity and progress.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Imagine We Publishers
• Release date: Oct 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9789997777966

Book preview

DEDICATION

This book is first dedicated to my late mother Grace Nyirahabukize who was my best example in life and who was totally dedicated to the education of her children.  Secondly it is dedicated to my wife Peruth Biryabarema (Mrs.) for her true love for Rwanda and its people. These two special women in my life deserve recognition in this book.

FOREWORD¹

By any criteria, Professor Michael Biryabarema’s Rwanda Cross roads-the last one hundred and fifty years brings a new outlook in Rwanda’s history. The book’s iconic status stems from his scientific analysis of historical developments in Rwanda in the last one hundred and fifty years. No wonder Michael is the only scientist I am aware of that has ventured into writing a history book on Rwanda.

Professor Biryabarema did Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry at the famous King’s College Budo, and went on to obtain his Master of Science and PhD from Makerere University. He became an Associate Professor and Head of Geology Department at some point in the same university. He relocated to his motherland in 2002, after its liberation. In Rwanda, Michael headed the Geology and Mines Government Department for 11 years before his retirement. He is currently a consultant in his field of Geology and Mining.

It’s uncommon for a scientist of such background to develop a passionate interest and immerse himself into the research of his country’s history. It can only be explained by his deep sense of patriotism and the scientific inquisitive mind and curiosity to discover what led to Rwanda’s recent past tragedy and the miraculous recovery. Many authors have written on Rwandan history, but the majority of them have distorted it either deliberately or guided by confirmation bias. A few authors of Rwandan history have been objective but with more of a narrative approach. There have been so many interpretations and distortions of Rwandan history to the extent that a foreigner who bothers to read all the books and articles written on Rwanda would believe that they are many different countries called Rwanda. Indeed, some of the distorted history on Rwanda was the cause of genocide against the Tutsi. It’s therefore necessary to heed De Tocque-villes warning that, Misplaced lessons from history may be more dangerous than ignorance of the past.

This is where Biryabarema’s scientific analysis and interpretation of Rwandan history becomes iconic. He links the causes and effects. He clearly brings out the impact of policy decisions right from the pre-colonial Rwandan Kings, through colonial administration to the post-colonial leaders on the generations to come.

Prof Michael rightly argues that, the consequences of the decisions taken at the times of crossroads are still with us today. It’s a well established reality that decisions at individual, family or at national level have consequences-good or bad. At the national level, policy decisions impact on the whole population, the whole nation and beyond. This is why visionary leadership is very crucial especially so when the nation is at crossroads; as was stated by Faye Wattleton that, The only safe ship in the storm is leadership.

Michael sites different epochs in the last one hundred and fifty years where Rwanda was at the crossroads; the Rucunshu clash; unrestrained colonization, the 1926-31 colonial reforms; the 1959 so-called Revolution; and the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi among others. He attributes many crossroads mainly to the weak leadership and putting personal and or group interests before national interests. These two factors have been and will continue to be the major factors contributing either to the prosperity or the failure of states. Rwanda is an archetype of the impact of leadership on nation’s failure or prosperity.

Notwithstanding the crossroads either instigated by some leaders or the failure of some leaders to timely negotiate the right path, Rwanda has had some visionary leaders that have led the country to where it is today. Rwanda was a nation-state within the Westphalian concept as far back as the fourteenth Century, much before European countries became nation-states. European countries became nation-states following the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. It’s this Rwanda’s organizational and leadership sophistication that led the first Europeans to believe that the then Rwandan leaders had their roots outside Africa.

As a corollary, Rwanda is one of if not the only African country that never experienced slave trade. While many African leaders at the time were exchanging their people for just a mirror and bracelets, as Michael puts it, the King simply told the slave traders that he didn’t know the price of a Rwandan.

Leadership is one of the elements of national power. Other main ones include geography, population, natural resources and industrial capacity inter alia. Rwanda is definitely lacking in these main ones-with a very small size; small population; minimal natural resources and not industrialized. The country has always survived and prospered on the basis of its strong and visionary leadership. It has been well established that strengths in few elements can effectively cover up for lack of all others. Rwandans have fully recognized this phenomenon.  That’s why in 2017, Rwandans from all walks of life asked the parliament to change the constitution and allow President Kagame to extend his mandate. Rwandans having experienced the historical crossroads have recognized the essence of good and visionary leadership. Visionary leadership should continue to be the bedrock for Rwanda’s generations to come.

The post-independence Rwandan leadership divided the people, planned and carried out genocide against the Tutsi that left the country almost a failed state. In a stark contrast, the Rwanda Patriotic Front/Army stopped genocide, united the people and ushered in the unprecedented prosperity of the nation and its people. President Kagame epitomizes the role of leadership in the development of the nation and the cohesion of its people. - the so called the Rwandan Miracle. This is why Michael is right to recommend, Let’s embrace the new Rwanda. Professor Michael therefore, in this book, makes a seminal historical contribution to the Rwandan history. 

MAJOR GENERAL DR. RUTATINA RICHARD

FOREWORD²

The recent history of Rwanda has been the subject of numerous writings including history books, narratives of particular periods as well as documents and articles dealing with special subjects such as the genocide against the Tutsi of 1994. I have read many of these writings and I had the privilege of receiving an education on substantial elements of Rwandan history and culture both at school and at home.

Yet when Michael did me the honor of asking me to read this book before its publication and to give him my comments, I found the book quite special. This book is special in my view because of its aim. In classical writings of history, the aim is usually to state the facts as precisely as possible. In this book, the facts are stated with precision but this is not its main objective. Its first aim is to bring to light the cause and effect relationship that exists between the historical facts of successive periods. This approach is incredibly rich in my view.

The classical historical writings allow you to learn what happened while the approach in this book allows you to understand it. This is a very big difference. Personally, the realization of this difference made me think of the discovery of the universal gravitation by Sir Isaac Newton. Long before him, everyone, even young children, knew that an apple thrown in the air fell back to the ground. It was a well-known fact for millennia and it had never brought anything beneficial to humanity. What Sir Isaac Newton did was to shed light on the underlying cause and effect relationship and immediately scientific and technological applications followed.

This book is also remarkable for the relevance and depth of its analysis of events. It clearly identifies the elements of instability that made each critical crossroad vulnerable. The book is attractive to read because its style remains clear, firm and pleasant.  I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the recent history of Rwanda. Those who have read other books and or received information orally like me will have the opportunity to enrich their knowledge.

ENGINEER RUBAGENGA JEAN, FORMER CEO, COMPUTER OPTIMAL SOLUTIONS LTD.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My sincere thanks to the retired Archbishop of the Anglican Church, Rwanda, the Most Reverend Kolini Musaba Emmanuel, for reading through the manuscript and orienting me on some critical historical perspectives, and confirming the book’s relevance.

I am very grateful to Major General Dr. Rutatina Richard for finding time to read through the manuscript and provide valuable insights, and agree to write a foreword for the book.

Sincere thanks to engineer Rubagenga Jean who, with his rich knowledge of the existing history documents on Rwanda and the orally passed on knowledge on Rwandan history, provided a measure of confidence on the authenticity of the book both from a history angle and the analysis of events. I thank him too for accepting to write a second foreword for the book.

Lastly, I sincerely thank Pastor Hesbey Murali for taking the time to read through the final manuscript.  His excellent knowledge of Rwanda’s history and his English language command became valuable when wrapping up the book.

Without the support of these men, this book would not be what it is. But any errors are, of course, entirely mine.

PREFACE

Crossroads is a location where two or more roads cross. However, the word is also often used to mean a situation that requires one to make a vital choice, for things can go one way or the other.  In this book, the word represents a crisis point when one must make a critical decision to avoid a clash of some kind. In a plain sense, when you come to the meeting of two or more roads, you need to make the right turn; otherwise, you will find yourself in the wrong direction. In the worst-case scenario, you may never reach your intended destination. On the other hand, you could get to your intended destination after a relatively long time