Editor,

RE: "When did PR become such a bad thing anyway?” (The New Times, November 2).

There is nothing inherently wrong with PR if what it is doing is showcasing underlying reality in its best light (also known as putting one’s best foot forward).Everybody does it, all the time, in all contexts and walks of life – from within the family, school, relationships, business, religion, and work.

Some engage in PR in their everyday interactions with others without even realizing it. All institutions which want to succeed do it systematically and put in serious money and other resources for that purpose. For instance, according to its Government Accountability Office in a report released on 5 October, the US government spent $1.5 billion annually on PR activities for the period 2006-2015

PR tends to get a bad rap (sometimes deserved), because it tends to be conflated with false propaganda and high-pressure advertising to convince its targets that things are what they really are not.

In and of itself, PR is a neutral tool. But, like everything, it can be used for good as well as evil, just as a knife can be a valuable implement or a murderous weapon in the hands of a killer.

Summary: marketing Brand Rwanda (especially when what we showcase is real) is a wonderful effort and one we should all laud. Do the positive aspects we highlight mean we are heaven on earth? Obviously not

But where else is any different. We all know we are very far from where we want to be. But we are moving in the right direction on different fronts, even if those lucky enough to be in the front will obviously have it easier than the laggards. And those in the rear will, of course, end up with the dust raised by the feet of those in the vanguard.

The important thing is for those in charge of our affairs to constantly remember that those in front (often also the most voluble and most visible) are not the only ones to be concerned about. That greater effort needs to be put into helping the most weak and infirm amongst the multitudes so that they are not left behind. 

But, most of us have absolutely no doubt that those leading us are fully aware of that. And the results and the collective distance the Rwandan society has covered over the last two decades speaks for itself.

Mwene Kalinda