Editor, RE: “Attacks on Kagame: When repetition doesn’t make perfect” (The New Times, September 5). Call it idolatry or branding; anchoring based on race/appearance never ceases to amuse me. Call me cynical/sarcastic if you will, but this Western Pavlovian programming really caught on. Week in, week out Rwagatare, Rugira, Mwaura, Mutabazi and several other local authors pen absolutely brilliant opinion pieces here in The New Times. Understandably one would expect these brilliant authors to be venerated on home turf. Not quite sure how so though, if at all. Wonder how much more quorum, engagement, arousal and fellowship all these brilliant Rwandan authors and pundits would have generated had their identities been prefixed with scholarly titles; a Caucasian profile picture to boot (especially if self deprecating and denouncing their own in the West). We still take to heart foreign/expert contributions and authorship of our African stories far much more than we adore our own home grown prophets. Alas Jesus was right when he despaired over a prophet’s fellowship by their own. Well let’s see how engaged they will be to Mr. Rwagatare’s oped this time round. Otherwise he had better complete his 3rd PhD in the humanities; start flashing his visiting professorship at Dublin Metropolitan University before we all take notice. Ggwanga Mujje
