Editor, RE: “Rwanda: A lesson in democracy” (The New Times, January 6). I think the Western world needs to upgrade its lessons on democracy—Africa and the Middle East are really some good study cases. We know very well where we are coming from. When the Genocide was taking place in Rwanda, none of these people in the West raised an alarm. Some justified their indifference to the fact that Rwanda was a sovereign country that should be left to mind her own business. Well eventually, it was Rwandans who managed to stop the Genocide. The West is struggling and miserably failing to paste its agonizing ideology of how they understand democracy. Donald Trump—the Republican contender in the United States—is an example on how the West is slowly going to euthanasia. Whats badly working for you cant be paste to others. When I am killed your democracy disappears, when I try to find an alternative way to survive, your democracy suddenly reappears to give us inappropriate lessons. The West is almost a blind master. John ***************************** Thanks to John...like you rightly put it… “When I am killed, democracy disappears, when I try to find another way to survive, your democracy suddenly reappears to give us inappropriate lessons”. When you look at this sometimes you get confused what people really want. This brings into ones mind whether the “masters” consider Africans as normal human beings who can think and make their own informed decisions. Which reminds me of the news when President Barack Obama talking about gun control in the US recently, and he reached a point where he was overcome by emotions as he spoke about innocent lives of young people that have been victims. I saw tears rolling from his eyes and I was really touched, but I wish him and others could at one time visit Kigali Memorial Centre, especially that floor where you see pictures of beautiful kids who were killed during the Genocide against the Tutsi, hear the sound of them crying in the background...then I think democracy will not disappear and reappear when Rwandans/Africans are trying to find solutions in order to survive. Donna
