A Canada based filmmaker, Joseph Bitamba, in his documentary that premiered recently, interviewed President Paul Kagame when he was still Vice President in 1994. It was at the height of the worst humanitarian crisis the world had ever seen in ages. Hope had vanished, millions had perished and the whole country was filled with the stench of death. But in that interview, Kagame was far from being pessimistic and comes out placing his trust in the Rwandan people’s will to overcome all odds. He is quoted as saying: “We will construct Rwanda and we will construct Kigali. We will construct Rwanda with our own hands, mind, and 20 years from now; Kigali will be the best destination to be”. If that was not a prophecy, then nothing is. A country that fails to cater for the needs of its population will not survive for long. Cohesion will disappear in the horizon and upheavals will rise from the bottom of empty stomachs. Rwanda is very much aware of that. Apart from the many social protection programmes it has set up, it always seems to have an ace up its sleeves. The latest is that with the commissioning of a fortified foods factory, it will distribute the food to children aged between 6 and 24 months as well as lactating and pregnant mothers in the most vulnerable social categories. There are few countries, even among the most endowed with riches, which can carry out such a feat. So, how does Rwanda do it? It is more a collective will to implement policies right from the bottom administrative levels. That is the secret, nothing more. The road to travel is still long, so it is imperative that leaders not lose steam along the way.
