Samantha Anne Bee, a Canadian-American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actress, and television host visited Rwanda recently, where she toured several places ranging from the bustling Kigali City to upcountry areas. Bee is the host of Full Frontal, a satirical TV show on TBS. While in Rwanda, she toured the Akagera National Park, the Umusambi village, as well as spending some time at the Gashora Emergency Transit Mechanism (EMTC), where African asylum seekers rescued from Libya are hosted temporarily. At the EMTC, she interacted with the asylum seekers and officials in charge of the facility, as she tried to learn more about their lives, and what is happening at the EMTC. The facility hosts immigrants from different African countries who are stuck in Libya after failing to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. The fact that all the asylum seekers here have been inoculated with the Covid-19 vaccine seemed to be one of the highlights of her visit. “While we (in the USA) have been hoarding vaccines and haven’t made a coordinated effort to vaccinate asylum seekers, Rwanda has been trying to vaccinate everyone equitably! Including refugees,” she said in one of the videos she posted on YouTube. She interviewed some local people, asking them how they feel about the fact that their country is not only hosting asylum seekers but is also prioritizing them for the Covid-19 vaccine. “We were so glad to see our country receiving refugees,” answered one of the interviewees from her post. “And we were so glad to hear that they have been vaccinated,” he added. To a second interviewee she asked: “So it does not upset you that you have refugees in this country?” “No,” he responded. “It can’t upset me. Even my parents were one-time refugees.” At the EMTC, Bee also enjoyed music played by the asylum seekers, talked to them about their hopes, and also had a car drive with some of them in the facility’s compound. The EMTC is part of an agreement inked between Rwanda and the African Union (AU). Signed in September 2019, the two-year-deal saw Rwanda agree with the AU and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to establish the EMTC within its territory to act as a temporary home for African asylum seekers who were trapped in Libya, after their attempts to illegally sneak into Europe via the Mediterranean Sea failed. Meanwhile, on her YouTube channel, Bee invited people for a virtual tour of the Akagera National Park. “Haven’t been out of the house in over a year? Us either! Welcome to Rwanda Vision, Sam Bee’s VR tour of Akagera National Park! Sit on your couch, put on your VR headset, and see some majestic animals up close,” she posted on her social media. “Rwanda has been able to bring many species back from the brink of extinction. Now, were bringing them into your home in VR!” she added.
