Rwandans have tasted progress and they love it

There was a time when there were more questions than answers. Every time President Paul Kagame or his ministers visited any part of the country or abroad where Rwandans live in large numbers, they were sure to face many questions on a variety of subjects. The questions ranged from personal to political, from the local to national, even international. But they all had something in common. They tended to blame government for many failures – sometimes with reason, other times unfairly.Today, that has changed. They are more answers than there are questions. You get the impression that they have even been answered before they were asked. Now the president and his ministers visit and invite questions and there are none. The MC pleads and coaxes and moves into the crowd shopping for them. None.It is not that Rwandans do not speak, or are afraid to speak. They actually love to. Many love to hear their own voices and will look for every excuse to speak. They can’t turn down an invitation. And even now they do, except it is not questions they are asking. They are giving answers.Instead they compliment the president and his team for a job well done. Now, don’t think this is sycophancy. These people do not even live in Rwanda and are not looking for a government job or other favours. They have no reason to sing praises to its leaders. They are speaking from the heart and from experience – about what they have seen. And they do not only pay compliments; they are prepared to complement what is already being done.This is the spirit – of offering solutions to questions that exist so that they do not have to be asked. You hear testimonies of what people have done to better their lives, how they have set up thriving businesses, and so on.The meetings with the people have become forums for advice – to government, to each other. They have become a huge, free consultancy service. I suppose you might say that is the Rwandan way.That was the case in Boston last weekend during Rwanda Day. The usual things happened. RDB made a case for investment. Banks showed off their services. Other companies displayed their wares. Even the Rwanda Education Board had a stand advertising student loans. The young partied the whole night (and why not? They are young, free and have a country they are proud of). Ministers and other officials made their presentations, and the people agreed with them.Now, that is unusual – for people, especially if they live far away, to readily agree with the government. It is even more unusual when they live in the United States where some people want little to do with government.Obviously, there has been a change. To use a fashionable term, there has been a mindset shift. The change has resulted from several things.Things are being done, and done right. Rwandans have seen genuine change led by their government and implemented by them. There is visible progress and success. The buzz in the convention hall was progress. Their questions are being answered, and now they can be part of those giving the answers.The fact that questions have been answered before they are asked has given Rwandans wherever they live a confidence they never had before – to publicly display their Rwandanness. Seeing the crowd at Rwanda Day, one can sense a new Rwanda. It is the same one sees back home – people having trust in their leadership and confidence in their country. No wonder all those surveys about citizens contentedness, about their security and institutions score 90 and above.Living in North America makes it easier for Rwandans here to appreciate what is going on in their country. President Kagame’s exhortation to work hard falls on ears familiar with that sort of ethic. For them, the can-do attitude is not simply a slogan or rallying cry to get out the vote. It is real and a must if you want to move ahead in a fiercely competitive society. They understand only too well that if you want to get on in life, you cannot shift that responsibility to someone else. The consequences are dire. You could die.Rwandans at home now also understand that. They work as hard. They are fiercely proud to be Rwanda. And the reason is simple. Nothing mobilises like success. Success breeds more success and everyone wants to bask in it. That, too, is enough motivation to keep moving ahead and not slide back.So, yes, when everybody is involved in asking questions and seeking answers to them, you know there has been a mindset shift.

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Rwandans have tasted progress and they love it