The current stalemate in relations between Rwanda and Uganda brought out possibly the worst in humans. No, it is not about torture, arbitrary arrests, “border closure” or economic sabotage; but self-confidence and relying on stereotypes; that only a “muzungu” holds the key to Africa’s problems. When the conflict broke out, “experts” were cropping up from nowhere; xenophobic streaks that had been cleverly hidden suddenly came out in the open. Even though one side was feigning ignorance, there was no end in sight and all hope was pinned on the diplomatic shuttling by many foreign emissaries. It is impossible to assess any situation without having all the hands of the deck, all the details, big or small, so we do not know what goes behind the political walls. So why are people sceptical over the choice of the presidents of Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo as mediators in the conflict? One prominent gentleman in the local media even went as far to opine that the duo was bound to fail; that they were novices, had no clout. Ok, let us agree that what the gentleman said had some sense, but something does not sound right when one says that the peace deal was dead from scratch because “donors” had no say in it. To think that in this day and age someone still believes that Africa’s fate depends on aid that if donors cut off aid then everything will fall back in place? That is self-defeating and having a low opinion of one’s self. Donor aid should not determine our future, so why not let the two Heads of State try and fail or succeed before we condemn them beforehand? Let us first believe in ourselves before calling in the donor cavalry.
