Colonialists, past leaders to blame for Rwanda’s dark history, says Prime Minister

Colonialists and past leaders are responsible for the country’s dark history, Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi has said. Habumuremyi made the remarks while launching his book, Rwanda: Building a Model Nation State at Kigali Independent University (ULK) on Thursday. “It’s amazing how Rwandan elites then conspired with the colonialists to cripple the country in every sense,” he noted. He again lashed out at post-independence leaders saying they fell short of revolutionary principles. “A good revolution should benefit every body, not just a particular section of society, but they failed at that,” he mentioned. He also warned against detractors who are out to drag the country to its past. “Despite the progress this country has made ,there is still a section of people who are not happy with it and are determined to destroy what has been built,” Habumuremyi said. He pointed out that the current regime has succeeded in creating a peaceful environment where every body has equal opportunity. “It is amazing how today all Rwandans are living in harmony with one another, something that was just a dream two decades ago.” He also called upon the masses to have a sense of patriotism and serve their nation with deligence. The book The book, Rwanda: Building a Model Nation State, in four chapters analyses the origin of the Rwandan conflict, post-colonial exclusions, the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, and how the country later emerged as a unified and prosperous one. “This book is a blend of personal experience and extensive research I did on other people’s works. The quick transformation this country went through is what inspired me to start writing it in 2008,” the Prime Minister explained. He said he chose to launch the book in a school setting because students are custodians of knowledge and also tomorrow’s future leaders. Prof. Rwigamba Bahinda, the President of ULK, congragulated the Prime Minister on his achievement. “Writing a book takes a lot of sacrifice. Despite other great responsibilities, he still found time to produce such great work.” he noted.