By David Himbara
The building which houses the Rwandan High Commission in London belongs to president Paul Kagame. The Rwandan government rents it from him. This is one of the case studies of good governance that Rwanda should be praised for: centralisation of assets and revenues in one place. Contrary to what some would think, this is not a case of corruption. This is how Rwanda Inc. operates.
Here we are in London, UK on March 19, 2015. We are at the Rwandan High Commission in London. Four of us – my friends Epimaque, Ali, Rene, and I. Ali is not in the photograph because he was the one taking the pictures.
Our visit to the Rwandan High Commission is our way of remembering Emmanuel Gasakure, Assinapol Rwigara, and all those Rwandans that are mysteriously disappearing. (The two named personalities are Kagame’s former private doctor and important Rwandan businessman respectively – they were both assassinated in recent weeks on the orders of the RPF’s regime – editor’s note).
Most importantly, our visit to the Rwandan High Commission is our way of saying ENOUGH IS ENOUGH to intimidation and fear. We are inspired by Assinapol Rwigara’s children who are demanding justice for their Papa’s mysterious death. By requesting President Kagame to conduct inquiry into Rwigara’s death, instead of accepting official lies, Rwigara’s chidren are rejecting fear, the main instrument the Kagame government uses to silence the Rwandan nation.
Fear is a terrible thing. The Kagame regime uses fear to make us Rwandans weak; fear is what the regime uses to alter our perspective, to blur our judgment, and to turn us into cowardly zombies. Fear eats at us from the inside out. The fear of Kagame is everywhere – and it keeps us from living our lives, and from finding happiness with our families, friends and communities.
This has to stop!
We must stand up to our fears. We must begin to believe that we can alter the situation – we must begin to think we can affect our circumstances.
Rejecting fear doesn’t mean we ignore the frightening brutality in Rwanda. No. What I am saying is that we must not allow fear to be our ruler. We must in other words resist inertia that holds us back from facing the very thing that is causing the fear – a bad and cruel government. We must find inner strengths to give us courage to recognize the regime will sooner or later collapse. And Rwandans can and will have an impact on that collapse. We must tame fear — something that will build confidence in our still-hidden resilience to make a difference in our homeland.
It is said that “we must all experience fear in order to become fearless. Fear is a necessary signal – it’s a warning alarm to our bodies and minds that action is needed. We become fearless when we heed that warning; when we tap into our inner strength, exude self-confidence, and forge ahead. Being fearless may not mean you dance through your days without fear – it simply means you confront it, and interpret it in a way that makes you the master.”
So you all compatriots, take the first steps of becoming the master over your fear. Look in the mirror. And say loudly to the person you see in the mirror the following: “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. AS OF TODAY I AM NOT AFRAID OF RWANDA REGIME. I MUST STAND UP AGAINST FEAR.”
Source: Facebook
