There has been a bit of discussion about the following article among Congolese and Rwandan Facebookers:

Kagame addresses US Military Academy

By Edwin Musoni

WEST POINT - President Paul Kagame has said that the international community now shares similar security challenges and urged common understanding and joint pursuit of sustainable solutions.

He made the remarks while addressing the Cadet Class of 2013 at the United States Military Academy at West Point, at the end of the Plebe Parent Weekend.

President Kagame whose son, Ivan Cyomoro, is a cadet at the institution, noted that it was rewarding to see the progress being made by the young men and women in their first year at West Point.

...

As I see it, Kagame (and Museveni of Uganda) do well to send their kids to Westpoint. It makes sense strategically for them, if I have to be objective about it. I mean the US is their strongest ally, Tony Blair is their personal adviser... So it makes sense, and it is a smart move. And it is true, for having lived in Rwanda before Kagame, I can honestly say that he is very methodical and... "pro-active" in trying to "develop" his country.

Acknowledging that he is working hard at "developping" his country doesn't make him less of a calculating, ruthless, wealth-looting, war-profiteering mass-murder planner. It does not exonerate from the crimes committed on Congolese soil, on Congolese people, and on the sovereignty of Congo, by his soldiers, and the rebel groups he sponsored and armed. It does not exonerate him at all.

But it does show that we, Congolese people, even banyarwanda Congolese people, need to reevaluate our priorities, our interests, and our strategy. We all need to wake up and stop being tools for others (be it Kagame, AFRICOM, Angola or others), and reclaim our right to be pragmatic agents of our own change. That, in my view, should be our overarching goal.

Stating that Kagame holds a great deal of responsibility in the current devastating state of the Congo (WHICH IS TRUE), is not a solution, and should definitely not become a cop-out for us Congolese people, particularly the youth, nor does it give us the license to vilify all Rwandans or all Tutsis by proxy. We need to be more concerned with the lethargy amongst some of the leaders of our country (government and opposition alike), when it comes to offering credible reactions to evildoers, and viable solutions for Congolese people. Blind hatred and continuous whining will not get us anywhere. Rwanda is still and will always be our neighbor, and as things stand Kagame is not going anywhere, US and Western interests remain, and the agenda for the balkanization of Congo stands unopposed because we have become its enablers, by spending our time bickering about who is indigenous Congolese or not, who is Bantu or not, who suffered more, who is more devious, who is more evil...

We, young Congolese people need to refocus on more pragmatic efforts, for clearer and more straightforward goals: A strong, united, dynamic, forward-looking and SOVEREIGN Congo, with ALL her territory, and ALL her people, with a true justice system, at peace with her neighbors, at the heart of a reemerging, united African continent, that is a key player in a more ethical global social and economic market.

That is the ("slightly" utopic) goal we should be aiming to reach. How? That is where we all need to start the conversation. My 2 cents: we need two intensive programs:

• A massive, nationwide, civics program, parallel to the national education system, and aimed at kids between 10 and 16 years old. We cannot continue to let the general despair here in Congo, and the ramping anti-values of corruption, influence trafficking, institutionalized flattery (I can explain if needed) and rule of lawlessness seep into the heads of the youth. We need to devise a way to bring a sense of patriotism, of pride, of tolerance, of world consciousness, of civil behavior, of democracy and the rule of law in the hearts and minds of the new generation, otherwise, we are doomed to repeat the cycle of mayhem over and over again. There are plenty of experts in education, and experts in strategy implementation on the continent, so this is definitely doable, if difficult
• A coordinated, tri-lateral ancestral rural land ownership court, composed of Land management officials, Traditional leaders and a neutral third party that will be in charge of arbitrating ancestral land disputes, with a final say. Much f the issues that are used to foment conflict in the east of the DRC seem to be about land. That could be a way to start resolving that.

Let us stop the denigration, and start the conversation.

The Congo will rise again, and sooner than you think.

I headed out to Rubona, some 35km outside Kigali, a couple of weeks ago to observe a pilot project to bring live football to rural Rwanda. If the project goes well, the team behind the pilot plan to bring live World Cup football on large, inflatable screens to rural parts of Rwanda, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda for the whole month of June.

See how the team got on in my photojournalism essay at Kigali Wire.

Today, March 8th, as you probably know, is International Women's Day . It is a day to remember both the importance of women in all spheres of society and life, and the unequal situation in which many women worldwide findthemselves; and also to demand an improvement of this situation . Women suffer not only the general problems of society (those that affect men too), but those specific to women - health and sexuality issues, submission to patriarchy, gender violence, lack of recognition of their work - both related to the work done for the maintenance of the family and home, as to the professional sphere - reflected in a lower pay to that of men -, an unequal representation in public institutions, and so on.

As it might be expected, in many parts of Africa where the quality of life and the situation of a large proportion of the population leaves much to be desired, this is even more uneven and often these deficiencies endanger the lives of many women and girls. I have here neither the space nor the knowledge to give an overview here of this situation, or to comment about it. But you can see the latest United Nations report on "Progress of the world's women, 2008/2009 ", which provides detailed information about this.

I can note on this post however, that although in many African countries - and other less developed countries - the status of women is very precarious, we should not feel that here in Europe everything is on the right path. Some African countries in fact may serve as an example to us, for example the well-known case of Rwanda, the country with the lagest percentage of women parliamentarians worldwide - 56%. And where, at present, political tensions see a woman, Victoire Ingabire, as directly criticising some of the shortcomings of Kagame's government. This is clearly, not the only case, for there are many African women in many fields, that have emerged as symbols of the overcoming barriers and have become true role role-models for African women - and for those in the rest of the world.

Of all these, I will highlight just one, not because her story is more exemplary than all the oters, but because this woman currently holds one of the most important and symbolic positions in the world of politics and international relations - a world dominated by men, and my professional bias ;). I am talking about the vice-secretary of the United Nations, the Tanzanian Asha-Rose Migiro , who has been in office since February 2007. A lawyer and univerity professor, educated in Germany and Tanzania, Asha-Rose Migiro was previously Minister of Community Development, Gender and Children's Affairs (2000-2006) and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (2006-2007) (here you can see her biography). Since her appointment Dr. Migiro has worked to improve the situation of women, for instance by focusing efforts on campaigns against violence against women. Precisely in a recent intervention , Dr Migiro said that “Violence is the most blatant manifestation of discrimination against women, but it is not the only one. Injustice and inequality persist in developing and developed countries and in all regions.” . She also stated that "while we have seen advances in the past 15 years, we have not seen enough... More and more people now understand that gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls is not just a goal in itself, but a key to sustainable development, economic growth, and peace and security".

Vice-secretary of the United Nations, Asha-Rose Migiro

- A few months back, I wrote about the two Norwegians sentenced to death on DRC (here - in Spanish though). I found the case to be extremely interesting and that it said a lot about the different discourses present in the relationship between Europe and Africa. At the time, I reflected on what this sentence told us about the Congolese. Now however, and thanks to this Bomastic Element entry, I have been able to get to know the Norwegian perspective on all this. I have read the full Anthropology Today article (thanks Hans ;) and I have to say it's well worth it. I found it particularly interesting - aside of learning the revealing fact that these two men founded the "Expatriate Club Stanleyville Prision", at the Kisangani central prison - how the perception of Africa in a country like Norway, remains much more sterotypical and prejudiced than in other countries where, historically the presence of Africa has been greater, even if simply because of the maintaining of African colonies.

- The three Spanish NGO members kidnapped in Mali, are expected to be freed tomorrow, according to a Mali government member. Sources claim this has been possible thanks to the payment of a $5 million ransom.

- This New York Times's article records this week's Sarkozy's visit to Rwanda and his recognition of "grave errors" during the 1994 genocide; which has been one on the main talking points on the blog/twittersphere. Also on Rwandan affairs, This is Africa reflects on "The Curious Case of Victorie Ingabire".

- Another talking point has been this Newsweek article on "How Africa is becoming the New Asia". Particularly interesting is that they point out that Africa's recent economic growth "is driven not by the sale of raw materials, like oil or diamonds, but by a burgeoning domestic market...The rapidly emerging African middle class could number as many as 300 million, out of a total population of 1 billion". What this article does not directly touch, is the political consequences of this growing middle class. Any political science student knows of the equation between a larger middle class and a growing democratisation. So, it will be interesting to know how this middle class growth plays out, especially on the current international context, where the simple models of liberal democracy are losing their shine. Will a new (Chinese?) model of non-democratic, but economically prosperous society become dominant? Or will the democracy potentially demanded by the middle class in Africa adopt a new, organic form?

- Sean Jacobs writes on Africa is a Country about the "conflict of interest" for David M. Crane, the former U.N. war crimes prosecutor for the Special Court in Sierra Leone, who three months ago offered legal services to Capt. Dadis Camara's junta in Guinea, including "a Power Point presentation on how to convert a repressive military force into a defender of the people that obeys the laws of armed conflict". The full story can be read at the Foreign Policy blog, here; and you can also see the Power Point presentation which indeed constitutes an "ultimate idiot's guide to being an African junta". However much Mr. Crane's company charged Camara for it, it appears to me as a rip-off!

- And finally, some music for a relaxed weekend. Ali Farka Toure's last ever recordings; in this occasion together with Toumani Diabaté. Incredibly beautiful music from two of Africa's greatest musicians.

Click here to listen to the album on Spotify

If you want to go shopping at the excellent Kimironko covered market, east of central Kigali and you don’t look Rwandan there are two rules you might want to follow. First, hire a guy to watch your car. You won’t find this too tricky as you’ll be mobbed by potential employees as soon as you drive into the parking area. Second, choose another guy to carry your bag, hope any squabbles over your trade are short-lived, quickly get over any colonial hang ups and go shopping.

Read more at Kigali Wire

A fascinating look back at Rwanda in the early part of the twentieth century. Flickr user Lucien has uploaded his grandparent's photographic collection from Rwanda, DR Congo and beyond.

Read more at Kigali Wire

Kigali - Rwanda: The Mutsinzi report into the assassination of President Juvénal Habyarimana on April 6, 1994 has been published. Philip Gourevitch, author of We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda, gives his initial reaction to the documents on The New Yorker blog.

• Rwanda: The Mutsinzi Report on the Rwandan Genocide (kigaliwire.com)

The Mutsinzi report is published into the downing of the plane carrying President Juvénal Habyarimana on April 6, 1994. The assassination is often seen as the trigger that sparked the genocide in Rwanda. The report is incredibly thorough and well worth a read if you are at all interested in the history of Rwanda. Helpfully, the report comes in several versions depending on how much time you have to digest it...

Read more at Kigali Wire