International news organizations and African elections
Tuesday, 24 August 2010

Facts just won’t get into the way of a good story

As the Rwandans went to the polls early last week the BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, The New York Times and just about every international news organ kept informing their audiences that “the run up to the elections had been ‘marred’ by the barring of two opposition parties from contesting the presidential elections; the murder of an opposition party politician; the closure of two newspapers; the shooting of a dissident general in South Africa and the murder of a journalist who was ‘investigating that shooting’”. 

 
Murder most foul or just a common crime?
Wednesday, 04 August 2010
Here’s a quiz: there is this country which has an important election this year. But all is not well: there have been acts of terrorism, opposition politicians have been arrested and even murdered, journalists have been killed, and a citizen of that country has been shot in South Africa. What is the country?
 
Contempt prior to investigation...
Monday, 31 May 2010
Most Westerners don’t realize that in 1884 the Berlin Conference convened and the African continent was carved up by drawing lines on maps. European colonial powers, later endorsed by Americans, drew borders in some places where white explorers had not even set foot and they did so without regard to ethnic groups, language, local identities or even natural borders such as mountains, rivers and lakes.
 
Going public, setting the records right
Thursday, 13 May 2010

A letter from Mrs Jeannette Rwigema

The late Fred Gisa Rwigema. (Internet photo)My name is Mrs Jeannette Rwigema, wife of the late Fred Gisa Rwigema and mother to our two children. 

 
Let’s not be impressed by meaningless awards
Saturday, 03 April 2010

Genuine awards are based on merit, not payment

I was quite amused when on Friday I read a story in The New Times under the headline Rwandan company wins prestigious award. Its first paragraph went as follows: “A Rwandan environment engineering firm [Air Water Earth, Rwanda (AWE)] has scooped an International Star for Leadership in Quality award, one of the most prestigious international awards given to companies worldwide for outstanding work.” 

 
Why terrorism isn’t working in Rwanda
Monday, 29 March 2010
Citizens of Kigali being interviewed by The Rwanda Focus; Bottom: all of them say they are not afraid. (photos Steve Terrill)By not living up to the terrorists’ expectations, but instead continuing with their life, Rwandans are thwarting the thugs’ scheme.
 
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