Kagenza S. Rumongi
22 December 2006
opinion
Kigali — 'Why would a country like France do such monstrous things...?' That was the seemingly rhetorical question posed by the French Embassy's spokesperson in the U.S, Ms. Nathalie Loiseau, reacting to the accusations
that France supported- in many ways- the Interahamwe militia and Rwanda Government Forces who perpetrated the Genocide against the Tutsi's in 1994.
Ms. Loiseau (pictured) appeared on the African Journal programme of Voice of America on November 30, 2006 alongside Rwanda's Ambassador to the United States Dr. Zac Nsenga.
In pure incongruous and sinister fashion- not uncommon of imperial rhetoric, Madame Loiseau maintained a pokerfaced look as she stooped and ducked the numerous questions posed to her by the show's host and other viewers who managed to call as well.
Interestingly enough, this lady managed to glide through what seemed more of a grilling session than anything else; and as if to add insult to injury, Madame Loiseau went ahead and proclaimed that France was actually at the vanguard of drawing attention to the Rwandan crisis prior to the Genocide!
The quagmire that France is currently faced with was wonderfully reflected through the outrageous statements that their chief propagandist in the U.S asserted. However the more surprising thing happened towards the end of the show when a caller from Norway was put on air and gave credence to the claims brought forward by Judge Bruguiere- only to find out that this individual was none other than Abdul Ruzibiza- an RPF renegade and Rwandan Government dissident!
Consequently, Mr. Ruzibiza has been awarded every means possible to chatter and convey similar propaganda as Judge Bruguiere has, including publishing a 494 page book 'Rwanda, l'histoire secrète' exclusively dedicated to these wild ideas. It may also not be surprising you that Mr. Ruzibiza ranks amongst the top-level witnesses who form the basis of Judge Bruguiere's intelligence report.
Moving away from dissidents and imperial mouthpieces, the crux of the matter remains that as France continues suffering from post-colonial melancholy, it's frosty attitude towards Rwanda- including harbouring major genocide suspects, shouldn't be mistaken for anything more than a chest-thumping former collaborator not enthusiastic about an African leader who has genuinely undertaken the difficult, frustrating and self-disciplining long term governance task of effectively steering the economic development of his country and population.
At such a trying moment, it is vital that we citizens of the world pursuing social justice and true emancipation from the neo-colonial stronghold of these imperial powers lend a hand to the leaders who are bold enough to resist the imperial mechanism of certain countries and commend them on their fearless feats. We should all remember that, as the old adage says, 'evil prevails where men of good will sit and do nothing'.
The author is a student of International Relations at the United States International University- Nairobi, Kenya.
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