Blogging Is A Community

As Monroe Anderson so eloquently recollects (on Blogging While Brown website, video on the right) from his conversation with Gina McCauley, creative mind (she explains the idea here) behind the Blogging While Brown conference: "Blogging is a community". This year Blogging While Brown takes place in Washington DC, June 18-19. The video below is an invitation to this valuable event. A window of opportunity!

Election Rwanda 2010: Paul Kagame, Victoire Ingabiré, & Memories of Genocide

On February 7, 2009, I spoke to the Rwandan FDU-Inkingi Party's presidential candidate Victoire Ingabiré Umuhoza, on the phone from San Francisco, California, U.S.A., to Kigali, Rwanda, for KPFA News.

The Colored Opinions column width doesn't make quite enough space for the images in this video, so I recommend clicking twice to watch on the Youtube.

Tea Party Blogs

During the Republican primaries in the US, I closely followed Mike Huckabee's grasroot campaign (I am now actively following Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza's campaign in Rwanda, allthough Kagame (this guy has soo much blood on his hands) seems to have allready decided that she is no candidate).

Some Quotes of Mike Huckabee's Supertuesday victory speech, thanks to jews 4 Huckabee):

"You know, over the past few days a lot of people have been trying to say that this is a two-man race. Well, you know what? It is. And we're in it!"

"Tonight, we are making sure America understands that sometimes one small smooth stone is even more effective than a whole lot of armor...."

"Now, it's tough for this old Razorback to say things like roll, Tide roll, but I'm doing it tonight. And it's tough for this old Razorback to look over there to the state just to the east of us and anticipate being able to say that we're, too, Volunteers. I think before the night is over, I'll even be singing "Rocky Top."...

He did a great job and I liked his speeches ( for example this one in New Hampshire), where he "thanked the weather committee". People like former South Carolina Governor David Beasley and Marco Rubio were ardent Huckabee supporters as well. I remember a picture of Marco Rubio canvassing cars in New Hampshire for Mike Huckabee. And off course Huckabee's criticism of Bush's "bunker mentality" foreign policy (rejected by Condoleeza Rice in public). Looking around in Europe for a politician that has some similarities to Mike Huckabee I immediately think of Michel Daerden of Liège.

Through "the Huckster's" campaign I came across a lot of Huckabee supporter blogs, most of them didn't last long, but one stood out, it was Kevin Tracy's blog. Kevin Tracy loves blogging and loves politics. I continue following his journey through the Tea Party movement. It's an intriguing movement in relation to how fringe groups can influence political processes through new media. It's a very loosely organized movement, but seems to have a strong impact. Apart from Kevin Tracy, I know that the redstate blog is an important part of it too.

Rwanda's 2010 presidential election? What election?

by Ann Garrison

Joseph Ntawangundi, an assistant to Rwanda's FDU-Inkingi presidential candidate Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, was  arrested, imprisoned, and charged with the crime of genocide, on February 6th, three days after a mob in civilian clothes assaulted him, and Ingabiré, as the two of them waited for papers to register their party, and her candidacy, at a government office in Rwanda's capital city, Kigali.   Ingabiré was uninjured in the assault, but assailants stole her passport and national identification papers.  She will have to replace them before she can register for Rwanda's 2010 presidential election, though it now seems unlikely that she or any other candidate with any chance of winning will be allowed to run against the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front Party's President Paul Kagame.

Leaders of the ruling RPF Party have been calling for Mrs. Ingabire's arrest for the crime of promoting "genocide ideology" ever since her return to Rwanda, from exile, on January 17th.  

The Democratic Green Party of Rwanda has tried five times to convene, beginning in August 2009, only to be met with bureaucratic roadblocks and, on October 30th, violence and arrests, followed by more harrassment, threats and arrests. On February 5th, Interim Rwandan Green Party President Frank Habineza issued a press release stating that he had been accosted, threatened, and warned that he is being watched all the time.   On 02.06.2009, Senegalese Green Party President Papa Meissa Dieng called on Global Greens and the American and European Greens Federations to act while there's still time by creating a mediation group to travel to Rwanda.   Habineza also urged the Global Greens to act now.

The Parti Social-Imberakuri managed to register and nominate Mr. Bernard Ntaganda, but they've since been threatened with exclusion, and accused, like Mrs. Ingabiré, of promoting "genocide ideology."

The statute criminalizing "genocide ideology' was passed to suppress the disputed history of the 1994 genocide, which hangs heavy over Rwanda and this election. Mrs. Ingabiré has put herself at great risk simply by stating that not only Tutsi, but also Hutu people died in the genocidal massacres of 1994, but some American journalists, academics, have gone much farther in challenging the received history.

Rwanda has revoked University of Michigan Professor Allan Stam's VISA because of his collaborations with other academics, investigators, lawyers, and statisticians, and his conclusions that:

- a million people died, 

- the vast majority of those who died were not Tutsi, but Hutu, 

- American, French, and Belgian leaders, including Bill Clinton and the CIA knew what was happening every day as the massacres continued, and 

- current Rwandan President Paul Kagame, a U.S. ally trained at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, is guilty of war crimes of an extraordinary scale. 

Professor Stam also concludes that there are "no good guys in this story," no simple right and wrong.

Mrs. Ingabiré, the FDU-Inkngi Party's candidate, has called for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, like South Africa's after apartheid.

The U.S. and its close ally, Rwanda

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking at the 2009 AGOA Conference in Kenya, called Rwanda the beacon of hope for Africa, and, in November 2009, President Bill Clinton presented Rwandan President Paul Kagame with a Global Citizenship Award. However, the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Democracy and Labor's May 2009 report tells a very different story:

"Rwanda is a constitutional republic dominated by a strong presidency. President Paul Kagame was elected to a seven-year term in 2003; the next presidential election is scheduled for 2010. Chamber of Deputies elections that took place in September 2008 were peaceful and orderly, despite irregularities. Significant human rights abuses occurred, although there were improvements in some areas. Citizens' right to change their government was restricted, and extrajudicial killings by security forces occurred. There were significantly fewer reports of torture and abuse of suspects than in previous years. Prison and detention center conditions remained harsh. Security forces arbitrarily arrested and detained persons. Prolonged pretrial detention was a problem, and government officials attempted to influence judicial outcomes, mostly regarding the community-based justice system known as gacaca. There continued to be limits on the freedoms of religion, speech, and association. Restrictions on the press increased. Official corruption was a problem. Restrictions on civil society, recruitment of child soldiers by a Democratic Republic of Congo-based armed group, and trafficking in persons, also occurred."

What Does Instinzi Stand For?

Someone put this video compilation glorifying the RPF army and it's leader Paul Kagame on youtube. The staunchest internet supporters of Kagame sing his praise in the comment section. I am just wondering what it means and what it stands for. Anyone?

Amidst a snowstorm in Washington DC, Congo and Kagame are talk of the town, just read Alex Engwete's account. It certainly put's the Instinzi video in context.

Els Schelfhout, Senator for the Belgian ruling party CD&V (the party of Yves Leterme (Belgium prime-minister) and Herman van Rompuy, President of the European Council), considers Paul Kagame a mass murderer. She has asked the Belgian Government to send a very strong message to Kigali in support of opposition presidential candidate Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza.

Gaspard Musabyimana writes tonight that Victoire Ingabire has been taken in custody by Kigali police and taken to a judicial office (what ever that may be).

Security Threat to Frank HABINEZA, President of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda

Security Threat to Frank HABINEZA, President of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda,
Democratic Green Party of Rwanda
Press Release
5 February 2010

On Thursday 4th February 2010, around 15:30 hrs at Hotel Leprentemps in Kimironko, Kigali, I was intimidated and threatened by an unknown man whom I suspect to be a security operative.

I went to the hotel to meet a colleague: Jean Paul MUDAHERANWA aka. Sunday. When I arrived, I observed the presence of two other men. One of them left in about 10 minutes.

Read more at World News Journal, http://africannewsanalysis.blogspot.com/2010/02/security-threat-to-frank-habineza.html

Davis "The Hermit" Fleetwood on "Haiti; We Are the World 2010"

Belgium Worried About Lack Of Democracy In Rwanda

The new Foreign Affairs minister of Belgium, Steven Vanackere (CD&V), recently visited the great lakes region. On January 25th, Belgium newspaper De Standaard reports:

`Vanackere benadrukt dat hij in Congo, Rwanda en Burundi geen enkel gespreksthema uit de weg is gegaan. ‘Zo heb ik in Congo het hoofd van de militaire justitie erop gewezen dat je geen opleiding nodig hebt om te weten dat je niet moet verkrachten.'En aan de Rwandese president Paul Kagame — voor wie De Gucht altijd een stuk milder was dan voor Kabila — zei Vanackere dat hij bezorgd was over het gebrek aan een oppositiepartij.`

In English:

`Vanackere stressed that on his visit to Congo, Rwanda and Burundi, no subject has been avoided. 'I have, for example, told the head of military justice in Congo that you don't need education to know that you should not rape.' And he told the Rwandese President Paul Kagame, of which his predecessor Karel de Gucht was less critical, that he had worries about the lack of a opposition party.`

Today, the largest Dutch newspaper, de Telegraaf, writes that Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, who has recently returned to Rwanda as Presidential Candidate for a Rwandan political party, has been attacked at a municipal office in Rwanda. Police stood by without protecting her and her assistant. The New Times, a "newspaper" that in reality publishes propaganda in favor of the current military junta, has for weeks been writing half-truths and lies about her. Off course, again today, the New Times wrote a distorted account of what actually took place: "Ingabire was standing in line and didn't want to wait for her turn." I am affraid The New Times campaign of character assasination will continue. There strategy seems to be: "Throw as much shit at her, some of it will stick." Allafrica, a faithfull publisher of government friendly press in Rwanda, continues to pass on these "press releases". It's amazing it doesn't hurt their business model. Makes me wonder concerning the credibility of the news they receive from other "news sources" in Africa. US mainstream media have kept silent about Ingabire´s return to Rwanda so far, makes me wonder how much longer they can wait. I can´t wait to hear what Philip Gourevitch or Stephen Kinzer have to say about her.

Voice Of America reports that Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza will today publish an open letter to Paul Kagame demanding protection in the run up to the Presidential elections. Wouldn't it be great if Reverend Rick Warren made a video with his "friend paul", a civil forum setting would do, asking him to protect Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza?

Lecture On US Policy In Rwanda

Disputed Histories of the Rwanda Genocide

Skulls of victims of one of the massacres during the 1994 Rwandan genocide displayed at the Genocide Memorial Site church of Ntarama in Nyamata, Rwanda.

I was surprised and alarmed on, 02.02.2010, to read Amil Omara-Otunnu's one-sided history of the Rwanda Genocide, "Rwanda Genocide: Lessons for Human Rights Advocacy," in the Black Star News, a publication I rely on for investigative reporting and commentary about Africa.  This is especially disturbing now, as tension around disputed Rwanda Genocide history increases amidst political repression leading up to Rwanda's August 2010 national elections.  

Professor Omara-Otunnu's elegant English, rationality, and partial rightness put this essay leagues above the vicious propaganda currently being published in the Rwanda New Times or the confusion in the Rwanda News Agency, both of which are promptly reproduced on allAfrica.com, seemingly without editorial review or discretion, but his account of the Rwanda Genocide and its aftermath is wholly biased towards Rwandan President Paul Kagame, his ruling RPF Party, and the suffering of Rwandans identified as Tutsi.  It disregards all the evidence that Kagame and the RPF are themselves guilty of major human rights violations, including compromised courts and elections, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocidal violence against Rwandan Hutus, and, of ruthless invasion and resource theft in Eastern Congo.  

Omara-Otunnu makes no mention of the tension and repression of opposition political parties in Rwanda now, as the nation's 2010 national elections approach.

And he makes no mention of the Human Rights Watch release pointing to the failure of the International Criminal Tribunal on Rwanda (ICTR) to indict the ruling RPF, which makes the ICTR's legacy an example of one-sided justice rather than a historic example for human rights investigations and courts to emulate.  

Nor does he mention Rwanda's prisons, which house the third highest per capita prison population in the world, including many political prisoners.

Though he decries the international community's "inaction," in accordance with the received Rwanda genocide narrative, he says nothing about evidence of foreign powers covert involvement, including that of the U.S. and its allies, and France, and/or of their ongoing involvement in Rwanda and the wider region now.

This essay is elegantly written, but the writer's disregard for disputed narratives of the Rwanda Genocide, including those of Victoire Ingabiré Umuhoza, FDU/UDF-Inkingi's 2010 presidential candidate, and the need to reconcile disputed narratives is dangerous and irresponsible.

I should add, however, that Professor Amara-Otunnu's has been outspoken in his opposition to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's state terror and genocidal violence against the Acholi people of Northern Uganda.

See: 

"Rwanda's 1994 genocide and the 2010 elections" 

"ICTR's legacy threatened by failure to charge Rwandan Patriotic Front," 

All Things Pass, Writings of Keith Harmon Snow  

David Barouski's Z-Space Page

Rwanda Documents Project, created by Dr. Peter Erlinger, Lead Defense Counsel for the International Criminal Tribunal on Rwanda