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The Minister of Sports and Culture Protais Mitali has said that Rwanda has established a Culture and Kinyarwanda language academy. 40 million people can hear and understand Kinyarwanda language in the Great lakes region.

Mitali announced on 20th February 2012 towards celebration of 21st February an International Day that honours Mother Language.

Mitali insists on the act of mixing up languages as one of the factors of killing the culture. He says, “It’s really bad for the culture loses.” Adding that his ministry is planning to see how Kinyarwanda can be instructed in a particular way as it is done for foreign languages.

The minister further said that Rwanda is trying to promote Kinyarwanda as its language and wishes to encourage parents to talk to their children about Kinyarwanda language.

“Foreign languages have to be used in the proper time not to mix up in away to show the level of modernity.”

He added that Rwanda has established the Kinyarwanda and culture academy to strengthen both of them.

Gregoire Mbonankira, the head of department of Modern languages at the National University of Rwanda says that Kinyarwanda is spoken and understood by many people in this region due to the partition and scramble for Africa.

“During the monarch period, Rwanda’s territory was bigger but after partition, some parts were given away to neighbouring countries like Masaka in Uganda, Masisi in DRC and Buha in Tanzania,” Said Mbonankira.

Mbonankira requests many people especially authorities who deliver their speeches in foreign languages to cease because not everyone is able to fully understand them.

“Public officials should speak Kinyarwanda language while addressing the citizens for their speech is supposed to reach every Rwandan and person living in Rwanda,” says Mbonankira.

People confirm that some of the people mix up languages to show that they are civilized.

United Nations for Education Science and Culture (UNESCO) set 21st February as a date of valuing and sustaining Mother Tongue in each country.

They emphasize that peace culture is to be based on the free use of a mother tongue in each country.

In a two day meeting aimed at addressing cross-border crimes, Rwanda and Uganda have agreed on joint efforts in stopping human organ trafficking. The meeting took place on 21st February 2012.

Chief supt. Elias Kabera, the director of international cooperation at Rwanda National Police noted that Drug and Human trafficking and terrorism are the main crimes evident across the borders between Rwanda and Uganda.
Such crimes allegedly spoil security of the two countries.

He said, “the human organ trafficking is the most worrying problem though it has been ignored.” Adding that 13 children have been registered by the CID as victims of human organ trafficking.

Supt. Kabera indentified four drug fraud lines including; Rusizi, Nyagatare, Rubavu and Kirehe. He further requested the collaboration, trainings and information exchange between the countries to better assume the security.

Statistics from criminal investigations showed that 2.5 tons of illicit drugs valued at 199 million have been confiscated and 2402 involved people have been arrested.

To solve the problem, the two governments’ representatives agreed on regular meetings between police and military chiefs working at borders and the deep sensitization in a way to make local leaders of cross border crimes and be able to fight them.

The participants appreciated solutions and agreements from the meeting.

James Musoni, the Rwandan Minister of local governance said that the two countries want the good collaboration in action form. “We want to strengthen our security; and this will be achieved through fighting against drugs like Kanyanga (potent gin) and many other cross boarder crimes.”

The meeting was attended by various authorities from the two countries including James Musoni, the minister of local government in Rwanda and his counterpart Adolph Twesigye and Musa Fazil Harerimana the Internal Security Minister and his mate Mururi Mukasa.

There were also other government officials as well as military and police officials from both countries.

Rwanda’s Capital Market Authority held a competition between students of Gitwa University and students of Kigali institute of technology. The competition aims at getting students more interested in the financial activities

The competition has been rated by students across Kigali as a success and hope that the government alongside other sponsors would be able to have such challenges for various faculties.

Students from different faculties have said they would like such challenges for different institutions to be created as well.

The students’ competition was broadcast on Television. It is the first educational competition that truly aims at attracting students of Rwanda to become more involved in the country’s happenings.

Students from different universities and faculties have said that they think that other government ministries should be more involved in sponsoring events that would not only benefit the students but the
nations development as well.

Uwimana Eloise is a student of Butare in the faculty of agriculture who was present for the competition; she said she was very impressed. “If they could sponsor a challenge between Agricutlure students, it would not only boost their education but would also be great fun”.

Sebabive Jacques a student at Kigali Institute of Science and Technology said the CMA University challenges were excellent. He wishes that all his classes could be conducted just like the competitions “I gained financial knowledge from the competition.”

The sponsors of the CMA university challenge include RDB, BNR, the Ministry of finance and economic planning, BCR, BRD, and Bank of Kigali among others.

The spokesperson for RDB on the night of the event said the idea is to get the student not only to get more interested in the financial activities but this will also increase financial literacy.

RDB is also hoping that through these CMA challenges, they will be an increase in investment in Rwanda from different investors.

The former Rwandan Minister of Planning Augustin Ngirabatware being prosecuted before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), has been separated from his lead attorney while the defense is coming to conclusion.

“The clerk was designated as lead counsel for the accused,” said Canadian Mylène Dimitri, who was previously Assistant Counsel in the defense team of former minister.

Following the hearing that was devoted to hearing the next to last defense witness, failed to learn more about the reasons for the departure of the first lead counsel, Peter Herbert Columbia.
Sources familiar with the matter, however, indicate that the accused himself had asked to separate from the lawyer.

When questioned, the spokesman for the tribunal, Roland Amoussouga, indicated that the replacement of Mr. Herbert had been announced by the Registry “in a confidential decision.”

Designated by the code name, DWAN 114, the witness of the day, who testified via videoconference from Vienna, Austria, presented himself as a former observer of the UN Mission in Rwanda (UNAMIR) in 1994.

At the end of the day, it was not yet come into the merits of the charges against Ngirabatware. He will continue his testimony Tuesday.

Prosecuted for genocide and crimes against humanity, the former minister, who has already 31 defense witnesses, is accused of being the main instigator of the massacres of ethnic Tutsis in his hometown North Nyamyumba.

Ph.D. in economics from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, Ngirabatware was in his country, teaching at the National University of Rwanda (1986-1994) and Minister of Planning (1990-1994).

During his exile from July 1994, he worked in various research institutes in Gabon and France.

Arrested in Germany on 17 September 2007, it is in the hands of the ICTR since October 8, 2008.

The United States Embassy in Rwanda has launched a library at Rwanda Tourism University College (RTUC) at its branch in Rubavu district. The library is valued at US$ 50,000.

The US Ambassador Donal Koran highlighted that the library will also be known as the American corner, meaning it will also serve as a centre for cultural exchange between Rwandans and Americans.

The library has computers connected with internet and books covering several domains related to Information Technology, tourism, grammar, American culture among others.

Koran called upon the public to utilize the library since it was not only meant for RTUC students only.

“Everyone is invited to use the library since we want to share with you the American culture. We also intend to provide materials which will improve academic knowledge through the use of computers and books to improve reading culture,” he explained.

Some of the programs in the pipeline include, children story books, campaign to promote reading culture, film screening and discussions of American civil rights amongst others.

According to the RTUC rector Callixte Kabera, the library will facilitate learning of courses related to IT at the same time improve students grammar which in the long run will help them express themselves better.

He also thanked the continued support from the Kigali based US embassy. “I remember you gave us books worth USD 10,000 that have since improved the performance of our students,” he commended.

Commenting on the advantages of the American Corner, Innocent Kurayija a 3rd year student at RTUC pursuing a course in Business Information Technology noted that the library would improve his research activities through books and internet,” he said.

Issa Hategekimana also a student noted, “For those studying Technology Tourism Management like me, ought to familiarize with the outside culture through reading the books and I believe our communication skills will improve.”

Forty-one faculty and students from Burundi, Haiti, Rwanda, and the United States have gathered in Rwinkwavu, Kayonza District to launch a Global Health Delivery course.

The course is led by Harvard Medical School faculty in conjunction with the Ministry of Health of Rwanda.

The Global Health Delivery is a course that utilizes a novel educational framework to address the global burden of disease and its complex inter-related social determinants, with the aim of empowering a new generation of leaders in the health sector to bridge the gap between knowledge and practice in health care delivery.

In the course, senior health officials are taught how to think strategically and broadly when it comes to designing plans and programs for different health care interventions.

Minister of Health, Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, also a Senior Lecturer at Harvard Medical School, described the course as an example of authentic and effective capacity building for the health sector, meant to break the vicious cycle of poverty and disease.

“This program is about learning what happened in other countries, comparing notes and sharing best practices and how our own Health officials can deliver better services,” the Minister said.

This is the first time Harvard Medical School is conducting this course out of their Boston campus.

The course will be provided twice a year in Rwanda for students coming from across the world.

“Rwanda has been chosen because we have a lot of good innovations to share, like the role of Community Health Workers, functioning of Mutuelle de santé and Performance Based Financing and, all the success we had in maternal child survival.

So it’s a great opportunity to have because to bring 40 Rwandans and be taught by Harvard professors is a dream,” the Minister said.

In this rigorous and stimulating scholarly environment, participants will learn from international case studies and from one another by analyzing case studies from around the world that detail the design, operations, and outcomes of projects to improve health care delivery in resource-poor settings.

“To build a discipline of global health, research universities need to work with the real experts: those who deliver services,” said Paul Farmer, Chair of Harvard’s Department of Global Health and Social Medicine and course faculty member.

The course will be offered twice per year, with the goal of enrolling all central level leaders in the Ministry of Health, as well as program managers and students from around the world.

New case studies will be developed in the coming years to disseminate innovations in Rwanda’s health sector and cultivate Rwandan leaders in the emerging discipline of Global Health Delivery.

The Harvard-affiliated non-governmental organization Partners In Health Inshuti Mu Buzima provided logistical support and funding for the pilot version of the course.

The Ministry of Health availed the Rwinkwavu Training Center, which for five days has become a campus of Harvard.

Jean de Dieu Ngirabega, Director General of Clinical Services, who is a student in the course, commented, “I am thrilled to learn about a new way of conceptualizing service delivery.”

ENDS

Rwanda President Paul Kagame has been invited to attend the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) governing council sitting in Rome from February 22-23, 2012.

Kagame will attend the 35th session of the governing council and is scheduled to hold a joint press conference tomorrow with the IFAD president that will explore the urgent need to enhance smallholder farmers’ resilience to climate change.

The 35th session of governing council of IFAD is expected to attract world leaders, international personalities, policymakers, academics and most importantly, farmer representatives.

According to the press release on the IFAD official website, President Kagame leads the seven-man keynote speakers that also includes Bill Gates co-chair Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Others include Andrea Riccardi the Italian minister for International Cooperation and Integration Policies, Joseph Boakai, Liberian Vice President and Akinwunmi Ayo Adesina the Nigerian Minister of Agriculture.

President Kagame’s address will explore how climate-smart agriculture can feed a growing world population.

While Bill Gates will share his perspective on the importance of agriculture and how sustainable productivity improvements can reduce poverty in developing countries.

He will challenge both global players and national governments to adopt a new approach to supporting smallholder farmers.

Joseph Boakai,the Liberian Vice President will call for strengthening investments in agricultural research and enhancing innovative solutions for sustainable agriculture while Akinwunmi Ayo Adesina, Nigerian Minister of Agriculture will talk about the challenges ahead and how to create a supportive environment to unleash the potential of smallholder farmers.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) works with poor rural people to enable them to grow and sell more food, increase their incomes and determine the direction of their own lives.

Since 1978, IFAD has invested about US$13.7 billion in grants and low-interest loans to developing countries through projects empowering about 405 million people to break out of poverty, thereby helping to create vibrant rural communities.

IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialized UN agency based in Rome the United Nation’s food and agricultural hub.

It is a unique partnership of 167 members from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), other developing countries and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

ENDS

A Rwandan genocide fugitive Beatrice Munyenyezi, 41, will appear this Wednesday, February 22, 2012 before the federal court in New Hampshire in the United States of America.

Beatrice Munyenyezi is accused of ordering the rape and murder of ethnic Tutsis in Butare during the 1994 genocide. That she lied during her application to immigrate to the United States in 1995 where she obtained citizenship in 2003.

Most witnesses that come from Rwanda, do not speak English. Three Kinyarwanda speaking interpreters were hired and they are housed.
Court staff will not reveal their names or other information about them.

Many court documents about the case have been kept secret, and many trips taken by lawyers David Ruoff and Mark Howard in Rwanda to prepare for trial.

To detect the lies of Munyenyezi on applications for immigration and naturalization in the US, prosecutors must demonstrate her role in the genocide against the Tutsis.

If found guilty, she will be deported to Rwanda and probably spend the rest of his life in prison. But, she still denies the charges.

In a recent court order, Steven McAuliffe, Chief Justice, described the case as being particularly complex, which means “navigate through a sea of bureaucratic obstacles,”he said.

Court documents show that steps were taken to ensure the safety of Rwandan witnesses, including an agreement between two parties on the passport applications of defense witnesses so that they are submitted together with the Government Rwanda to hide their identities.

Munyenyezi has been detained since June 2010. Justice searched her home in Manchester, New Hampshire, where some of her property; computer, mobile phone, her American citizenship card and her books were confiscated.

Munyenyezi is married to Arsene Shalom Nhahobali, previously a commando in Habyarimana’s protection force (ex-FAR). The latter also appeared before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha.