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  • Prosecution recommends ten year jail term for exiled Rwandan journalist

    Prosecution in a Kigali court has recommended a ten year jail term in absentia to Rwandan journalist Jean Bosco Gasasira.

    The Umuvugizi chief editor, who is currently exiling in Europe, is accused of the offences, which include incitement aimed at destabilising national security, publication of articles that disrespect the President and violation of several media laws.

     This latest development was a result of an appeal by the prosecutors after an intermediary court in Kigali proved him innocent late September last year. The prosecution argues that the court had not fully scrutinised evidence associated with the cases.

    In this respect, the prosecution gave evidence, which was not given much consideration. Quoting article 69, for instance, the prosecution argued that the local tabloid compared the ruling party Rwanda Patriotic Front to Mugabe’s Zanu-PF in Zimbabwe. The latter has reportedly been accused of oppressing the country’s opposition, which is not case in the Rwandan context.

    Usually, the Umugizi chief editor uses international media like BBC to react to court rulings against him but in this particular occasion, Gasasira has yet to respond. The final judgment will be read by the Supreme Court on 27 May 2011.

    Recently, the Media High Council suspended the local tabloid for a period of six months, after the journalist ignored a number of warnings by the media control body. Subsequent to the suspension, the paper went online without changing its editorial line and cases of media law violations are still eminent on its website version. 

  • SFAR boss says bursary scheme now well evaluated

    When the government scrapped the controversial bursary loans scheme for university students last year, a lot of disorientation arose since there were no proper laid down mechanisms to know determine bona fide beneficiaries, yet the monthly Frw 25,000 bursary fund, popularly known as “bourse” specifically targeted the neediest students to cater for accommodation and food expenses among others.

    However, even among the needy students who are set to benefit, there are those who claim that they are yet to receive the bourse from the Students Financing Agency of Rwanda (SFAR) since the start of the current academic year.

    In an interview with IGIHE.com, the Director General of SFAR, Emma Rubagumya clarified that the agency had decided to first conduct an assessment among the students to determine genuine beneficiaries from imposters.

    “We had to first make a proper evaluation before we could release this money since a lot of mistakes were made when we were implementing this,” Rubagumya observed.

    She disclosed that the evaluation had been conducted by local authorities and other departments in charge and a final list submitted to the SFAR offices on Monday (April 27, 2011). She added that in less than two weeks, beneficiaries would receive the bursary funds in their accounts.

     “We have delisted some students who were not meant to receive this money and they will have to refund it,” the SFR boss cautioned.

    Rubagumya revealed that some of the false beneficiaries were eating from restaurants and renting accommodation facilities on credit, claiming that they would clear the credit upon receiving the bourse. She warned those who may have misguidedly obtained the funds that they would have to reimburse the money to such creditors.

    She announced that the situation was regrettable especially among innocent traders, adding that such students would have to service the arrears and still be delisted from the bursary scheme.

  • SFB students accuse varsity’s administration of insensitivity

    Students at a local university, School of Finance and Banking (SFB) in Gikondo, Kigali, have accused the varsity of poor administration and failure to call assembly meeting to address their grievances.

    “How can the institution spend an year without holding a meeting with students ? They should do something, otherwise we are also human beings, we think and can act,” a student who requested for anonymity told IGIHE.com.

    Others who we interviewed raised issue with the administration’s failure by the Ministry of Education stipulation that students be allowed to work to help finance their studies and upkeep after the government’s removal of the students’ monthly allowance of Frw 25,000, popularly known as bourse.

    According to students, many of them had sought for employment since they had no alternative source to fund their tuition fees. This has however meant that class attendance levels would be affected due to clashing of working and study hours. The institution stands by its policy that if a student attendance status is below 75 percent, this would lead to an automatic year’s repetition of the affected course.

    The students allege that answer sheets in the ongoing exams at the institution indicate that those who did not attain the requisite attendance ratio of 75 percent are separated from those who did. This has resulted in tension and fear that many of those who failed to satisfy the requirement risk repeating the academic year. This further implies that those in their final year would not graduate and will have to re-sit the affected course accompanied by a fee worth RWF 55.000 per course.

    The SFB students also complain about the way the attendance issue is being conducted by the varsity’s administration. They suggest that roll-calls for attendance should be done daily according to the institution’s policy but this does not happen as regularly as expected.

    “How can the authority in charge of roll calls hold them only two or three times in a semester and compute this into a percentage ?” one of the students asked, terming the method as unfair.

    ”We need to do something or else the ministry of education needs to intervene,” said another student who also sought anonymity.

    The students said they had petitioned the Vice Rector in charge of Academics, Dr. Papius Musafiri Marimba, several times to discuss the controversial issues but they claim he has since turned a deaf ear.

    Efforts by IGIHE.com to contact the Public Relations Manager of the institution Mr. Elias Kiyaga were fruitless as the call could not get through by press time.

     

  • ISOKO Theatre relives the genocide through drama

    There’s a scene near the end of The Monument, Colleen Wagner’s searing 1995 drama about wartime atrocities, when a young soldier is forced to remember in detail the 23 women he has raped and murdered. “I killed a girl named Mini. Fifteen. She had a sun-burned face,” he recalls. “A girl named Sara. She wore glasses. She was short and chubby… Eva. She was a swimmer in training for the Olympics.…”

    The list goes on and, as it does, the anonymous, half-rotten corpses in a mass grave begin to take on names and, however rudimentary, identities. It’s an act of resurrection and reclamation that lies at the heart of Wagner’s Governor-General’s Award-winning play. And it becomes the resonant centrepiece of the touring production by Rwanda’s ISÔKO Theatre, which closes Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage season.

    As the soldier, Stetko (Jean Paul Uwayezu), recollects his victims, he draws their personal effects from amid the exhumed bodies – a bracelet, some pimple cream, a crucifix, a bra. Each item is snatched away in turn by a pair of female phantoms (Solange Liza Umuhire and Ruth Nirere) clad in dresses the colour of dried blood. We’re in Rwanda in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide. But we’re also in Bosnia, the original setting of Wagner’s play, and these personal items – the most poignant touch in director Jennifer H. Capraru’s stark staging – may also remind you of the ones that were raked from the ashes of the Nazi ovens.

    Wagner’s play begins with suggestions of a revenge fantasy. Stetko, about to be executed for his war crimes, is offered a reprieve by a mysterious older woman named Mejra (Jaqueline Umubyeyi). The catch is that he must obey her for the rest of his life.

    After slicing off one of his ears and nearly beating him to a pulp, Mejra turns Stetko into her slave and torments him with mind games concerning the fate of his virgin girlfriend. But it turns out she desires something more than vengeance – it’s that famous casualty of wartime, the truth.

    Leaving aside the characters’ east European names, it would be easy to believe The Monument was originally written about the systematic rape that occurred during the Rwandan genocide, with Stetko as a Hutu fighter and his victims as minority Tutsi. The play’s truth-and-reconciliation theme also jibes with Rwanda’s postwar policies. Capraru, a Canadian, obviously recognized these parallels when she founded ISÔKO a few years ago in Kigali. Her production originated there and has toured Rwanda prior to its North American debut at World Stage.

    The dialogue – performed in Kinyarwanda, with English surtitles – stays faithful to Wagner’s text, but the trappings are entirely East African. The show, in Harbourfront’s flexible Brigantine Room, is presented as intimately as a village storytelling, with the audience seated in a circle around the candlelit playing space. The Rwandan cast members are musicians as well, and there is a cappella singing and drumming during scene transitions. The drums also furnish the few sound effects – Stetko’s beating, a gunshot – while Sandra Marcroft’s subtle lighting does most of the scene-setting.

    The acting is spare and intense. Stetko is Wagner’s variation on the banality-of-evil theme – he’s the Devil as the boy next door – and the lean, handsome Uwayezu brings out the confused and immature kid under his soldier’s swagger. It’s Umubyeyi who most impresses, however. Her Mejra is a fierce enigma for much of the play, regarding Stetko with cold eyes. When at last she unfetters her grief, like a modern Andromache, it’s heart-rending.

    Capraru – who is also artistic director of Toronto’s Theatre Asylum – favours a stylized approach that de-emphasizes the play’s violence and physicality. Instead, we often feel like we are watching an ancient, cathartic ritual. That was probably the best way to offer the play to Rwandan audiences for whom the subject matter alone is bound to be painful. This is a chance to re-appreciate Wagner’s regrettably timeless tale from a fresh perspective.

    ISÔKO is a new intercultural theatre company founded July 4th, 2008 in Kigali, which creates contemporary theatre for human rights. ISÔKO contributes to civil society, social development, and creative economy in Rwanda. The company is founded in the spirit of exchange, to celebrate Rwandan artists and to further global peace building, while promoting equality for women and girls.

    ISÔKO THEATRE is a local NGO based in Rwandaand is partnered withTheatre Asylum, Canada. We are members of Theatres Against War, Dramatool, and Theatre Without Borders, and collaborators each year in the Centre x Centre Kigali International Theatre Festival at Ishyo Arts Centre.

    The Monument

    • Written by Colleen Wagner
    • Directed by Jennifer H. Capraru
    • Starring Jaqueline Umubyeyi, Jean Paul Uwayezu, Ruth Nirere and Solange Liza Umuhire
    • Produced by ISÔKO Theatre and presented by World Stage

     

  • Primary court judge nabbed obtaining bribe

    A judge was recently caught red-handed in an act of corruption through a clever scheme masterminded by the Police. Liliane Maombi, a Judge at a primary court in Kanombe, Kicukiro District of Kigali, was allegedly caught accepting a bribery of Rfw 100,000 from one Francoise Nyirabihogo.

    The latter was alleged to have committed a criminal offense in a case, which through the progression of the trial did not seem to be turning in her favour .

    This may have perhaps precipitated Maombi to ask for a bribe to alleviate the punishment that Nyirabohogo would potentially receive or better yet to turn the case around and exonerate her . This act of treachery prompted the defendant to take matters into her own hands and consult the police on the issue.

    This led to the formulation of a plot orchestrated by the police that would require Nyirabihogo to go along with this conspiracy.

    The scheme was initiated Wednesday 27 April at around 1.15p.m. after the court’s hearing. Nyirabihogi went on to hand out the money to the accused. On receiving the amount, police officers immediately intercepted the money thereby catching her red-handed. Upon suspicion, the judge reacted by throwing away the bag containing the money, in a pretentious act of rejection.

    Witnesses within the vicinity confirmed the real intents of the accused, some of whom were insiders in the intrigue.

    Maombi is presently apprehended at the Kicukiro Police station awaiting a trail. We shall continue tp update you on this story as details emerge. 

  • Five year ICT plan in services sector underway

    Plans to improve the services sector through the National Information and Communication Infrastructure (NICI) programmes are in progress. This was announced during a one-day conference that brought together officials from the Ministry of ICT along with stakeholders in the information technology sector at Umubano Hotel today.

    The plan follows the first and second NICI’s programmes, which dealt with environment and infrastructure, respectively. The Permanent Secretary in the ministry of ICT, David Kanamugire, highlighted that the plan would give a principle guide towards the country’s ICT programmes in the next five years, adding that the plan would also improve service delivery.

    “We want to make learning easier in schools, for instance, through the use of latest technologies like online studies. In banks too, we want to improve the network connection where one would conduct their transactions at ease, Mutuelle de santé should be automated where a patient can access their medical history in any health centre,” he remarked.

    He encouraged the private sector to work closely with the government in implementing some programmes since they also benefit their business. Kanamugire, however, noted that capacity building matters a lot saying that the private sector’s role was needed.

    “An investor in Kirehe District, for instance, can manage an IT centre and then the government would assist in maintaining the computers,” he alluded.

    Among the main clusters to be considered during the third NICI includes development of skills in ICT, and equipping the private sector with knowhow that enables competitiveness through new technologies. Community development would also be essential especially in transforming societies through improved access to information and services. This also goes hand in hand with e-government, which improves operational efficiency and service delivery.

  • Rwanda becomes first African country to provide free cervical cancer vaccination

    Rwandan girls aged 12 to 15 years have become the first in Africa to receive free vaccination against cervical cancer, while older women aged 35 to 45 will be screened and treated for the same.

    The initial three year comprehensive integrated cervical cancer prevention programme will be facilitated by MERCK, a research institute, which came up with the vaccine. the institute will work closely with QIAGEN staff who will conduct screening services in order to offer treatment among those affected.

    Speaking shortly after launching the campaign at Kanyinya Primary School in Nyarugenge District, the First Lady, Jeannette Kagame, noted that Rwanda was proud to be the first African country to roll out free Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccination for girls and screening for women. This is unlike other African countries where the vaccine is unaffordable to the majority due to high costs.

    She further advised that in order for children to maintan a high immune system, it was necessary for them to be immunised three times within a period of six months. Parents and teachers were also encouraged to report any cases of side effects the children might develop. The effects include mild headache, nausea and skin rash. 

    Reacting on the issue, Agnes Binagwaho the permanent secretary in the ministry of health commended the initiative adding that it was helpful since out of the 2.72 million women aged 15 years and older are at a risk of developing cervical cancer

    Mark Feinberg, the Chief Public Health and Science Officer at Merck Vaccines highlighted that his institution would donate more than 2 million doses of GARDASIL (vaccine) while QIAGEN would provide 250,000 Human Papillomavirus Vaccination (HPV) screening tests at no cost.

    Over 80 percent of cervical cancer cases occur in the world’s poorest countries, having a severe impact on the women affected, their families and communities. The program is expected to provide access to a comprehensive cervical cancer prevention to help reduce the burden of disease and improve public health outcomes and capacity in the country.

    If treated earlier, the cervical cancer can be completely cured, hence the need for earlier prevention.. The vaccine is appropriate for girls who are still virgins since the virus is passed through sexual intercourse.

     Most cervical cancer is caused by a virus called human papillomavirus, or HPV. Scientists have identified several types of the HPV virus though not all can cause cervical cancer.

    Some of them cause genital warts, but other types may not cause any symptoms. However the most common signs include bleeding when something comes in contact with the cervix. This leads to pain during sex which is a common feeling that later develops to vaginal discharge tinged with blood.

    An infected person can have HPV for years and not know it. It stays in your body and can lead to cervical cancer years after you were infected. This is why it is important for Rwandans to have regular Pap tests. A Pap test can find changes in cervical cells before they turn into cancer. If you treat these cell changes, you may prevent cervical cancer. 

  • Joy as Rwandan refugees from Congo Brazzaville meet their families

    Representatives of Rwandan refugees living in Congo Brazzaville last week met their families in Rwanda, 17 years, after the Tutsi Genocide that dragged them into exile. The visit is part of a wider government program to sensitise all the refugees to return home and take part in the development of their country.

    Mrs. Afisa Murebwayire, who is part of the group of four refugees, visited her family in Ruhango Sector, Muhanga District in southern Rwanda.

    She was excited and said she has been receiving false information about Rwanda but after the visit, she has a clear picture of the changes the country has undergone.

    She said she would encourage other Rwandan refugees in Brazzaville to return home. Her father was equally emotional and shed tears of joy when he saw his daughter. “I’m happy,” he told IGIHE.com in an emotional tone.

    Murebwayire’s young sister Marie Shantal Kagoyire stays in Kibungo, East of Rwanda but she had returned home to see her elder sister. They were both elated. Kayogiye asked her sister to sensitise other Rwandan refugees to return home.

    More Rwandan refugees continue to visit their families to witness how safe the country is.

    This could lead to better understanding of why they should return, according to government officials.

    Families of some refugees have also requested them to return saying that the country is safe and is developing so fast.

    Jean Claude Rwahama, an official from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugees commented, “Rwandans in Diaspora get false information about the country but those who visit will always tell the truth since they get first hand information”.

  • Learning from the past: Building the future

    Many people flock to the motivational and inspiring Kigali Genocide Memorial, operated by Aegis Trust. What many don’t learn on their visit is that there is an educational program running on this site that draws youth from around the country. Igihe.com’s Fiona Gasana learned about the educational experience when interviewing Mr. Jean Nepo Ndahimana, an education officer in Aegis Rwanda’s educational program that is delivered at Kigali Genocide Memorial. 

     IGIHE.com : What is the education program ?

    Mr. Ndahimana : The Aegis Education Program at Kigali Genocide Memorial provides secondary school students a one-day workshop experience. Our program is called ‘learning from the past : Building the future. The program provides an overview of Rwandan history related to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, including a tour of the exhibitions at the Kigali Genocide Memorial. The program also provides a global perspective on genocide using various examples of genocide around the world to explore the causes of genocide and ways of prevention. Finally, the program looks forward, with a focus on critical thinking, problem resolution, working together to build trust among the Rwandans, all of these to achieve social cohesion.

    What is your correlation with the genocide memorial sites ?

     Currently the education program is delivered by Aegis only at the Kigali Genocide Memorial although there are plans to expand the program into all regions of the country and possibly across the borders. Our neighbouring countries have lessons to learn from Rwanda in order to prevent genocide. Visits to regional memorial sites could be incorporated into that outreach program.

    Could you tell us when the education program was put into action and whether it is a permanent program ? 

    The program began in January 2009 and is a permanent program of Aegis Rwanda.

    What are the main purposes of the genocide education ?

    The future of any society depends on its ability to understand and reconcile with its past. Education that provides an opportunity for young Rwandans to learn about their history in a safe and structured manner ; education that supports the values and skills necessary for an inclusive future ; and education that inspires, makes a significant contribution towards peace and security.

    What are the goals and objectives of the education program ? 

    The goal of this program is to focus on social cohesion for the Rwandan society. This is done by fostering values and behaviors that lead to a unified Rwanda. Genocide education explores the past with the hope that a deepened understanding will lead to a Rwandan in which such an event can never again occur.

    Who are the people responsible for creating and sponsoring the educational program ? 

    Credit for this program must be given to Aegis Trust but this program would not be possible without funding by DFID and CIDA. Aegis also developed the exhibitions currently on display at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, manages the Kigali Genocide Memorial site, hosts the Genocide Archive of Rwanda, and has a social program that assists orphan and widow genocide survivors. 

    Which organs do you work with to ensure you fulfill your goals and how do you collaborate ? What roles do these partners play in helping the centre achieve its goals ?

    We operate independently, but with much support within all levels of the educational sector. For example MINEDUC and CNLG are fully supporting our program. Very important to our success is the interest amongst school districts and headmasters in bringing their students to the program. Every year we host information sessions for chosen school districts, after which the headmasters sign on to bring a class. It is this commitment from the school officials that makes it possible for us to achieve our goal.

     Who are the members of the educational team and what are their duties ?

    We have two qualified secondary teachers who deliver the program in the classroom, and are also responsible for the day-to-day administrative tasks required to keep the program going. The educational team also includes the Country Director of Aegis Rwanda, Freddy Mutanguha who himself has a background in education and the CEO of Aegis Trust, James Smith to oversee the program and advise in education regarding prevention of crimes against humanity. 

    The youth of Rwanda are the future of the country. How do you think they benefit from the education program ?

    The students are of the opinion that this is a program that is of benefit to everyone. By following the program they acquire knowledge and skills about the past of their country and help them to take their own responsibility at early age to shape their future and build a much more cohesive Rwandan society. They repeatedly suggest an expansion of the program, mentioning that it should be available to all the students in their school, to youth not attending school, to parents, and all other parts of society, including prisoners. They say that they learn things about their history that they didn’t know and that they feel more able to talk about this with others. One of our students said, “You are sensitising people to have the willingness to build the Rwandan community.” As mentioned earlier, the sessions are of one day in length and I think some of the activities have also been described. I could add that we also have counsellors on our staff, who prepare the youth for their visit to the genocide exhibition and conduct debriefing activities afterwards.

    Could you tell us if any of the students have personally benefited from any of the centres program ?

    Of course we have many examples of students who tell us how they have personally benefited from this program, one student for example told us that he wished he could have the opportunity to bring his mother to the centre, because the history he learnt at home about the genocide was very biased and ill informed compared to the teaching he receives here at the centre.

    How will the centre be working with schools ?

     Once the headmasters have signed up for the program, the school goes through a process of choosing students. Because space is limited, the expectation is that senior students with some leadership experience are given this opportunity on the understanding that they will take what they have learned and share with others.

    How is the education program helpful resource to the national curriculum ? 

    The education program is a resource that enables schools to provide an opportunity to focus on genocide education. Delivering the program at a memorial site and with the exhibitions as a resource, provides an opportunity not only for the students but for the accompanying teachers and head teachers who then are more equipped to address these issues in their classrooms.

    Could you elaborate on how the program helps in the development of the civic education curriculum ? 

    Civic education in Rwanda teaches children from a very young age that in order to have a peaceful nation, a country must first acknowledge its history both past and present and learn how the atrocities that happened here in 1994 can be prevented from ever happening again. However, I must say again our program sits besides the national curriculum but is not integrated into it. We are planning also to develop an outreach program that will provides in-service training to teachers with the hope that it will provide the sensitisationand the skills for them to be as effective as possible in teaching curriculum related to genocide and social cohesion.

    How does the education program contribute to peace and reconciliation in Rwanda ?

    By educating these students we are building a stronger and wiser generation in our country. These students will be the ones to make sure their country maintains peace and unity and reconciliation. We make a contribution by raising awareness about the consequences of exclusion and division with the objective to encourage social cohesion and reconciliation in order to prevent the most extreme version of exclusion Genocide.

    Recently, a case was reported of a man claiming that the people were not responsible for the genocide instead claiming this should have been apportioned on the Habyarimana establishment. How do you deal with instances of genocide denial like this ?

     We make an appeal to our students to open their minds to our history and to open their hearts to each other. We also focus on critical thinking – encouraging the students to think for themselves what they hear about the past and what they hear in the present – and we also hold a value on individual responsibility for actions.

    What challenges do you encounter ?

    Financial challenges are large to keep this program running and to insure its expansion. Also, it’s a challenge for schools to have funds to bring the students here.

    How successful has the program been up to this day, Could you name some of the achievements the education program has successfully implemented since it began ?

    Since the first classes in January 2009 we have had more than 5000 students come and we are fully booked for the upcoming academic term. The daily evaluations are always positive, with comments on the respect with which every student is received, on a welcoming environment and on how important the class was for them. In the last term of this year we are implementing a follow-up evaluation and we look forward to measure what has been the impact of this program in terms of social cohesion and trust among the students and we are expecting to complete this evaluation by the end of the year.

  • Government to put up cultural centre

    The government has announced plans to build a national cultural centre in Gahanga sector, Kicukiro district with construction works scheduled to start next year.

    The national cultural centre will be equipped with a library, stage performing theatre, movie theatre and exhibition stalls to display cultural products among others.

    “This will not only be a national theatre but a one stop cultural centre since it will be equipped with different cultural materials,” Jean Pierre Karabaranga, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture and Sports revealed.

    “At a moment, we cannot tell how long this process will take because the study is not yet done,” the Permanent Secretary explained, adding that once the construction process starts, it would not take long to be accomplished since it has been one of the major projects earmarked on the ministry’s seven year plan.

    The ministry observed that it was imperative to have such cultural centrers hence the plan to have at least one well equipped centre. He added that this was the first time the proposal featured in the ministry’s action plan.

    “We were not taking it as a big issue because we thought people would use other centres but we have now found it is necessary,” Karabaranga said.

    For many stage performers, it has been challenging since they had no special place to execute their activities which forced them to hire halls in private institution’s halls, which at times would either be too small, booked for other functions or too expensive to rent.

    “Most of the time, our performances are commissioned by other institutions and this is not because, we cannot have self-sponsored performances and deliver good and interesting messages to the people, but it’s because we have no facility specifically for such performances and this hinders our popularity and development,” Hope Azeda, Mashirika’s founder and Artistic Director told IGIHE.com in an interview.

    With the acting and the theatre scene still embryonic, few professional groups have managed to survive and this has led to slow progress of performing arts in the country.

    The Managing Director, Urunana Development Community, George Gahenda reiterated that lack of a cultural centre was a big hindrance towards their development, though they had tried to rectify the problem by moving to the local communities to deliver their message besides conducting radio shows.