Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Day 6: Friends Africa Inauguration: Pomp, Circumstance, and Substance

Day 6: Monday, February 12, 2007

Today was the ceremonial inauguration of the Board of Directors of a new organization called Friends of the Global Fund in Africa. The theme of the day was,”Africans Taking Responsibility and Ensuring Results.” This was a day full of pomp and circumstance in modern African tradition. Over 200 people, including many dignitaries attended the opening session. The entire leadership of the Rwandan government attended the morning session, which required each speaker to address the list of those present, including Mr. President, Madame First Lady, General Gowon-Former President of Nigeria, Mr. Prime Minister, Mr. Chief Justice…etc, etc the list would go on (and on). Each speaker who then begin their speech by saying, “All protocols are observed.” It was an amazing amount of formality...…obviously, this is not my typical way of spending a Monday morning. Here’s a link to the details of the agenda: www.friends-africa.org

The morning culminated with a great speech by President Paul Kagame. In a quiet steady voice he explained his commitment to the battles against HIV/AIDS, TB & Malaria and he proudly described the efforts of his government to improve the health of the Rwandan people. He is known as the Napolean of Africa since he was the victorious general who liberated Rwanda from the genocide perpetrators. In his speech, Kagame called for a culture change focused on community ownership, the need to build health systems and infrastructure, and capacity building to deal with these crises and also the other health needs of the population. He described his commitment to creating Rwanda as a “knowledge” country. [PLEASE READ COMMENTS TO GET PERSPECTIVES ON KAGAME'S ROLE IN THE GENOCIDE]

At the first coffee break, I had the immense opportunity to meet and talk directly with President Kagame and First Lady Janet Kagame. They are amazing leaders. Mrs. Kagame has a strong personal interest in responding to the crisis facing orphans and vulnerable children. Just last week, she launched a public campaign to combat child sexual abuse. I shared information on GAA’s Zero Tolerance campaign(http://www.globalaidsalliance.org/GAA_Violence_Against_Women_Advocacy_Brief.cfm) and we talked about ways of collaborating. In my brief discussion with President Kagame, I shared information on the new U.S democratic Congress. His laser beam eyes seem eager to absorb any tidbit of information and perspective.

In the afternoon, the Board of Directors and the Advisory Board (of which I am a member) went on a site visit to a nearby health center. The physicians and staff of the center were incredibly impressive. They have about 5000 people on lifesaving antiretrovirals, including about 500 children. A recent survey showed that 93% percent of their patients were adherent with their medications. They have an intensive community buddy system that monitors all patients, nutritional support, and comprehensive health services, including family planning. I also learned that Rwanda has about 30,000 people on treatment, which is approximately 65% coverage of those in medical need, which is an amazing affirmation of what is possible.

Then I attended the inaguaral meeting of the Advisory Board. It turned out to be an intense and productive discussion. This meeting was followed by an Awards dinner which honored the personal accomplishment of Rev. Gideon Byamugisha. Rev Gideon is a reknown a HIV+ Anglican priest from Uganda who was the first religious leader to step forward by breaking the silence to reduce stigma and advocate aggressively for evidence based prevention, including condoms. (http://www.anglican.ca/news/news.php?newsItem=2002-11-29_xx.news) He recently formed a global organization that organizes 1900 hundred HIV+ religious leaders from 15 countries…. He is truly breaking the silence and galvanizing change across the continent. He ended is galvanizing speech with an affirmation of, “WWW: We Will Win!”

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Paul,

I am dismayed by your effusive praise for Paul Kagame who is not without responsibility for the bloodshed that has occurred over many years in Rwanda. On February 11, you asked what we should do to never again allow another genocide. One way is to learn from history. In Rwanda, the seeds of genocide were sown in colonial days when the Belgians favored the Tutsis (15% of the population) over Hutus (85% of the pop). Although Hutus and Tutsis have intermarried for decades and speak the same language, animosities developed, fed by those hungry for power on both sides. Many bloody clashes between Hutus and Tutsis have occured over the years. I recommend you explore writings by Monique Mujawamariya, a Rwandan human rights activist now living in Canada, and Allison DesForges, another HR activist who has written about Rwanda for many years. We must promote peaceful conflict resolution. Kagame, like many other African leaders who have come to power through war, prefers force to solve problems. Rwandans -- like all people -- deserve better.

Carolyn

Paul Zeitz said...

Dear Carolyn:

Thanks for your important comment. I realize now that some of my first impressions were naive. As I complete Dallaire's book I learned that Kagame and the RPF committed their own atrocities in order to win total control of the entire country. Dallaire also described that RPF military strategies also may have extended the length and ferocity of the genocide.

I will try to track down the authors you recommend.

Also, I'm now reading Kingsley Moghalu's "Rwanda's Genocide: The Politics of Global Justice," which describes the inner workings of the international tribunal.

Thanks for the feedback!

Paul