According to the UK government’s recent bill “every decision-maker must conclusively treat the Republic of Rwanda as a safe country”. This comes after the supreme court put an end to their dreams of sending the most vulnerable people in society to a place they have never been to, have absolutely no connection with, and in many instances looks extremely similar to the places they have been trying to escape from.
When I moved to the country several years ago, most people warned against the move. Why would anyone want to move to Rwanda? Don’t you know about the genocide against the Tutsi? In fact, I did know about the genocide, I was also aware of Graham Turnbull, an inspirational young human rights lawyer, who while on a peacekeeping mission in Rwanda a few years after the genocide, was brutally murdered along with his colleagues.
The Rwandan post genocide legal system established that the Gacaca courts would offer an alternative form of justice for a country so utterly destroyed by violence. Academics have provided a convincing narrative that Rwanda’s justice system had to offer an alternative to retributive justice; truth and reconciliation were the only way the country could move forward.
Rwanda: the facade
When I arrived in Kigali, I didn’t see a country recovering from one of the worst genocides in human history. It may be a cliche to talk about how clean Rwanda is, but it is one of the first things you notice. The streets are spotless, gardens perfectly manicured and new buildings being erected constantly. The roads are newly constructed, built by the Chinese across the city making them seem smoother and more impressive than a lot of streets in England.
Compulsory community service days like Umuganda and Car Free Day makes the country seem ahead of its time in terms of environmental awareness and climate change action. On a short trip to Rwanda you would be forgiven for thinking it is a garden paradise. However, like any country, once you stay a bit longer you start noticing the issues.
A lot of scenes you typically experience in African countries, street sellers and stray dogs for instance, you rarely see in Kigali. Street sellers were banned in 2015, and the government used the military and police to implement the ban, fining those who breach the rules. This is despite the fact that Rwanda is still one of the poorest countries in the world, with inequality in Rwanda being the second highest among low-income countries according to the Gini Index.
Stray animals on the other hand are rarely seen because they are frequently poisoned by the authorities, a fact which might upset the animal loving tourists that come to visit. Electricity is unreliable, typhoid is common.
The showcase and the reality
But there is no doubt that Rwanda is making impressive moves on the continent. Kigali has become a hot spot for large events and is attracting international talent. The Rwandan government is good at many things, publicity is one of them. They are quick to catch on to buzz words. One of their favourites is ‘gender equality’ and ‘gender mainstreaming’. Did you know Rwanda has the most women in parliament in the world? Not that impressive if you consider the political circumstances mean only one man’s voice matters, and be prepared to attend talks about gender equality given by men who soon after giving the speech will tell you rape isn’t really that bad and women need to get over it. But did you know the president frequently pardons women in prison for having an abortion? Now that’s progress.
Ok, maybe I am being too harsh. Given the circumstances of Rwandan history, colonialism and genocide, the government has achieved extraordinary things. But human rights, freedom of speech, and other things we as a nation hold dear are not some of them. Many Rwandan citizens are extremely proud of the position their country is in now and support the government entirely, one can hardly be surprised having watched the transformation. But many do not, and the price of not supporting the government can often be, well, death.
A broken mirror
But perhaps instead of doing the typical British thing, moralising about other countries and failing to consider our role in the problems, we need to look at our own international legal and moral obligations. The question shouldn’t be about whether or not Rwanda is a safe third country to deport people to, but why a country that prides itself on the rule of law, human rights and democracy, feels it appropriate to treat people in the same way as the very dictators we complain about.
