Editor,

Reading The Sunday Times, I learnt that the Police had arrested seven suspects for violation of intellectual property and forged documents while seeking visas to Germany.

The suspects were arrested at the German Embassy after they were found in possession of false/forged bank statements, driving permits and a letter inviting them to Germany signed by pastor Bernard Ian Hooksam. That was truly shameful news.

As someone who has had the opportunity to live in the West I would like to share some insights. First of all, money cannot be picked from trees.

If you think that you’ll get to Berlin and instantly become wealthy, you are going to be in for the shock of your life. To get ahead in life, you will have to work long, hard hours, pay taxes and spend a lot of money on clothes, food and rent.

Having spoken with many foreigners living in Rwanda, I have come to realize that some Rwandans think that there aren’t any poor people in the West.

There are people who live in the streets, sleep on benches and then die of hypothermia because of the cold weather. Many people survive because they get free clothes and meals at places called ‘soup kitchens’.

If that poor person is lucky, they shall get some ‘welfare’ money from the state. However, if, like so many African sons and daughters, you choose to go there illegally, you shall not have the protection that legal status gives you.

You shall not be able to get a job because it is illegal to employ an undocumented immigrant, although you probably can. This job will be so akin to slave labour that you shall wish to come back home. In the end, you shall live hand to mouth.

God forbid and you are not caught by the emigration authorities. You shall be bundled up, thrown in a holding center (which is a fancy name for a jail), brought before a judge, put on a plane and, without a single possession, brought back home.

Who wants to go through that?

Certainly there are many opportunities to be had in the West. However, I am of the view that it’s better to go there legitimately and not forge your way there. There is no need; it is not worth it.

Thomas Kagarama
Kicukiro