MEMBERS of the British Conservative Party are in the country to promote a UK/Rwandan partnership. This delegation follows many other groups that have recently jetted in. Without doubt, there is something to gain from such partnerships as has been demonstrated in post 1994 Rwanda. Last year Conservative volunteers spent two weeks working with health centres, the justice ministry, the football association and the tourism industry to name but a few in a skill transferring exercise that deepened both sides’ understanding of international development. What is paramount is that such international interventions do not take on the traditional patronising tendencies that have historically characterised similar African relations with the West. People have long been critical of initiatives from the West that come with recommendations that do not necessarily apply in our society. It is my belief that those who come from the West should come with open minds ready to learn and exchange ideas and experiences and not to give endless lectures of how things ought to be as was the norm in post-colonial Africa. This is because we differ not only in experiences and history but also in the way we approach different challenges. And this applies throughout sectors; government, business and education practices are bound to be different and should be allowed to be thus. In ‘Bringing Transnational Relations Back In’ edited by Thomas Risse Kappen, it is explained that in modern international relations, the state is retreatingKappen, a German political scientist, argues convincingly that the degree of influence in international relations mostly depends on the character of domestic institutions and social arrangements in the countries concerned. So be it at the governmental or non-governmental level, it ought to be remembered that our domestic institutions and social arrangement naturally influence the nature of these relations. Many international interventions, especially in the mushrooming NGO industry, have received a lot of criticism. They are faulted for duplicating activities and recycling similar projects with no end in sight. At the centre of all this is the fact that most of the project monies end up getting repatriated back to where the expatriates come from. Many of these projects have been criticised for deliberately reserving all the lucrative jobs for foreigners. In some, where locals are employed, there is a glaring remuneration difference despite similar workloads and expertise. The end result is that these projects can end up benefiting the donors rather than the locals who are meant to be the target beneficiaries. This has at times been criticised by pan-Africanists as something aimed at the continued exploitation of the continent. More so what some see as genuine efforts to do some good, is at times seen cynically by others as something aimed at scoring political points before Western electorates and as a result self interested. International partnerships are beneficial if based on mutual respect and understanding by the parties involved. It is definitely not a zero-sum game where for one to gain, the other must lose. Contact: frank2kagabo@yahoo.com
