To complement this weekly column that I've been writing, sporadically, for nearly twenty years, I decided earlier this year to launch a weekly podcast called The Long Form. The reason I took this step, and why this newspaper chose to invest its resources in it, was due to one significant fact: young people no longer had the inclination to seek news and viewpoints in traditional media formats, i.e., radio, print media, and television. They were either obtaining news from sources other than traditional media, whether it be social media or other peer-to-peer platforms, or, sadly, simply carrying on with their lives without much concern for what was happening beyond their immediate environs. The ‘news’ (Amakuru), as we traditionally knew and engaged with it, was largely obsolete to them. Media had to either adapt to this new reality, or risk becoming increasingly irrelevant as the media landscape evolved. It would have been easy for me to complain about the young generation, if I didn’t live in the same Rwanda they did. But because I did, I understood where they were coming from. Allow me to explain further. When I stand on my balcony in the morning, I can see BK Arena (and the construction site of Amahoro National Stadium) to the left and the brick-clad I&M Bank building (and the other towers in the Central Business District) to the right. It's a remarkable view. In less than five years this cityscape will radically change because of three construction projects—the $100 million Equity Bank Kigali Financial Towers, located next to Kigali City Hall; the Rwanda Social Security Board's 29-storey Kigali Green Complex; and the $68 million Inzovu Mall, situated right next to Kigali Convention Center. These three pieces of real estate will not only alter the skyline but also how Kigalians connect with their city and, by extension, their country. I can only imagine what it's like to be a young person in this country now. It must feel like the ground is constantly shifting under your feet. Given this reality, finding the mental bandwidth to engage with issues beyond immediate concerns must seem like a daunting task. However, ignoring something doesn't mean that it will ignore you in return. You can, for example, disregard the news from Ukraine but you cannot ignore the rising cost of wheat and petroleum and how it affects your bank account. The same applies to global warming, technological advancements (such as artificial intelligence), and other geopolitical challenges. I've found it particularly difficult to convey to young people the gravity of the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). A few weeks ago, a podcast listener in their twenties asked me why I kept discussing what was happening there. The listener preferred that I delve into local issues relevant to young people, like the 2 a.m. curfew and the challenges of declining mental health. To be honest, I completely understood where the young listener was coming from. In her view, there was a significant gap between her daily life and what was occurring just across our western border. The refugee crisis, civil war, the FDLR, the proliferation of hate speech, and the Congolese government's habit of blaming Rwanda for every ill in the vast country all seemed distant”, thanks to the vigilance of our armed forces. The dysfunction that had driven more than 84,000 Congolese to flee to Rwanda had remained over there. Unfortunately, she was, and is, wrong. There is a very real threat from anti-Rwanda genocidal forces based in DR Congo. These genocidal militias, with names like FDLR, FLN, and RUD-Urunana, are constantly seeking ways to bring the fight back within Rwanda's borders. Their most recent attack occurred in 2022 when two bus passengers were shot and killed by FLN militia in Nyungwe Forest. Three years before that, eight people were killed, and eighteen were wounded in a brutal attack by FDLR forces in Kinigi, Musanze District. These murderous militias have NOT vanished into thin air. In fact, as the UN admits, they are being armed and supported by the Congolese government. We can choose to ignore them as we live our lives here, but trust me, they are NOT ignoring us. I don't want us to view the DR Congo as just a burden that we must bear. Today, the DR Congo is actually Rwanda's largest export market, larger than China and the United States. Last year, Rwanda exported goods worth US$768.27 million to DR Congo. There is a real opportunity to further expand this trade, and with increased trade comes more job opportunities for young people. So, forgive me for writing yet another treatise on the DR Congo. I simply have no choice because our giant neighbor is too important to ignore. This is literally a matter of life and death. The writer is a socio-political commentator.
