Editor, RE: “Press statement from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda” (The New Times, November 3). If you elect to respond to each attack from these French government mouthpieces channeling such has-beens like Filip Reyntjens—who knows zilch about post-1994 Rwanda (he has tried every stratagem to be allowed into the country without success) but persists in misrepresenting himself as a Rwanda expert—on the credibility of data you release on developments in Rwanda, you will need an army of workers just for that task. No French propaganda media—whether France24, RFI, AFP, or their many other government-owned or influenced “news”—management entity should be paid much attention, and not only on Rwanda. They remind me of that unforgettable line from Mary McCarthy about Lillian Hellman, her fellow American writer with whom she had a long-running feud, of whom she said that, “Every word (Hellman) writes is a lie, including ‘and’ and ‘the’”. You do them too much honour by bandying words with them. I would completely ignore them. And that rule is applicable to the incoherent pronouncements of the many rabid Rwanda-haters. Let’s continue to strive to move our country forward and not be sidelined by these characters into sterile debates. Rwandans know better the distance we have travelled and how well prepared we are to move even farther and faster. Many of us are not interested in these people’s acknowledgement of our achievements. Praise or bad-mouthing, what does it gain us? Ignore both and strive even harder and smarter. Mwene Kalinda
