18 years to break a 32-year curse? It was worth it

On Sunday, Rwanda and Burundi will be celebrating 50 years of independence from Belgian colonial rule. It would be an understatement to say that Belgium left an indelible mark on the lives of both countries.The politics of ethnicity that brought both countries to their knees were not without some catalyst, or rather, was following a very particular script left behind by the former colonial master.Belgium, as is well known, is divided into two distinct communities; the French-speaking Wallons and the Dutch-leaning Flemish who dominate politics and business. And there is no love lost between the two.The Hutu-Tutsi divide in our countries was no accident; it was just a mirror of the Brussels politics that some simpletons embraced without second thought, and after decades of the poison running in the veins of many, we are still struggling to come to terms with the 1994 nightmare.It was not a coincidence that Belgium could not form a government for over 540 days because the two communities could not find a common ground.The political deadlock was broken when French speaking Elio Di Rupo finally formed a government and broke the jinx of not having a French speaker as Prime Minister that had lasted for three decades – But even then, the new PM, as his name sounds, is of Italian descent.As we celebrate the 50 years of independence, let us reflect on the past to chart our future as one family that has the fate of its country at heart, as we have been doing for the last 18 years. Then, maybe, our former colonial master can learn something from us for a change.

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18 years to break a 32-year curse? It was worth it