Only Rwandans can save the day

Western groupthink suggests that the west is honest and straightforward while the rest are liars and corrupt. As the world becomes smaller, denser, more interconnected and more complex, the biggest danger the world faces is western groupthink, which fails to spot the thousands of nuances that are vital to interpret international affairs.This western groupthink has resulted in anger and sometimes retribution towards them throughout the world. In an era where there is a deficit of western goodwill that is growing by hundreds of thousands every day, the west should be mindful of its position so as not to perpetuate an anti-western sentiment that is spreading like wild fire throughout the world.We all know that the reservoir of western goodwill among Rwandans is plentiful, but its recent behavior risks running this reservoir dry. By rushing to freeze its financial assistance to Rwanda, the west might have just lost the goodwill Rwandans had towards them. There is a general feeling among Rwandans that the west is insincere by hastily choosing to act in the manner they did. What I find rather sad is that very few Westerners spoke against this decision. It is even unfortunate that the western intelligentsia and media, instead of educating westerners on the REAL issue at hand, have instead been engaging in an incestuous, self-referential and self-congratulatory discourse among themselves.Nevertheless, the decision to freeze or withdraw funding to Rwanda has done two remarkable things:First, it has opened the door wide for other non-western players interested for influence in the region. Countries like China, South Korea and Turkey, among others, have their work simplified. It is fascinating to watch how other competing powers are capitalising on the west’s geopolitical clumsiness. It is decisions like this that enable China to gain tremendous influence as part of a geostrategic policy of countering western hegemony in the continent without having to do much.Secondly, the decision to freeze resources, much as it has economic costs, its benefits far outweigh the loss in the long run. The reason is simple: for many years, we have been living beyond our means through foreign support. It is time that Rwandans manage the little they have, and even try growing it further.Then we have the Agaciro Development Fund (AgDF). The Fund’s timeliness – based on the circumstances - is a blessing brought to both today’s and tomorrow’s generation of Rwandans. But, for AgDF to work, sacrifice is inevitable. Rwandans need to come together and share the burden. If well executed, the future is certainly bright, albeit painful in the short term. I strongly believe that the decision by some Western countries to freeze their financial assistance will leave Rwanda better off in the long run.The AgDF is akin to a programme that was championed by South Korea in 1998 at the height of the Asian Financial Crisis. As Asian economies got more and more troubled, governments tried more and more ideas. In January of 1998, South Korea began a campaign called “Collect Gold for the Love of Korea.” As the programme was in full swing, housewives gave up their wedding rings; athletes donated medals and trophies; many gave away gold ‘luck’ keys, a traditional present on the opening of a new business or a 60th birthday. Within the first two days of the programme, over 100,000 South Koreans donated north of 20 tonnes of gold worth over $100 million. Rarely has modern history seen such a powerful grass-roots effort to pull out of a crisis, like the South Koreans did. Rwandans have lessons to learn from the South Koreans in this regard.The Agaciro Development Fund perfectly captures the Rwandan spirit. The Rwandan spirit is about our ability to constantly reinvent ourselves, to seize every opportunity that comes our way and to excel. It is a spirit of resilience. It is the spirit to dare. Only Rwandans may be able to save the day.

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Only Rwandans can save the day