The significance of Agaciro

IT’s been over 50 years since most African countries gained their independence and many have since endured five decades of conflict, political and economic exclusion, poor governance, and despair. Those who were once overcome with optimism and excitement 50 years ago are now overly pessimistic and cynical towards not only African leaders, but also foreign donors, charities, and often each other. Yet the greatest effect which decades of despair have caused is a loss of Africa’s collective self-dignity and self-worth. When the best and brightest become deserters, the privileged become thieves, and the common man becomes the usual suspect, it becomes nearly impossible to keep faith in the common good. Less than 20 years ago, Rwanda was the latest example of a common narrative across Africa; and in another few years, several film writers, authors, charities, and social startups capitalized on this narrative. The country worked its way into the international conscience, first as a synonym for tribal war, then as a movie title and, finally, for the acclaim of its president. Those who once sat idle became volunteers and donors, and later, entitled political commentators. The common consensus on Rwanda went from ‘basket case’ to ‘African Tiger’ to a mixture of both admiration and caution. For Rwandans themselves, rather than become despondent by their difficult past, they’ve become increasingly optimistic about their future ahead. Recently, during the semi-centennial anniversary of Rwanda’s independence, President Paul Kagame summarized Africa’s collective history, stating, “For over a century, including the last 50 years of independence, Africa lost immense opportunities, largely due to unbalanced relationships within the global community that were often predatory and even abusive in nature.” Rather than focus on negative issues, however, President Kagame’s speech focused on self-dignity and self-reliance, stating that “In Rwanda, as we begin the next stage of our journey, we will continue to entrench the values that have brought us this far – unity, hard work, mutual respect and shared responsibility.” These words are more than political talking points or overused clichés – unity and hard work have been the keys to Rwanda’s economic transformation and the restoration of each Rwandan’s ‘Agaciro’. ‘Agaciro’ is a Rwandan word meaning self-dignity. The same dignity, which many Africans lost under the abuse of their colonial powers, and later, under the tyranny of their own leaders, is the dignity which Rwanda hopes to restore through grassroots investments in its ambitious development agenda. The solidarity fund raised nearly $$2 million on its first day through voluntary donations from its own citizens, Diaspora, and private companies. In this sense, the Agaciro Development Fund is an unprecedented concept on a continent, where most doubt that any dollar towards aid doesn’t pay a few cents to corruption. However, Rwanda is no longer a common African narrative. As a Gallup Poll survey recently found, an overwhelming 95 per cent of survey respondents are confident in the Rwandan government, ranking it second in the world (ahead of the US and France, which scored less than 40 per cent). The audacity and success of this development fund is a testament to the real factors behind Rwanda’s transformation. In the past, when an African country digressed into economic crises or erupted into war, the responsibility and the blame would rest solely on the shoulders of its leader; and conversely, a country’s success was singularly attributed to the leader as well. However, no matter how great the leader, a country’s development is dependent upon the quality of its civil servants and the capacity of its institutions. Throughout the continent, human capital remains one of Africa’s greatest growth constraints. In the past 50 years, Africa has exported a generation of doctors, lawyers, and professors, in exchange for an imported generation of economists, volunteers, and consultants. The solution to reversing the ‘Brain Drain’ has been renewing the self-dignity, faith in government, and belief in the greater good. Thus, the three factors that have caused Rwanda’s renaissance have been: 1) the Brain Gain, 2) self-reliance, and 3) renewed faith and optimism. In Kigali, today, there are thousands of Rwandans working in both the private and public sectors alike that either grew up abroad or studied abroad on government scholarships and, unlike many African youth, returned home willingly. Leaving behind higher salaries, career opportunities, and possibly a more comfortable lifestyle, the opportunity to restore their personal and national dignity was too great to ignore. The brain gain, however, also includes a concerted effort to build a better and more inclusive education system, share best practices with the private sector, improve training of civil servants, and finally, include local communities in sustainable development programmes. In other words, the ‘Brain Gain’ is about making better use of the brains around you. While much of that process involves training and education reform, the first step requires mutual trust, respect, and responsibility. As Rwanda emerged from the ashes of war, many of its home-grown solutions to recovery were radical in their thinking, yet none captured the imagination of international observers more than Gacaca. The Gacaca system contradicted the common perspective of aid community that Africans needed their help, their advice, and their money to solve our own problems. Instead, the responsibility of delivering justice was delegated to the communities to prosecute, judge, and sentence on their own. This community-based approach has been used in every aspect of Rwanda’s development from building roads or schools, discussing national policies, or assessing the effectiveness of local government officials. The reason 95 per cent of Rwandans believe in their government is because they know that their government believes in them. Every man, woman, and child feels they have a role to play, and a responsibility to help build their country; but more importantly, they believe that if they just try hard enough Rwanda can achieve any goal it sets!I’m not sure if any economist can put a dollar amount on development, or set a checklist of projects needed to start transforming a country, but I do believe that there is an emotional response that any leader, organization, or government must invoke to inspire its followers, its employees, or its citizens: self-dignity. Once you’ve shown that you respect and value someone’s hard work, the sacrifices they’ve made, and the opinions they have to offer, you will have earned their faith, their support, and their dedication. Most likely, you’ll still have some followers who run astray, some complaining employees, and some political opposition among your citizens, but there is an undeniable sense of pride that you’ll hear when you ask them who they follow, where they work, or what their nationality is. Next time, you hear a Rwandan declare their nationality, be sure to notice their subtle smile, and then you’ll understand the word ‘Agaciro’.