In 1994, nearly one million people were murdered during the Rwandan genocide. Now remembered as one of the most efficient and systematic killings in history, it is an episode of Rwandan history that has unsurprisingly had an indelible impact on the country, and the world’s impressions of it. No one shall ever forget the magnitude of the tragedy.

With that said, it has been nearly 5,000 days since the end of the genocide, and each day since has seen the people of Rwanda progressing quietly away from the past, and into a globalized present full of opportunity.  Leaving tragedy and notoriety fast in its wake, the Republic of Rwanda is a country with a clear perspective on its entire history and culture, exemplified by the quality handicrafts which the Indego Africa Project specializes in distributing to the world.

Rwanda enters the 21^st Century with a sense of its place in the global economy, a manifesto titled Vision 2020, and a reputation as one of Africa’s most progressive nations. As tragedy recedes further into the past, Rwanda moves boldly into the future. We ask you to join Rwanda by joining us, the Indego Africa Project.

RWANDA IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Rwanda’s Vision 2020, published in 2001, lays out in practical and measurable socio-economic terms how Rwanda can grow to be a middle income country that is a leader in Africa and vital part of the global economy.

The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), Rwanda’s majority party since 2003, has under the leadership of president Paul Kagame embraced an export-based strategy supported by strategic trade liberalization, agrarian land reforms, privatization policies, and progressive commercialism. Exports such as coffee, tea, tin, and skilled handicrafts are vital for Rwanda’s long-term economic viability, and the Rwandan government has worked to activate markets for these goods: a coffee export tax was eliminated in 1999, and in 2004 Rwanda joined the 13 nation Free Trade Area of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). The economic systems are in place for strategic investment and trade: Rwanda is open for business.

As with many economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, poverty in Rwanda indeed remains an enduring problem. However, with significant economic reforms in place the Rwandan economy has shown promise and progress. Between 1995 and 2001, GDP was an average of 12.5 per cent per year. Though it dropped to eight per cent between 2002 and 2003, it was still more that double the average of sub-Saharan African countries.

RWANDA CULTIVATES A CULTURE OF HUMAN RIGHTS

In the wake of the tragedies of the 1990’s, the Rwandan government has ensured that its citizens have adequate forums to discuss and consider their past in a way that will cultivate a culture of Human Rights. In 1999 the government created the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC). Since its creation it has organized meetings and workshops with the theme of unity and reconciliation, including two national summits where Rwandans in all their diversity were present.  The NURC has also created smaller, more intimate workshops called ingandos to allow Rwandans to have a stake in creating a national sense of reconciliation and unity.

Women’s rights, in particular, have been a focus of reconciliation efforts. In August of 2003, a gender-based violence (GBV) bill was passed in the Rwandan Parliament and was drafted by The Forum for Rwandan Women Parliamentarians (FFRP). As an organization that seeks the economic and social empowerment of women in Rwanda, the Indego Africa Project considers itself a proud example of the nation’s efforts to give women a voice in culture and a stake in the economy. Click here for the story of Indego Africa’s female cooperatives.

Overall, Rwanda’s gender-based efforts at reconciliation and rebirth have been inspiring. The 2003 Rwandan Constitution ensures that women hold a permanent place in politics; as a result the percentage of women in parliament has grown to about fifty percent, making it the largest proportion of women in parliament in the world. In 2004, the Great Lakes Regional Women’s Meeting held in Kigali showed that women play an important role in peacekeeping and that Rwanda is an example for the world.

The women and men of Rwanda welcome you!

INDEGO AFRICA PROJECT INVESTS IN RWANDA’S CULTURE AND COMMERCE

The crafts industry, like Rwanda’s innovative music and dance, has long thrived informally at the domestic level, but has shown particular promise in recent years as an export commodity. In June 2007 first lady Jeanette Kagame called for more private investment in Rwandan handicrafts, specifically the uniquely Rwandan Agaseke basket for which the Indego Africa Project, in partnership with women’s cooperatives in Rwanda, provides a global marketplace. Agaseke and other weaved goods have not only found market interest around the world, but have reinforced the life-affirming essence of the culture, dating back to pre-colonial times.

The handicrafts which you find at indegoafrica.org provide a microcosm for Rwanda’s Vision 2020 goals. The ways in which culture, history, and individual skill factor into the Rwanda’s 21^st century business strategies are quintessentially Rwandan: small yet growing, challenged yet ambitious, a modern orientation with the perspective of centuries.

It is an exciting time to be a Rwandan eager to do business with the world, and it is an exciting time for the world to rediscover Rwanda.

Join Rwanda by joining us, the Indego Africa Project.

Written by William Craven 

Sources:

Rwanda Vision 2020

“Rwanda: the Social, Political and Economic Situation” by Gerard Prunier

“Reconstruire une Paix Durable au Rwanda: La Parole au Peuple” by L’Institut de Rercherche et de Dialogue pour la Paix

Rwanda Development Gateway

“Gender-based Violence bill passes in Rwandan Parliament” by the United Nations Fund for Women.

“Reconciliation in Post-Genocide Rwanda” by Eugenia Zorbas from the African Journal of Legal Studies

“Elusive Quest” The Political Economy of Reconciliation in Post-Genocide Rwanda” by Patrick Cannon

We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families by Philip Gourevitch