It All Comes Down to Politics

11:23 am December 7, 2008
Kigali, Rwanda

After two years of political saturation from Barack, John, and Hillary, I thought Rwanda would provide a peaceful respite. I thought wrong. Since I have been here, politics are seemingly omnipresent. Here are two major stories:

THE BARACK EFFECT: If it wasn’t clear to you before, it certainly should be now. Rwanda, and probably all of Africa, is a vote that Barack Obama would surely get. Our R&D collaborator Professor Akeng’a (who is Kenyan) is a fan and so is everyone with whom I have talked. Though the excitement is high, the sobering reality that he has a lot of challenges ahead is also known.

LET KABUYE GO: With demonstrations called for almost every week, the people of Rwanda are demanding Kabuye to be released.
Who is she? Good question. Before last week I had not heard of her, but thousands of Rwandans heading to the streets remind me. In short, Kabuye is one of nine senior officials wanted over the shooting down of former President Juvenal Habyarimana's plane. His murder is widely seen as the spark that led to the deaths of some 800,000 people in Rwanda. Check out the view from the BBC and the local Rwandan newspaper.