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I am a part owner of a business in West Africa, and I'll say that I'm an enthusiastic supporter of Kagame's leadership and hope to see similar leaders rise in A

I am a part owner of a business in West Africa, and I'll say that I'm an enthusiastic supporter of Kagame's leadership and hope to see similar leaders rise in Africa. The West and this documentary makes the erroneous assumption that full democracy and unfettered freedom of speech are axiomatic components of a society. Not so. I see these as goals to aspire to, not starting points. Singapore's rise from one of the poorest countries in Asia to now being wealthier than Britain on a per capita basis was not founded in full democracy. Even Europe had to go through a long evolution from the autocratic Roman Empire, to monarchies, to feudalism, aristocracies, and eventually democracy trickled in. If what Kagame is doing is working, then let it work for his people, The country is now peaceful and has an inviting and reponsible environment for private enterprise to play a role in developing the country. The west needs to stop trying to fit square pegs into round holes.

heresy 17y ago
I cannot agree with you more. Rule of law and stable government are necessary to create an environment in which the economy can develop and circumstances for the people improve. Democracy in an ethnically heterogeneous country does not make this easier, not when the ethnicities in question have simmering feuds and vendettas. That the US became somewhat ethnically diverse after a stable core was established does not change the fact that African countries have a substantially more difficult task ahead of them in trying to establish governmental and legal frameworks in the midst of competing tribalist agendas. So, if it works for Rwanda, leave well enough alone. Results are what matter in Africa right now, not whether a country complies 100% with a Western definition of democracy while citizens are starving in droves. The first human right is the right to life, and at least some form of security. Free speech comes significantly later. Democracies in the West work (somewhat) because of shared values established over centuries. Policies of one particular political party compared to another are differences in degree, the parties do not question the underlying foundations of the nation, and one party getting voted into power is hardly the beginning of a purge or dictatorship. You cannot expect a full-fledged, functioning democracy to grow overnight when not a decade ago people were being killed in their thousands.

heresy 17y ago

I cannot agree with you more. Rule of law and stable government are necessary to create an environment in which the economy can develop and circumstances for the people improve. Democracy in an ethnically heterogeneous country does not make this easier, not when the ethnicities in question have simmering feuds and vendettas. That the US became somewhat ethnically diverse after a stable core was established does not change the fact that African countries have a substantially more difficult task ahead of them in trying to establish governmental and legal frameworks in the midst of competing tribalist agendas. So, if it works for Rwanda, leave well enough alone. Results are what matter in Africa right now, not whether a country complies 100% with a Western definition of democracy while citizens are starving in droves. The first human right is the right to life, and at least some form of security. Free speech comes significantly later. Democracies in the West work (somewhat) because of shared values established over centuries. Policies of one particular political party compared to another are differences in degree, the parties do not question the underlying foundations of the nation, and one party getting voted into power is hardly the beginning of a purge or dictatorship. You cannot expect a full-fledged, functioning democracy to grow overnight when not a decade ago people were being killed in their thousands.