Pg. 1
Why wouldn’t you find it despicable to live in this situation? Why should we be a country that depends on other people? What’s wrong with us? Why do we live off other people’s money, off the taxpayer’s of other countries? How can it be that people who lived in this country two hundred years ago were better off than we are today? What happened? We are descendants of people with integrity, people who were hardworking, people who stood up and fought for their rights. We have been put in a position of being despised, of being held in contempt. We don’t deserve that, and we have within ourselves what we need to stand up to these challenges.*
*This passage in the book is from President Paul Kagame.
Pg. 227
Soon after assuming the presidency, Kagame convened an intensive series of meetings aimed at formulating a coherent plan for national development. From these meetings emerged a far-reaching and in some respects utopian program called “Vision 2020”. It set a series of lofty goals and gave the government a framework within which it could begin to act. From this blueprint, and from Kagame’s own vision, came a straightforward list of priorities.
Pg. 248
The average Rwandan woman has six children. At this rate, there will be thirteen million Rwandans in 2020. That will make any substantial social or economic progress impossible. It will deeply destabilize Rwandan life. Some believe it could also lead to another outbreak of mass murder.
Pg. 307
How do you define ‘religious’? he asked. “It is not the uniform of a bishop. Kagame has a concept of life. He may even be more religious than some so-called religious people. It all depends on what you call religion. Maybe he prays in private, I don’t know. But he produces the fruits. Some preach in words, but others preach by deeds, by your life. Only when it’s necessary do we preach in words”.
Other Excerpts
“Our goal as a country is to escape from underdevelopment by 2020,” he said. “I think we will succeed in doing this. The big advantage we have is good leadership. That energizes people and encourages them to work. Bad leadership destroys countries. It takes a rich potential and destroys it. That is the story of Africa. Here, the opposite is happening. People see that if they work hard, they can improve their lives. Every country was underdeveloped at one time.”
Two things about President Kagame are evident to all who consider his situation honestly. First, he has accomplished something truly remarkable. The contrast between where Rwanda is today and where most people would have guessed it would be today in the wake of the 1994 genocide is astonishing.
Second, Kagame is the man of the hour in modern Africa. The eyes of all who hope for a better Africa are upon him. No other leader has made so much out of so little, and none offers such encouraging hope for the continent’s future.
The regime’s passion quickly produced tangible results. New buildings sprung up in Kigali. Clinics opened in midsized towns. Neighborhoods and streets were cleaned. Businesses began to thrive, and even a few foreign investors turned up. Rwandans began to sense that something extraordinary was happening around them. Foreigners who returned to visit after long absences were impressed and even shocked.
