By Gideon Rukundo Rugari
1. Rwandans were abandoning their homes and moving closer to the border with Uganda and then would cross over into Uganda as refugees. The game of cat & mouse between poor & starving Rwandans and their government on Ugandan border began long before Paulo closed his border. The gentleman is saying they would shift in phases as they get nearer the Ugandan border. They would abandon their houses as well. Usually if someone is moving will sell iron sheets and bricks. This was to avoid detection by government.
2. DRC is unattractive because of the war and Tanzania because of zero hospitality towards refugees, leaving Uganda as the only option.
3. The issue was and still the biting famine ( Nzaramba)
4. Youth unemployment is so bad university graduates ride bicycles, not motorbikes to survive. The more innovative ones lay and sell unburnt bricks.
5. The cost of food in the market is equal to the cost of energy to cook a meal, whether it’s firewood or charcoal.
6. A small bucket of charcoal costs 300 francs. A daily wedge which is mostly digging earns one 600 francs. 3 pieces of dry wood cost 600 francs, yet the three pieces are not enough to cook a meal of dry beans. A peasant has to spend a full day’s work to earn enough money to afford firewood that will cook his/her beans. This is commonly not possible. Therefore people resort to cook using garbage; old shoes, garments, tires, anything they can get their hands on. The food ends up getting contaminated, but they make do with the situation.
7. A sack of charcoal costs 7000 francs. A primary school teacher earns 40,000 francs with a take home salary of about 35,000 francs. If his meal includes dry beans which is commonly the case, he/she will need two sacks a month which is 14,000 francs. They therefore begin from 21,000 francs to budget for the family and a primary school teacher in Rwanda finds they can’t afford to take their children to a private school ( government schools though free are shunned).
8. On average, a Rwandan family can only afford one meal a day. No one wants to accept they don’t have enough for two meals so the talk is, “we combined meals into one”.
9. Development statistics figures are forcefully generated from the population. Everyone must report an improved economic situation or there will be consequences of being labelled anti government by local leaders. This is how we get miraculous economic stories.
10. The young man specifically explains the real truth behind one million people out of poverty mantra that Tony Blair loves to qoute as he protects his plundering and murdering friend in the region: These are made up numbers right from the people themselves. With the encouragement of local leaders, they report what they don’t have. They are told to “Kwirarira” – to pretend to be what you are not in order to save face ( Kwihesha Agaciro) or to maintain self respect.
This scenario plays out from the local person to World Bank books & the Singapore of Africa ghost ship continues to steam ahead.