[Rwanda Forum] Re: Rwandans most unhappy in East Africa -report - The East African

On Tue, Mar 22, 2022 at 8:02 AM, Jerome Ndiho
<jeronimo2408@yahoo.com> wrote:

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

On Tue, Mar 22, 2022 at 12:15 AM, Nzi Nink
<nzinink@yahoo.com> wrote:

Rwandans most unhappy in East Africa -report - The East African

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/rwandans-most-unhappy-in-east-africa-report-3755350

Rwandans most unhappy in East Africa -report

Monday March 21 2022

Happiness levels in East African countries have largely remained unchanged despite easing pandemic pains, a UN survey found.
The annual World Happiness Report notes that Ugandans are the happiest in the region at position 117 out of 146 countries in global happiness, while Rwanda was ranked the most unhappy country in the six-nation East African Community bloc.
Rwandans, according to the report, are the fourth-worst globally ahead of Zimbabwe, Lebanon and Afghanistan (the unhappiest in the world).
The findings of the 10th report by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network suggest Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania are the 30th, 27th, and eighth unhappiest nations in the world, respectively.
Respondents cited the perception of widespread corruption in government as the biggest driver of negative emotions.
The report ranks Kenya two places after Uganda at number 119. Tanzania is ranked at number 139 out of the 146 countries globally, while Ethiopia is at position 131.

The researchers arrive at the rankings by asking respondents in the countries surveyed to assess and rate life with a score of 10 as the best possible life for them and zero as the worst possible condition.
Assessment of happiness that can be used by countries to improve the well-being of citizens and enact policies for sustainable development.
GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity and corruption are the variable factors the researchers use in explaining variations in life evaluations across the countries surveyed.
Globally, Finland has been named the happiest country for the fifth year in a row, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and the Netherlands in that order of top five.
Mauritius, which is ranked 52nd in the world, has been named the happiest in Africa, followed by Libya, Cote d'Ivoire, South Africa and the Gambia.
cmunda@ke.nationmedia.com

###
"Hate Cannot Drive Out Hate. Only Love Can Do That", Dr. Martin Luther King.
###

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[Rwanda Forum] Re: Hanyuma ngo mu cyaro...Zac abatagera ibwami mubeshywa byinshi!

United Nations gives Rwanda $400 million to fight hunger and poverty | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-rwanda-un-idUSBRE96P0N820130726

###

"Hate Cannot Drive Out Hate. Only Love Can Do That", Dr. Martin Luther King.

###

On Mar 22, 2022, at 1:43 AM, chris walters <cwalters28739@hotmail.com> wrote:

https://twitter.com/gatjmv/status/1505795342247280643?t=FBS7K6GP5L4CS-aJphmfxA&s=09

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

[Rwanda Forum] Re: Rwandans most unhappy in East Africa -report - The East African

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

On Tue, Mar 22, 2022 at 12:15 AM, Nzi Nink
<nzinink@yahoo.com> wrote:

Rwandans most unhappy in East Africa -report - The East African

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/rwandans-most-unhappy-in-east-africa-report-3755350

Rwandans most unhappy in East Africa -report

Monday March 21 2022

Happiness levels in East African countries have largely remained unchanged despite easing pandemic pains, a UN survey found.
The annual World Happiness Report notes that Ugandans are the happiest in the region at position 117 out of 146 countries in global happiness, while Rwanda was ranked the most unhappy country in the six-nation East African Community bloc.
Rwandans, according to the report, are the fourth-worst globally ahead of Zimbabwe, Lebanon and Afghanistan (the unhappiest in the world).
The findings of the 10th report by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network suggest Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania are the 30th, 27th, and eighth unhappiest nations in the world, respectively.
Respondents cited the perception of widespread corruption in government as the biggest driver of negative emotions.
The report ranks Kenya two places after Uganda at number 119. Tanzania is ranked at number 139 out of the 146 countries globally, while Ethiopia is at position 131.

The researchers arrive at the rankings by asking respondents in the countries surveyed to assess and rate life with a score of 10 as the best possible life for them and zero as the worst possible condition.
Assessment of happiness that can be used by countries to improve the well-being of citizens and enact policies for sustainable development.
GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity and corruption are the variable factors the researchers use in explaining variations in life evaluations across the countries surveyed.
Globally, Finland has been named the happiest country for the fifth year in a row, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and the Netherlands in that order of top five.
Mauritius, which is ranked 52nd in the world, has been named the happiest in Africa, followed by Libya, Cote d'Ivoire, South Africa and the Gambia.
cmunda@ke.nationmedia.com

###
"Hate Cannot Drive Out Hate. Only Love Can Do That", Dr. Martin Luther King.
###

Re: [Rwanda Forum] Westminster may have shunned Putin, but its continued support of autocratic leaders stinks of hypocrisy

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

On Mon, Mar 21, 2022 at 10:38 PM, 'Nzi Nink' via Rwanda Forum
<rwandaforum@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Westminster may have shunned Putin, but its continued support of autocratic leaders stinks of hypocrisy

https://inews.co.uk/opinion/westminster-may-have-shunned-putin-but-its-continued-support-of-autocratic-leaders-stinks-of-hypocrisy-1528291

Westminster may have shunned Putin, but its continued support of autocratic leaders stinks of hypocrisy
Among other despots the government courts, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame can match Russia's for cold-hearted ruthlessness. So much for resistance in defence of democracy
(L-R) Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, Boris Johnson, Paul Kagame, and Muhammadu Buhari pose with other politicians and leaders of African countries at the UK-Africa Investment Summit in 2020. (Photo: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg via Getty)
This is a tale of two dictators. Both have a background in espionage, trained in the dark arts of intelligence and security. Both became president in 2000 and proved themselves masters at controlling their countries by crushing dissent, stifling democracy and stealing elections. Both imprison or kill political foes, even those who fled into other nations for sanctuary. Both silence journalists and use state-controlled media to pump out a twisted narrative to further their own rule. Both treat state assets as their own. And both invade neighbouring nations and meddle abroad with disastrous consequences for millions of innocent people.
One of them is Vladimir Putin, now firmly established as Public Enemy No 1 for the free world after his latest assault on Ukraine. The full-scale invasion and atrocities unleashed by this self-serving despot have finally shocked the complacent West into action as it witnesses his attack on a sovereign nation. His misjudgement has turned Russia into a pariah state as the West tries to throttle his economy and sends his billionaire pals scurrying into safety with their stolen assets. As the Kremlin bombs cities such as Kyiv and Kharkiv, Mariupol and Mykolaiv, one in four of the country's citizens were displaced from their homes in just three weeks.
This is distressing to witness – just as it was depressing to see the slaughter of pro-democracy protesters, theft of Crimea and separatist insurgency stirred up by this malevolent man in 2014. But at least this time there has been a decent response from fellow democracies, along with much talk of how the world has seen one of those pivotal turning points in history. This is gratifying for those of us who have long argued that we need to take a tough stand against dictatorship, boost our defences, drive out dirty money and safeguard our precious democracy.
Now turn to that other blood-stained bully. Paul Kagame can match Putin for chilling repression and cold-hearted ruthlessness. He has even sent hit squads into Britain to snuff out enemies. But there are two key differences between this pair of dead-eyed dictators. First, Kagame runs a small country in Africa rather than one of the great global powers – although this did not stop him sparking wars that led to five million deaths. And second, he is seen as such a friend of Britain that we prop up his regime with torrents of aid, train his troops and have even awarded him the honour of hosting the next Commonwealth summit in three months' time.
The hypocrisy stinks when Westminster severs all links with the dictator in Moscow but will happily send Prince Charles to hobnob with his despotic soulmate in Kigali. Rwanda was never even a British colony. Yet politicians of all persuasions pander to the sinister thug who runs the country as he manipulates his history like Putin. Perhaps the reason is simple, if disturbing, as suggested by Michela Wrong, author of a devastating book on Kagame's regime: victims of his machinations are black Africans, not white Europeans, so deemed of less value to our own political tribes.
More from Columnists
Opinion | It's liberals who are most scared of sharing their homes with Ukrainian refugees20 March, 2022 Opinion | Boris Johnson is rehabilitating Mohammed bin Salman with his servile visit to Saudi Arabia19 March, 2022 Opinion | Charlene White: Women dismissing influencers will discourage young entrepreneurs19 March, 2022
Regardless, this shows the shallowness of the response to Ukraine – along with the hollowness of suggestions that democracies are facing up to the threat posed by autocracies. Nowhere do we see this failure more than Britain, for all the fine words suddenly spewing from the mouths of ministers as they distance themselves from Russian-linked party donors. The Prime Minister rushes off to fawn over the feudal Saudi Arabian regime that chopped up a dissident journalist, stirs up sectarianism around the planet and conducts a savage war with our weapons in a neighbouring nation. Then Boris Johnson returns to chip away at our democracy again by stirring up divisions with a foolish, bogus comparison between Brexit and Ukraine's fight for freedom.
Next, it emerges that his Foreign Secretary has permitted the appointment of a diplomat who played a central role in the kidnap and detention of Rwanda's most famous human rights activist. Liz Truss has been touring the world posing as a crusader for liberty with speeches about the "free world standing its ground" in the fight to combat autocracy. Yet she seems to have resisted calls to use her powers to stop Johnston Busingye, Rwanda's former justice secretary, from becoming high commissioner – although he was demoted by Kagame after admitting their regime chartered a flight that led to the seizure of Paul Rusesabagina, the real-life hero of the film Hotel Rwanda who saved more than 1,200 lives in the 1994 genocide.
Busingye should have been placed on the Magnitsky Sanctions list, which targets people behind human rights violations. He was even named in Parliament by Sir Iain Duncan Smith alongside Iranian torturers and Sudanese war lords in a debate on sanctions. The former Tory leader queried why Kagame would send this "abusive individual" to represent his nation. "Do they think the UK is a soft touch?" he asked. The answer from Truss seems to be yes – even at this time of heightened alert over the dangers of aggressive dictatorship – for the current holder of the post claims the appointment has been confirmed, reports the East African.
So much for Westminster's resistance in defence of democracy. Instead, for all the posturing, our politicians fail to understand that Putin's behaviour is not some kind of Russian aberration but symptomatic of the autocratic model of government. His invasion of Ukraine was a sign of personal failure by a despot who felt threatened by emergence of a freer nation on his borders, one that challenged his venal rule as it shifted towards democracy and liberal European values.
The same hopes, the same issues, the same struggles, are seen around the world from Moscow to Minsk, from Cairo to Caracas – East African newspaper and from Hong Kong to Kigali. But even amid the horrors of Ukraine, our rulers fail to rise from their torpor.

###
"Hate Cannot Drive Out Hate. Only Love Can Do That", Dr. Martin Luther King.
###

--
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[Rwanda Forum] Rwandans most unhappy in East Africa -report - The East African

Rwandans most unhappy in East Africa -report - The East African

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/rwandans-most-unhappy-in-east-africa-report-3755350

Rwandans most unhappy in East Africa -report

Monday March 21 2022

Happiness levels in East African countries have largely remained unchanged despite easing pandemic pains, a UN survey found.

The annual World Happiness Report notes that Ugandans are the happiest in the region at position 117 out of 146 countries in global happiness, while Rwanda was ranked the most unhappy country in the six-nation East African Community bloc.

Rwandans, according to the report, are the fourth-worst globally ahead of Zimbabwe, Lebanon and Afghanistan (the unhappiest in the world).

The findings of the 10th report by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network suggest Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania are the 30th, 27th, and eighth unhappiest nations in the world, respectively.

Respondents cited the perception of widespread corruption in government as the biggest driver of negative emotions.

The report ranks Kenya two places after Uganda at number 119. Tanzania is ranked at number 139 out of the 146 countries globally, while Ethiopia is at position 131.

The researchers arrive at the rankings by asking respondents in the countries surveyed to assess and rate life with a score of 10 as the best possible life for them and zero as the worst possible condition.

Assessment of happiness that can be used by countries to improve the well-being of citizens and enact policies for sustainable development.

GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity and corruption are the variable factors the researchers use in explaining variations in life evaluations across the countries surveyed.

Globally, Finland has been named the happiest country for the fifth year in a row, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and the Netherlands in that order of top five.

Mauritius, which is ranked 52nd in the world, has been named the happiest in Africa, followed by Libya, Cote d'Ivoire, South Africa and the Gambia.

cmunda@ke.nationmedia.com

###

"Hate Cannot Drive Out Hate. Only Love Can Do That", Dr. Martin Luther King.

###

[Rwanda Forum] Westminster may have shunned Putin, but its continued support of autocratic leaders stinks of hypocrisy

Westminster may have shunned Putin, but its continued support of autocratic leaders stinks of hypocrisy

https://inews.co.uk/opinion/westminster-may-have-shunned-putin-but-its-continued-support-of-autocratic-leaders-stinks-of-hypocrisy-1528291

Westminster may have shunned Putin, but its continued support of autocratic leaders stinks of hypocrisy

Among other despots the government courts, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame can match Russia's for cold-hearted ruthlessness. So much for resistance in defence of democracy

From left to right, Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, Egypt's president, Boris Johnson, U.K. prime minister, Paul Kagame, Rwanda's president, and Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria's president, pose for a family photo with other leaders of African nations and U.K. politicians at the U.K. - Africa Investment Summit at the Intercontinental Hotel in London, U.K., on Monday, Jan. 20, 2020. Johnson will reinforce his vision of a global Britain trading freely outside the EU on Monday, when he hosts African leaders at an inaugural??summit. Photographer: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg via Getty Images — (L-R) Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, Boris Johnson, Paul Kagame, and Muhammadu Buhari pose with other politicians and leaders of African countries at the UK-Africa Investment Summit in 2020. (Photo: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg via Getty)

This is a tale of two dictators. Both have a background in espionage, trained in the dark arts of intelligence and security. Both became president in 2000 and proved themselves masters at controlling their countries by crushing dissent, stifling democracy and stealing elections. Both imprison or kill political foes, even those who fled into other nations for sanctuary. Both silence journalists and use state-controlled media to pump out a twisted narrative to further their own rule. Both treat state assets as their own. And both invade neighbouring nations and meddle abroad with disastrous consequences for millions of innocent people.

One of them is Vladimir Putin, now firmly established as Public Enemy No 1 for the free world after his latest assault on Ukraine. The full-scale invasion and atrocities unleashed by this self-serving despot have finally shocked the complacent West into action as it witnesses his attack on a sovereign nation. His misjudgement has turned Russia into a pariah state as the West tries to throttle his economy and sends his billionaire pals scurrying into safety with their stolen assets. As the Kremlin bombs cities such as Kyiv and Kharkiv, Mariupol and Mykolaiv, one in four of the country's citizens were displaced from their homes in just three weeks.

This is distressing to witness – just as it was depressing to see the slaughter of pro-democracy protesters, theft of Crimea and separatist insurgency stirred up by this malevolent man in 2014. But at least this time there has been a decent response from fellow democracies, along with much talk of how the world has seen one of those pivotal turning points in history. This is gratifying for those of us who have long argued that we need to take a tough stand against dictatorship, boost our defences, drive out dirty money and safeguard our precious democracy.

Now turn to that other blood-stained bully. Paul Kagame can match Putin for chilling repression and cold-hearted ruthlessness. He has even sent hit squads into Britain to snuff out enemies. But there are two key differences between this pair of dead-eyed dictators. First, Kagame runs a small country in Africa rather than one of the great global powers – although this did not stop him sparking wars that led to five million deaths. And second, he is seen as such a friend of Britain that we prop up his regime with torrents of aid, train his troops and have even awarded him the honour of hosting the next Commonwealth summit in three months' time.

The hypocrisy stinks when Westminster severs all links with the dictator in Moscow but will happily send Prince Charles to hobnob with his despotic soulmate in Kigali. Rwanda was never even a British colony. Yet politicians of all persuasions pander to the sinister thug who runs the country as he manipulates his history like Putin. Perhaps the reason is simple, if disturbing, as suggested by Michela Wrong, author of a devastating book on Kagame's regime: victims of his machinations are black Africans, not white Europeans, so deemed of less value to our own political tribes.

Opinion | It's liberals who are most scared of sharing their homes with Ukrainian refugees

Opinion | Boris Johnson is rehabilitating Mohammed bin Salman with his servile visit to Saudi Arabia

Regardless, this shows the shallowness of the response to Ukraine – along with the hollowness of suggestions that democracies are facing up to the threat posed by autocracies. Nowhere do we see this failure more than Britain, for all the fine words suddenly spewing from the mouths of ministers as they distance themselves from Russian-linked party donors. The Prime Minister rushes off to fawn over the feudal Saudi Arabian regime that chopped up a dissident journalist, stirs up sectarianism around the planet and conducts a savage war with our weapons in a neighbouring nation. Then Boris Johnson returns to chip away at our democracy again by stirring up divisions with a foolish, bogus comparison between Brexit and Ukraine's fight for freedom.

Next, it emerges that his Foreign Secretary has permitted the appointment of a diplomat who played a central role in the kidnap and detention of Rwanda's most famous human rights activist. Liz Truss has been touring the world posing as a crusader for liberty with speeches about the "free world standing its ground" in the fight to combat autocracy. Yet she seems to have resisted calls to use her powers to stop Johnston Busingye, Rwanda's former justice secretary, from becoming high commissioner – although he was demoted by Kagame after admitting their regime chartered a flight that led to the seizure of Paul Rusesabagina, the real-life hero of the film Hotel Rwanda who saved more than 1,200 lives in the 1994 genocide.

Busingye should have been placed on the Magnitsky Sanctions list, which targets people behind human rights violations. He was even named in Parliament by Sir Iain Duncan Smith alongside Iranian torturers and Sudanese war lords in a debate on sanctions. The former Tory leader queried why Kagame would send this "abusive individual" to represent his nation. "Do they think the UK is a soft touch?" he asked. The answer from Truss seems to be yes – even at this time of heightened alert over the dangers of aggressive dictatorship – for the current holder of the post claims the appointment has been confirmed, reports the East African.

So much for Westminster's resistance in defence of democracy. Instead, for all the posturing, our politicians fail to understand that Putin's behaviour is not some kind of Russian aberration but symptomatic of the autocratic model of government. His invasion of Ukraine was a sign of personal failure by a despot who felt threatened by emergence of a freer nation on his borders, one that challenged his venal rule as it shifted towards democracy and liberal European values.

The same hopes, the same issues, the same struggles, are seen around the world from Moscow to Minsk, from Cairo to Caracas – East African newspaper and from Hong Kong to Kigali. But even amid the horrors of Ukraine, our rulers fail to rise from their torpor.

###

"Hate Cannot Drive Out Hate. Only Love Can Do That", Dr. Martin Luther King.

###

[Rwanda Forum] RDC : « L’Empire du silence », testament choc et polémique de Thierry Michel – Jeune Afrique

RDC : « L'Empire du silence », testament choc et polémique de Thierry Michel – Jeune Afrique

https://www.jeuneafrique.com/1329208/culture/rdc-lempire-du-silence-testament-choc-et-polemique-de-thierry-michel/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=jeune+afrique&utm_content&utm_campaign=8db87485-d659-451f-8326-6f9d6d808ba3&fbclid=IwAR1KgmlTFgffnxezEPAdS8OOrkXwTuswUL4PVM27Y3hWnmh42qL54SJb_pU

RDC : « L'Empire du silence », testament choc et polémique de Thierry Michel

Anna Sylvestre-Treiner16 mars 2022 à 11:36

Une image du film « L'Empire du silence », de Thierry Michel. © JHR Films

Après avoir passé trente ans à filmer le pays, le réalisateur belge sort son nouveau – et il l'assure, dernier – documentaire. Une chronique saisissante sur un quart de siècle de conflits dans l'est de la RDC.

Quel sentiment a pu étreindre Thierry Michel lorsque les lumières de la salle de spectacle du Palais des peuples de Kinshasa se sont éteintes pour laisser les premières images de son film s'afficher sur l'écran géant ? Après des années à avoir été persona non grata en République démocratique du Congo, le plus connu des documentaristes belges dans le pays y faisait son retour avec les honneurs. Là où habituellement se réunissent députés et sénateurs, son dernier film, L'Empire du silence, était projeté en avant-première fin novembre, avant sa sortie officielle, le 16 mars.

« Revenir à Kinshasa, c'était un grand moment », lâche sobrement le réalisateur. L'homme n'est visiblement pas du genre à s'épancher. Ce soir-là, dans l'immense salle à la décoration surannée, il s'agite, virevolte. Seule sa suractivité trahit son stress : la salle est peu remplie et les expatriés sont au moins aussi nombreux que les Congolais. Une défaite ? Thierry Michel suggère des explications : le lieu est trop officiel, la communication a été mal orchestrée, et le lendemain, jurera-t-il plus tard, la salle était au contraire « pleine à craquer » – nous n'avons pas pu vérifier.

Morts, exécutions et cadavres par dizaine

Et qu'importe finalement, car ce n'est pas à ce public-là que L'Empire du silence semble destiné. Plus qu'un documentaire, ce film d'1h50 se veut un plaidoyer à l'attention des dirigeants mondiaux. Et le support d'une vaste campagne militante intitulée « Justice For Congo », initiée avec Denis Mukwege, – un médecin de Bukavu qui avait été l'objet de L'Homme qui répare les femmes : La Colère d'Hippocrate, un des précédents documentaires du réalisateur. Une campagne qui a pour but de pousser à l'instauration de tribunaux pénaux internationaux pour juger les crimes commis ces dernières 25 années dans l'Est de la République démocratique du Congo, à la manière de ceux mis sur pied pour le Rwanda ou l'ex-Yougoslavie.

C'est cette histoire que le long-métrage nous raconte. Celle d'un quart de siècle de guerres largement oubliées, celle de crimes de masses, de massacres atroces. Avec des images toutes tournées durant ses innombrables voyages en RDC, le réalisateur montre la fuite de centaines de milliers de Rwandais hutus depuis les camps de réfugiés, à travers les forêts congolaises, lors de l'offensive des troupes rebelles de Laurent-Désiré Kabila, en 1996. Il raconte aussi la tuerie de Tingi Tingi, en 1997, ou celle de Mbandaka, la même année.

On y voit les victimes et parfois les héros anonymes, à l'instar de cet ancien responsable de la Croix-rouge qui a refusé de se taire face aux exactions. Certains témoignages sont saisissants ; les images, souvent à la limite du supportable. Thierry Michel ne nous épargne rien de la saleté de la guerre. Il filme les morts, les exécutions, les cadavres par dizaines.

Polémique

Ce documentaire choc risque de faire autant de bruit que de susciter de polémiques. Car dans ce plaidoyer, le réalisateur s'appuie notamment sur le très controversé rapport Mapping. Établi par des experts mandatés par le Haut-Commissariat des Nations unies aux droits de l'homme pour recenser les crimes commis entre 1993 et 2003 en RDC, il a servi de supports aux tenants de la thèse du « double génocide ».

Le Congo n'a jamais fait œuvre de justice et de mémoire

Ce rapport a aussi établi une liste des responsables des crimes de guerre, qui n'a jamais été rendue publique. Un secret que Thierry Michel veut voir lever. « Le Congo n'a jamais fait œuvre de justice et de mémoire », explique-t-il.

Lui désigne ceux qu'il considère comme les coupables : ils sont Congolais mais aussi Rwandais et Ougandais. Leurs noms ? James Kaberebe, ancien chef d'état-major de la RDC sous Kabila avant de devenir celui du Rwanda, ou encore les généraux Gabriel Amisi Kumba et Éric Ruhorimbere – mais aucun de ces hommes n'est interrogé sur ces accusations dans le documentaire.

Fin d'un cycle

Avec la fin du régime de Joseph Kabila et l'arrivée au pouvoir de Félix Tshisekedi, le Belge veut croire que la vérité peut enfin émerger, et venir clore un quart de siècle de conflits dans l'Est de la RDC – une guerre qui est hélas toujours en cours.

Cela apporterait-il de la paix à Thierry Michel ? Peut-être est-ce aussi l'objet de ce long-métrage, qui apparaît comme le testament d'un homme qui a passé trente ans de sa vie à voyager en RDC. De Mobutu, roi du Zaïre, à ses démêlés avec le régime de Kabila qui interdira son film sur le premier procès de l'assassinat du militant des droits de l'homme Floribert Chebeya, Thierry Michel a documenté l'histoire récente de cette région d'Afrique décrite tant de fois, depuis Joseph Conrad, comme le « cœur des ténèbres ».

Plus de cent fois, dit-il, il s'est rendu en RDC. Il en a tiré treize documentaires. « Je suis à la fin d'un cycle. Je suis fatigué du combat, je n'en n'ai plus la force », témoigne-t-il. Récemment, cet homme d'image de 69 ans a perdu la vue d'un œil. L'autre est abimé. Il l'assure : L'Empire du silence est son dernier film.

L'affiche du film « L'Empire du silence », le dernier film documentaire du réalisateur belge Thierry Michel. © JHR Films

###

"Hate Cannot Drive Out Hate. Only Love Can Do That", Dr. Martin Luther King.

###

Rwanda Forum

[Rwanda Forum] Re: Rwandans most unhappy in East Africa -report - The East African

Rwandans most unhappy in East Africa -report

Monday March 21 2022

[Rwanda Forum] Re: Hanyuma ngo mu cyaro...Zac abatagera ibwami mubeshywa byinshi!

[Rwanda Forum] Re: Rwandans most unhappy in East Africa -report - The East African

Rwandans most unhappy in East Africa -report

Monday March 21 2022

Re: [Rwanda Forum] Westminster may have shunned Putin, but its continued support of autocratic leaders stinks of hypocrisy

Westminster may have shunned Putin, but its continued support of autocratic leaders stinks of hypocrisy

Among other despots the government courts, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame can match Russia's for cold-hearted ruthlessness. So much for resistance in defence of democracy

More from Columnists

[Rwanda Forum] Rwandans most unhappy in East Africa -report - The East African

Rwandans most unhappy in East Africa -report

Monday March 21 2022

[Rwanda Forum] Westminster may have shunned Putin, but its continued support of autocratic leaders stinks of hypocrisy

Westminster may have shunned Putin, but its continued support of autocratic leaders stinks of hypocrisy

Among other despots the government courts, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame can match Russia's for cold-hearted ruthlessness. So much for resistance in defence of democracy

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[Rwanda Forum] Re: Police Discover Skull Inside Nairobi-bound Bus from Rwanda

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