
Rwanda is becoming a hub for expanding tech companies - edward
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/14/africa/rwanda-tech-hub/index.html
======
SoftwarePatent
This journalist [1] wrote a great book [2] about the lack of press freedom in
Rwanda, and western complicity in press crackdowns. He's an amazing guy--
accepted a job at Goldman during college, then reneged on the job to fly one-
way to Africa and become a freelance journalist. That's without any experience
as a journalist!

[1] [https://twitter.com/anjansun](https://twitter.com/anjansun)

[2] [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/11/bad-news-
last-...](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/11/bad-news-last-
journalists-in-dictatorship-anjan-sundaram-review-rwanda-paul-kagame)

~~~
bilbo0s
Gets worse than that actually. Much of this "prosperity" is driven by warlords
stealing resources from places like Eastern Congo. And that's where everything
Rwandan gets really nasty.

A guy named Laurent Nkunda once cleared an entire city of roughly 75 000
people. (Goma. Many of those were running so fast that children and the
elderly were left behind. Which made for some pretty sad sights in the
aftermath.)

I had a Swiss friend who was an observer (UN) in Congo and had to come stay
with us in Houston to decompress before going back to her family in Lausanne.
She had the misfortune of being assigned an inspection tour in the East. She
toured the Congo Army lines... fine ... no major problems. As she approached
the lines of Nkunda's forces she saw a wall built from dead bodies... and the
wall was topped with the heads. Yeah... it only got worse from there.

Rwandans do some pretty nasty things around Africa to steal their wealth. But
I suppose it's easy to overlook that stuff if you're making money. And to be
fair... a LOT of people in Africa do these things. Of course, we don't usually
do business with those people.

~~~
throwaway201606
It is my opinion that it is a terrible statement on current affairs that this
comment is ranked so high.

While all the things said here are true, they: a) happened more than 20 years
ago in 1990 ( [http://abt.cm/QNKiYt](http://abt.cm/QNKiYt) ) b) have little or
no direct bearing to the issue at hand (Rwanda and its place in the current
technology marketplace)

In my mind, a similar example might be reading something about say, for
example the state of technology in Kenya and the top comment being about what
happened there during the Mau Mau uprising. Yes, the correct would be
factually accurate but that time does not represent the country today. And,
most of all, WTF really? Stop with red herrings. The country is working like
crazy to grow and develop and instead of "nice job getting from a where you
were to b today", all you can offer is "yeah, but your dad and mom did
terrible things 20 years ago".

Almost every nation in the world, developed or not, has parts of its history
where its' peoples and governments did things - that they now deeply regret
and would rather forget - as part of becoming the nations that they are today.
It just happens that some, not all, African nations are going through those
things in our lifetime.

We need to be fair in our positioning and evaluation of others especially if
we perceive that they are making their way out of being on the low end of our
assessment curve. No need to introduce extra huddles of history to the
information we share especially if those hurdles are not contextually
relevant.

Finally, the last sentence in that comment is worth some disassembly. \- The
first part: "Rwandans do some pretty nasty things around Africa to steal their
wealth. But I suppose it's easy to overlook that stuff if you're making money.
And to be fair... a LOT of people in Africa do these things. Of course, we
don't usually do business with those people."

Please share some evidence around this. Else, STFU with opinions that hold no
ground. And even if it were true, how is it different from, for example, the
way western economies deal with African and Middle East nations that have
natural resources they are looking for. Don't these economies do "do some
pretty nasty things around Africa to steal their wealth" Should Africa make a
decision along the lines of " Of course, we don't usually do business with
those people."?

My two cents, definitely written while wearing my heart on my sleeve.

Saved a screenshot of your quote on img just in case it goes AWOL because
don't want to end up sounding like a nutjob if if it does. Link to original
quote here [http://imgur.com/aYjzkUE](http://imgur.com/aYjzkUE)

~~~
bilbo0s
"...a) happened more than 20 years ago in 1990..."

Nice try. Goma was cleared in fighting during the Nord-Kivu clashes in 2008.
(Nkunda's forces opposed Army of DRCongo and UN Peacemaker contingent of
roughly 17000.) Additionally, the theft of Congolese resources is ongoing.

"...b) have little or no direct bearing to the issue at hand..."

That depends on how one thinks.

Finally, with respect to the duplicity of Western Nations. You will get no
argument from me. That doesn't make African nations less duplicitous though.
The white man is not the only force for evil on the globe. Evil comes in all
shades and hues.

~~~
coldtea
> _The white man is not the only force for evil on the globe_

No, but he does it really professionally, including having created most of the
mess in Africa in the first place. Most of those "states" where designed by
colonialists in artificial (i.e. what colonial power controls what as opposed
based on historically and culturally developed ethnic formations), and were
usually created to contain 2-3 competing fractions in a "divide and conquer"
approach, with the colonial and post-colonial powers playing (and arming) both
sides... Add their support to all kinds of dictators, scum and lackeys and the
undermining of efforts to clean the slate, boost local control, etc, and the
result is what we have today...

~~~
iamjeff
>he does it really professionally

I couldn't agree with you more. It is lost on most people that African
boundaries and political realities are a fairly recent construct. The majority
of African states as we know them today are no more than two generations old
(c. 60 years). These boundaries are also, in many ways, an artificial creation
that do not necessarily represent the pre-colonial and cultural realities of
the numerous ethnic communities and interests that exist across Africa today.
The legacy of this "divide and rule" approach cannot be over-stated and has
been a driving force behind the continent's sad, sad state of affairs. Also,
only a generation ago did the Cold War abate and with it, murderous proxy wars
and political struggles in countries such as Angola, Mozambique, the DRC (and
the wider Central Africa), Uganda, to name but a few. There are numerous
explanations of and studies into the impact of colonization and the Cold War
on ongoing conflicts and human rights abuses in Africa and, honestly, I am no
domain expert. Regardless, here are two sources that should suffice: Did
Africa have any significance in the Cold War?
[[https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1ju3e3/did_a...](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1ju3e3/did_africa_have_any_significance_in_the_cold_war/\];)
'The Effects of the (End of the) Cold War on Central African Politics: How a
Cold War turned into a very Hot One' [[http://www.mo.be/en/article/effects-
end-cold-war-central-afr...](http://www.mo.be/en/article/effects-end-cold-war-
central-african-politics-how-cold-war-turned-very-hot-one)]. Of course, this
does not free Africa's leadership from the responsibility of good governance,
but it does add context to coldtea's argument.

------
pizza
Not mentioned in article:

\- President has successfully used a referendum to grant himself third term
powers, if next year's election goes his way (likely)

\- Lots of surveillance (skype/whatsapp eavesdropping) by govt via telecom
compliance

\- President has lots of stock in telecoms

~~~
donretag
Paul Kagame's anti-corruption policies are impressive. You can really see how
much society can change when funds flow to the proper channels.

I have traveled through ten sub-Saharan countries and Rwanda does stick out.
While many countries, especially in East Africa, have terrible infrastructure,
Rwanda is "civilized". Working traffic lights, street lights even on minor
roads in towns, decent roads. It was the only country in East Africa where I
was able to easily find a proper black middle class. I did ask locals why this
is the case, and they all point to the anti-corruption initiative. It is true
that much money comes from the UN post-genocide and from methane gas, but this
money does make it's way to society.

That said, I have a far better time in Mugabe's Zimbabwe and Zuma's South
Africa. :) Corruption on that level is so blatant and destructive.

~~~
roel_v
Serious q, I've never been in Africa: what is there to do in Zim to have a
good time? Did you go on safari or somerhing similar, or are there off-the-
beaten-track things to do (without knowing locals) that are relatively safe to
do?

~~~
donretag
I could talk a lot about Africa. Loved it. Everything is off the beaten path,
which is why I loved it. Outside of the known spots (Egypt and the northern
countries, South Africa), there is no mass tourism. No bus loads of tourists
that start taking pictures as soon as they step off.

Zim was unique. At that point, I already spent almost two months in East
Africa (Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi), and my entrance (into Harare) was
an eye-opener. A saw white people. Not tourists or the occasional white
person, but actual residents. Lots of them. They had nice cars and went into
nice stores. Good luck finding stores in East Africa.

Technically, my first stop in Zim was the Chimanimani Mountains. Lovely day
hike. But it was on the border with Mozambique (I only traveled through Moz)
so it felt the same.

Harare was a nice enough capital. I was amazed that the national museum was
actually selling the art it was showing. Amazing pieces for great prices. If I
was not traveling for months (and I actually had a home), I would have
purchased some art. Amazing sculptures. Zim had the best sculptures, Malawi
the best wood cravers. Went to a jazz club, more first show in Africa.

I did not do any safaris in Zim (did them in Uganda, Tanzania and Namibia),
but I went to a place called Antelope Park. I had mixed feelings about it.

The great Zim ruins were interesting because it is the oldest manmade
structure in sub-Saharan Africa. Nothing else of its kind on the entire
southern half of Africa.

Took an overnight train from Bulawayo to Vic Falls. Slow. Decripit. Beer was
$1 (cheaper than a supermarket) and we finished their entire stock. Plus our
liquor. They called ahead to get more at another stop and we finished that as
well. Fun fun times.

Victoria Falls of course was amazing.

I highly suggest going to Africa for vacation. I dream about going back. Was
more of a fan of Southern Africa over East Africa.

Overall I felt safe in Zimbabwe. Better than Cape Town and forget about
Jo'burg.

~~~
roel_v
Great, thanks.

~~~
donretag
If you are still reading these comments, why Zimbabwe in particular? Nothing
wrong with the country, but most landlocked countries do not attractive to
much attention.

