Africa 24 Media Photography

On his website, Paul Kagame.com, one is graced with documented pictures and text of a visionary and revolutionary leader who is unwavering and relentless in his charge of improving the lives of the citizenry. Whether answering questions from journalists in Kigali or addressing a summit on climate change in Geneva, Paul Kagame’s self-styled and radical approach to using reconciliation to rebrand and rebuild his country stands out in every word that comes out of his soft-speaking lips. Born in October 1957 in Ruhango, the Rwandan president’s Tutsi family fled pre-independence ethnic persecution and violence in 1960, crossing into Uganda where he spent thirty years as a refugee. He became an internationally renowned figure and rose to prominence as the leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), whose victory over the incumbent government effectively ended the Rwandan genocide (pitting Hutu-Tutsi ethnic rebellion) in July 1994.

Kagame was appointed Vice-President and Minister for Defence in the Government of National Unity on 19 July 1994, and four years later was elected Chairman of the RPF, a partner in the Government of National Unity. He became President of Rwanda in March 2000, after President Pasteur Bizimungu was deposed. Since then, Kagame has never looked back, and when he has, he has done something about Rwanda’s dark history. Although there’s still much to do, his record in reconciling his people, advocating for self-reliance and improving the economic lot of many Rwandans has transformed him into a much sought-after regional and international leader and speaker who can spot and address pertinent issues affecting the progressive world, whether environmental or technological. He has not only initiated and overseen Rwanda’s socio-economic endowment but has received recognition for his leadership in peace building and reconciliation, development, good governance, women’s empowerment, and advancement of education and ICT. Under his leadership, Rwanda has been called Africa’s “biggest success story” and Kagame has become a public advocate of new models for foreign aid designed to help recipients become self-reliant. Nevertheless, his ostensibly clear record is tainted by allegations of politically motivated assassinations and corruption, police extrajudicial killings, less political space and permanent hostility towards journalists.

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