Archive for March, 2010
16th Genocide Commemoration Program-UK
The Rwandan Community in the United Kingdom and friends of Rwanda will this April join fellow Rwandans and friends of Rwanda worldwide to commemorate the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
This year, the commemoration will highlight the challenges of managing trauma resulting from the tragic genocide, captured by the theme:
“let us commemorate the Genocide against the Tutsi by continuing to combine efforts in managing trauma”.
Commemoration events kick off in London on Wednesday 7th of April 2010, at Southwark Cathedral, London Bridge, London SE1 9DA, at 2pm.Other confirmed events:
West Midlands: Saturday 10th April, 3pm, at The Drum, 144 Potters Lane, Aston, B6 4UU, Birmingham.
Newcastle and North East of England: Thursday 15th April, 4pm, at Pandon Suite, Committee Room, Civic Centre, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 8PN.
London: Saturday 17th April, 1pm, Amnesty International UK, The Human Rights Action Centre, 17-23 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 2EA.
Details of events in Oxford, Reading, Manchester and other areas will be communicated as they become available.
The Rwandese Community Association (UK) requests you all to attend these events or organise your own in your localities.
Ignatius MUGABO
Chairman,
Vacancy at Plan International-Rwanda
Country Director, Rwanda
Region: Rwanda
Location: Kigali
Reports To: Regional Director
Position Type: Contract
Duration: 1 year with possibility of extension
Closing Date: 2nd April 2010
To apply, please send your CV and a covering letter to cathy.hughesman@plan-international.org
PURPOSE:
The role of Country Director in Rwanda is to lead, direct, manage and develop the Country Management Team. They are accountable for country operations, including the development, review and implementation of Country Strategic Plan. A key part of the role is building relationships and acting as an advocate of the organisation with donors, local and national governments, organisations partners, voluntary agencies, media, donors and local committees; in addition to maintaining a positive organisation profile and raising funds.
RESPONSIBILITIES
· Lead the Country Management Team
· Manage and develop competent and committed human resources
· Ensure learning, evaluation, continuous improvement and technical assistance is an integral part of each domain
· Direct and manage country operations
· Manage the development, review and approval, implementation and evaluation of the Country Strategic Plan
· Build productive contacts and relations across Plan countries, Regions, IH, National Organisations and with other organisations to incorporate best practices and learning into country operations.
· Direct and manage policies, procedures and legal requirements for in country operations.
· Participate in the management and development of the organisation as a whole
· Build and manage relationship within Plan, with government and with other organisations to optimise marketing and grant funding opportunities
KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE
· At least eight years professional experience
· At least five years as a development professional
· Five years executive management experience
· Two to four years working experience outside geographical and cultural area of origin
· Building and managing teams
· Organizational development
· Coaching
· Facilitation
· Strategic Planning
· Program Management
· Financial Management
· Crisis Management
· Conflict Management
· Human Resource Management
· Leadership Analysis
· Problem solving
· Networking
· Public relations
· Negotiation
· Excellent oral and written communication
LANGUAGE:
· Speaks, reads, and writes English fluently.
· Preferably also fluent in French.
http://plan-international.org/about-plan/jobs/company-director-rwanda
Diaspora to award best performers
| By Charles Kwizera | |
| KIGALI - Rwandans living in US and Canada are set to recognize outstanding Rwandans and friends of Rwanda who have played a significant role in the development of their country.
The awards have been organised by the Rwanda Convention Association (RCA), brings together Rwandans living in North America. In an exclusive interview with The New Times yesterday, the Director General of Rwanda Diaspora Directorate, Robert Masozera, confirmed the news and revealed that the awards will be presented in five different categories. “It is true that RCA will be holding the ceremony and the nomination for the different categories are in progress to determine who deserves the awards,” he said. According to RCA president, Urusaro Bakuramutsa, the awards also aim to recognize Rwandans and Friends of Rwanda who have helped bring Rwandan awareness within the international community through investment, humanitarian work, specific craft, and or youth development. “The development of Rwanda has been led by both Rwandans in Rwanda, and those in Diaspora. Consequently, RCA takes pride in recognizing efforts of those who aid to promote the rebuilding of a new united and strong Rwanda,” Urusaro said. The five categories up for nomination include; RCA investor award; Youth award, artist award and the Friend of Rwanda award which will be given to a non-Rwandan based in North America who has been active in the promotion of Rwandan culture and history, and also in the promotion of investment in Rwanda. There is also the Humanitarian Award which goes to a person who has dedicated their efforts to the promotion of social welfare and community development. The award giving ceremony will take place during the 2010 RCA convention in Boston, scheduled for May 28 to 31. Rwanda Convention 2010 will be the platform for what according to the RCA website is called the “New Age of Rwanda”. “2010 brings an era where the Diaspora and the international community can play a big role in the development of Rwanda. As we move into a new era where investment, capacity building, and good governance is the leading plight in Africa, and especially Rwanda,” says the statement on the website. The goal of 2010 convention is to provide a professional networking environment where both the Diaspora and foreign investors can partner in the rebuilding of a new strong East Africa. Reported by The New Times |
Myths on Rwandan Media
By Louise Mushikiwabo
Posted: March 24, 2010 12:10 PM Huffington Post
A free press and the free flow of information are essential to Rwanda’s vision of a country of empowered citizens, in a dynamic knowledge economy.
In Rwanda we are fortunate to have a vibrant radio industry; 19 radio stations in a country of ten million, mostly privately owned. But making one’s way in print journalism is tough in a country where radio is king and where there has been little culture of reading. Low levels of readership means low advertising revenues, which means high cover prices which, it turn, results in low levels of readership — a self perpetuating cycle. The journalists who act as publisher, editor and reporter for their papers face a daily struggle to get their paper on the street.
As our country develops and becomes more educated and prosperous some of these dedicated journalists will find things getting easier. Until then, the government is supporting media development by providing training through the Great Lakes Media Centre, where working journalists with little or no formal training have the opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills relevant to their careers.
Certainly, part of the reason for the lack of training, professionalism and low level of ethics in the media is the fact that attention to this sector was not a priority immediately following the genocide. I mention all this because according to some observers, the main challenge journalists’ face in Rwanda is not economic, and cultural but political. Time and time again we are told that in Rwanda there is no media freedom, no space for comment, no room for criticism.
It is incredible how far from reality this is. Whether in the electronic or printed media, Rwandans have at their disposal every day a wide range of news and opinions, from pro-government voices to persistently hostile and sometimes abusive views. A cursory glance through the pages of Rwandan newspapers will show how loud the independent press screams out criticism – a snapshot of the current situation in Rwanda’s media can be found on the government website. In the last few weeks the press has accused the government of creating insecurity for political reasons, harassing the opposition, corruption, nepotism, of manipulating the justice system, employing criminals etc.
It is not comfortable for me to repeat these unfair criticisms — it is the exact opposite of my job as government spokesperson — but I do because it is there in black and white for people to see that journalists have freedom to criticize. Political opponents of the current administration inside and outside Rwanda air their voices many times a day on radios that broadcast in almost every village in Kinyarwanda, the language understood by even the most modest citizens.
My government is working relentlessly to expand access for Rwandans to broadband internet, including in rural areas. This will permit them to download faster those reports denouncing their restrained access to information. In Kigali’s bookstores, citizens and visitors will find any book on Rwanda they want in English, French or Kinyarwanda, even those written by authors who claim that their voices cannot be heard inside the country. New releases, including those bitterly opposing the government, are often first popularized in the country before they become internationally known.
Some professional critics refuse to understand that Rwanda has moved on. They ignore or try to conceal the robustness of debate in the media in Kinyarwanda. They also ignore the fact that occasionally journalists commit crimes as private individuals, crimes unconnected to their work, for which they are held to account by the legal process, just as any citizen would.
It is important to note that despite our tragic past and even with the laws prohibiting hate media that fueled the destruction of the country (laws, by the way, like those adopted in other countries, following similar periods of violence, that today are widely seen as strongly democratic), for more than three years my government has not leveled any action against individual journalists or media house for an opinion. When a journalist writes that a section of the population should go back to ‘where they come from before they disappear’ like one did in February 2007, echoing almost word for word the hate media that fueled the genocide, we make no apologies for acting. Debate and dissent is essential to Rwanda’s future. Irresponsible journalism must remain a part of our past.
On the ground, the situation and the performance of media in Rwanda is steadily improving but this trend needs to and should be accelerated through further improvement in professional standards, removal of barriers to investment, and strengthening of the capacity and confidence of our journalists. At the same time, it is essential that people understand that our critics make accusations in a vacuum, with little regard for the role of media in historical atrocities. As media in Rwanda evolves, we are working diligently to ensure freedom of expression and speech with the highest standards of journalistic ethics is part of our country’s bright future.
Louise Mushikiwabo is the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Government Spokesperson.
Rwanda’s flag raised at the Commonwealth
| By Edmund Kagire | |
| LONDON - Yesterday, Rwanda’s flag was raised at Marlborough House, the headquarters of the Commonwealth, in London, in a ceremony to officially welcome the country as the 54th member.
President Paul Kagame, who attended the ceremony, expressed Rwanda’s readiness to take advantage of existing opportunities that include trade, education and culture. Addressing a gathering which included the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Patrick Manning, who is also the chair-in-office and the Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma, President Paul Kagame thanked the Commonwealth group for accepting Rwanda’s entry and pledged the country’s active and fully integrated role in the club. “Rwanda recognizes the strengths of these partnerships – this is why we greatly value our membership in the Commonwealth, like we do with other organizations,” Kagame said. “As the newest member of the Commonwealth, Rwanda is prepared to establish stronger bonds with fellow members in a number of important areas”. Kagame added that by associating with other countries in several areas, through sharing common values, Rwanda is able to learn from others and build on its own home-grown solutions for a brighter future. “Firstly, the future of all nations depends on their youth, and so I hope that Rwanda can capitalise on the wide range of education and training programmes that the Commonwealth provides. “Secondly, we hope to tap into the trade and investment opportunities that the Commonwealth offers, so that Rwanda can expand its economy and effectively participate in the global marketplace,” Kagame observed. He noted that, at the same time in the context of mutual learning, Rwanda will also play its role in sharing her successful experiences, not only from its recent past, but also its traditions and culture. “Rwanda is committed to the values of the Commonwealth and will contribute to strengthening the organisation, furthering our mutual development agendas, and working in close partnership with other members to promote prosperity, freedom and rights for all,” Kagame asserted. Shortly after the flag raising ceremony, President Kagame, alongside Prime Minister Manning and Sharma, addressed a news conference. Manning defended the idea of countries joining various blocs or organisations, arguing that there are particular interests that may arise. Secretary General Sharma, formally welcomed Rwanda into the group and pledged the Commonwealth’s commitment to engage with Rwanda in various areas of development. “I think the gods agreed, Mr President, that this is a very special occasion, and we look forward to installing your membership formally here,” Sharma told President Kagame. “I just want to say that from now on, we are going to have a very dense roadmap of collaboration with Rwanda, in which I, myself, and the two Deputy Secretaries-General who are present here, will be personally engaged in carrying it forward,” he said. Sharma said that the Commonwealth already has an electoral commission to conduct civic education, train journalists and engage in many of the areas that are coming up, adding that his recent interaction with officials in the areas of audit, women, youth, human rights, budget and others will provide an action plan. Ends |