BBC Documentary: Professor Philip Reytijen and Jane Corbin are desperate reactionaries

Youth match in Kigali to denounce BBC’s documentary in October this year

I watched the BBC documentary ‘Rwanda’s Untold Story’ by Jane Corbin with her fellow reactionaries with dismay.

I know Professor Philip Reytijen as a visiting Professor at Mbarara University of science and Technology (MUST) in the Faculty of Development Studies where he lectured Post graduate and graduate classes.

Professor Philip Reytijen was a visiting Professor from the University of Antwerp-Belgium. I remember him being introduced to us by the Dean of the faculty as ‘a seasoned scholar, expert, researcher etc on Great Lakes region. He taught us ‘conflict and peace building course units’.

Therefore, as a former student of Professor Philip Reytijen, I was not surprised when I watched and listened to whatever he said in ‘Rwanda’s Untold Story’ over BBC. I was not surprised because I recall him asking me in a lecture whether I was a ‘Hutu’ or a ‘Tutsi’.

Secondly, I recall him carrying out a mathematical equations with ‘H+T = T-H’ and so on the chock board to prove to the class how Hutus and Tutsis are divided and not linked among themselves after I answered him that ‘am a Rwandan’. Thirdly, he was writing a book then titled ‘Rwanda from Genocide to Dictatorship’

Professor Philip Reytijen underrated Rwanda’spursuance of home grown solutions as priority in finding solutions to her problems. He attacked Rwanda’s home grown solutions of Itorero, Girinka (one cow per poor family), Abunzi (local mediators) and Gacaca courts.

My diagnostic analysis of Professor Philip Reytijen behaviour reveals to me that he is a ‘desperate mourning reactionary’. Professor Philip Reytijen long lived role and relationship with the post-independence genocide regime in Rwanda made him to suffer from ‘Acquired Integrity Deficiency Syndrome’ (AIDS) where the virus is not ‘Human Immune Virus’ (HIV) but ‘immoral’ or lack of values.

Professor Philip Reytijen is entangled in mourning late Habyarimana regime and has failed to accept the fact that Rwanda today has “leaders with leadership’’. The leadership that is delivering Rwandans from the kingdom of darkness and misery he is mourning.  BBC, Jane Corbin and their teammates are disgruntled reactionaries who should be condemned for their integrity deficiencies.

Rwanda is well set and destined to prosperity and cannot succumb to diversionary tactics of the desperate mourning reactionaries.

Reactionaries disorganised Rwanda before 1994 by propagating hatred, division, exploitation and kept Rwanda in bondage of their interests. Rwandans know the worst experience (genocide) and are ready to resist diversionary acts of reactionaries aimed at derailing our development course.

Rwanda’s rebirth and resilience to determine her future is bearing quantitatively and qualitatively results. Rwanda’s home grown solutions which Professor Philip Reytijen is opposed to have put Rwanda on a global map.

Rwanda’s democracy is that of clear ideology, values, discipline and accountability which have outpaced many.

Rwanda’s strategic investment in technological innovations, inventions, adoption, adaptation, and focus on human resource development and private sector development will deliver Rwandans from the bondage of the likes of Professor Philip Reytijen in the global arena thereby safeguarding our hard achieved sovereignity.

Rwanda is blessed with the leadership that has the confidence of Rwandans because the leaders are taking Rwandans to their desired destination. Rwanda leaders are beyond the power of positions and are ready to pay the price for their country.

Leaders who are concerned with the fate of their country and are ready defend it. Rwanda does not need to define herself according to Professor Philip Reytijen and the teammates ‘marking schemes’ ofdemocracy andRwanda carries the value and weight it deserves.

Rwanda leadership is not an agent of foreign ideology and interests but serving the national interests. Rwanda’s development cannot be derailed by desperate mourning reactionaries who are suffering from ‘Acquired Integrity Deficiency Syndrome’

Geoffrey MUSHAIJA is PhD (Economics) Land Policy Research Scholar University of Kerala-India.