Discourses

"Stand by Me" is a song originally performed by Ben E. King and written by King, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller, inspired by the spiritual "Lord Stand by Me," plus two lines rooted in Psalms 46:2--3.

There have been over 400 recorded versions of the song. Benjamin Earl Nelson (born September 28, 1938), better known as Ben E. King, is an American soul singer. He is perhaps best known as the singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me," a U.S. Top 10 hit in both 1961 and later in 1986 (when it was used as the theme to the film of the same name)  and as one of the principal lead singers of the R&B vocal group The Drifters.

Stand by Me by Ben King

“There is no such a thing as “good death”. Be it by genocide or war. Slaughtered in revenge killings. Perished in a accident or died from illness. The dead loved ones, wherever they are, are praying for us. There is no worst thing than death. Even though Genocide made me an orphan. But it cannot make me lose empathy for others. They also suffered from crimes, not qualified as genocide. Those brothers and sisters are, too, humans. I pray for them.  Those brothers and sisters are, too, humans. I remember them.” These are some of the lyrics that have landed the Rwandan renowned gospel and soul musician Kizito Mihigo into jail in 2014. He was condemned to 10 years today on February 27, 2015. The sentence was reduced from 15 years, because he admitted the guilt and had asked for forgiveness.

Did you watch the new TV Show called "Empire"? If not, do. Please do! The runaway success of the  show about a family-run hip-hop music company has surprised the experts since it has started to air, four weeks ago.

“When I live down in the ghetto, every day I have to jump fence, police try and hold me, ya dig? Not for a week – for years! Years, till we have to get free now. It’s either you a bad, bad man and they shoot you down, or you make a move and show people improvement. It doesn’t have to be material, but in freedom of thinking," Bob Marley, the Rastafarian, iconic musician and freedom fighter told New York Professor Vivien Golman in 1979. Vivien Goldman, a former Public Relations for Bob Marley,  teaches a course called "Marley and Post-Colonial Music".

The director of the classic movie "Gandhi", Richard Attenborough has died in London at the age of 90.  Better known for directing  Gandhi, for which he won 2 Oscars,  he has also appeared in several feature films, as a leading or supporting actor. His better know movies include Brighton Rock, The Great Escape and Jurassic Park.

12 Years A Slave: A Movie I invite Everyone to Watch; A Journey of Overcoming, Hope, and Optimism, and To Freedom

Today, I watched the movie “12 Years a Slave: The Extraordinary True Story of Solomon Northup”. I can’t find words to describe the experience of watching the movie, directed by Steve McQueen, which is based on the true story from the 1853 autobiography Twelve Years a Slave by Salomon Northup, a free black man who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C. in 1841 and sold into slavery. It is the first time that I watch a movie and hear so many moviegoers cry and sob. When the movie ended, I realized how many people in the

Professor of Communication at Western New England University
1215 Wilbraham Road, Massachusetts 01119-2684
United States of America

Massachusetts, USA, March 6, 2024.

1-Introduction

     Beatrice Munyenyezi’s trial that started on January 18, 2022, ended on February 28, 2024, in Nyanza after two years of controversial hearings during which “ubwenge,” a cultural feature of traditional Rwandan society was prominently on display. Rwandan prosecutors lined up witnesses who delivered fictionalized charges against Munyenyezi. All of them claimed to have met her as a Hutu militia leader in one capacity or another. For instance, some claimed she had been their classmate at the National University of Rwanda (UNR). Others alleged they had seen her overseeing a roadblock at Hotel Ihuriro manned by Hutu militiamen.

On July 1, 2023, Rwandans commemorated 61 years of independence.  In fact,  sixty one years ago, on July 1, 1962, the nation of Rwanda gained independence from colonial powers. I was then almost 1 year old  growing up in Congo - Kinshasa.  As Rwandans have been annually commemorating the independence, they have been under one of the most brutal dictatorships in Africa for the last 29 years, according to reports from various independent organizations, reputable media, and governments.  From these reports, it appears clear that while trying to project progress, development, peace, and security, through a well crafted propaganda machine and greedy allies, the Rwandan dictatorship, under an oligarchy led by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and an absolute ruler, Paul Kagame, has become one of the most despised brutal regimes in Africa, especially in the Great Lakes Region of Africa. Hence the prevalent question today, to both Rwandans and friends of Rwanda, is: are Rwandans Building their Nation on a Rock or Sinking Sand?

Professor of Communication at Western New England University
1215 Wilbraham Road, Massachusetts 01119-2684
United States of America

Massachusetts, USA, January 29, 2023.

1-Introduction

     Judge Patricia Mukayiza has been presiding over Beatrice Munyenyezi’s trial over a year now. The trial has been marred by contradictory rulings regarding witnesses particularly after two advocacy groups of Tutsi genocide survivors namely Ibuka and Humura Rwanda Foundation wrote her a letter in October 2022 asking her to hold court hearings in closed sessions on security and privacy ground. Judge Mukayiza bowed to their demands by ruling that some prosecution witnesses’ testimonies will be heard in closed sessions and others in public sessions.

Qui a Assassiné le Président Rwandais Juvenal Habyarimana 
par Félicien Kanyamibwa, PhD., MqBA.

Mémorandum sur l'Assassinat du Président Habyarimana Juvénal, Président  de la Republique Rwandaise -  1 Juillet 1999
En collaboration avec l'Organization for Peace, Justice and Development in Rwanda (OPJDR)
©Copyright 1999, Felicien Kanyamibwa, Ph.D., MqBA

INTRODUCTION

Le Rwanda a été en proie à une guerre injuste lui imposée de l'extérieur depuis le 01 octobre 1990. Cette guerre déclenchée à partir de l'Ouganda par le FPR (Front Patriotique Rwandais) fortement appuyé par le Président Museveni et son armée a plongé le pays dans une spirale de violence qui perdure jusqu'aujourd'hui.

 Who Assassinated  Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana 
by Felicien Kanyamibwa, PhD., MqBA.

Memorandum on the 1994 Assassination of Juvenal Habyarimana, President of the Republic of Rwanda  - English Translation and Version - December 1999 - Original published in French in July 1999
In collaboration with Organization for Peace, Justice and Development in Rwanda (OPJDR)
©Copyright 1999, Felicien Kanyamibwa, Ph.D., MqBA

1-INTRODUCTION

In April of 1994, the small, central African country of Rwanda broke out into an uncontrollable civil war when hostile missiles shot down its president’s airplane. The chaos that followed created headlines around the world throughout that summer. The world was stunned by the violence perpetuated by what the media consistently referred to as normally peaceful people. Because the shooting of the plane was the trigger that spiraled Rwanda into chaos and civil war, in order to understand what happened, it is important to know who triggered these events, and why. However, there has been no investigation conducted by the UN to uncover the identity of the perpetuators of the sabotage of the presidential plane. In order to pursue peace and reconciliation in Rwanda, those who shot down the plane must be revealed and held accountable.

What is wrong with General Paul Kagame and RPF Regime in Rwanda?  Reflecting on the disappearance of my older brothers Major Ir. Emmanuel Munyaruguru and Thaddee Munyamvuke, the killings of my sisters Priscilla "Nyirarusagi" Nyirahabineza  and Appoline "Elizabeth"  Mujawimana, of my old brother Oban Ndarama,and of my nephew Twizere.
by Felicien Kanyamibwa, PhD., MqBA.

New York, USA, March 2, 2022.

1-Introduction

     It has been almost 8 years that my older brother Emmanuel Munyaruguru, also addressed to as Major Ingenieur (Maj. Ir.) Emmanuel Munyaruguru, referring to his education at the Belgian Royal Military Academy (Ecole Polytechnique Royale Militaire - ERM) and his past military career in Rwanda, was kidnapped by Rwandan military intelligence operatives working with top Ugandan Police agents and brought to Kigali, Rwanda. General Paul Kagame, his intelligence services and his army have, later on, made him disappear.

    Since his kidnapping from Uganda and his disappearance in Rwanda, people, including friends, acquaintances and reporters, have been asking why I and/or our family have never publicly commented on the case of my older brother. Given that the day of March 2 and the month of April are special for my family and relatives, I take this opportunity to comment. In fact, as the World knows, or at the least the RPF leaders and my family know, and you may find out below, March 2 is a special day in the remembrance of the painful events that happened on March 2, 1997 (See here Beyond Ethnic Politics and Fear: Hutu, Tutsi, and Ethnicity in Rwanda). But my close family has experienced tragic events from the invasion of Rwanda on October 1, 1990, to date.