Protesters gather to oppose Rwandan president
Consumnes River College business major Linda Kitenza protests the Sacramento State-hosted speaker President Paul Kagame’s presence on campus. “It’s so painful to see that Sac State continues to host this man. It’s madness. How many more people must die? How many more women must be raped, before they realize it is a mistake to sponsor him,” Kitenza said.
November 3, 2011
A small group of protesters gathered in Serna Plaza today to oppose the scheduled visit of Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
The demonstrators, most of whom were native to Rwanda’s neighboring nation of Democratic Republic of the Congo, waved signs with slogans such as “Kagame is a Killer” and “Kagame has Congolese Blood on his Hands.”
Calvert Balumbu, whose family still lives in Congo, said Kagame’s government is responsible for much of the violence going on in his country.
“All the unrest we have been experiencing in the Congo – the civil wars – have been enticed by Kagame,” Balumbu said. “His pretext is that he is going after Rwandan rebels in the Congo…They came to loot.”
Balumbu said Kagame’s forces have been tied to the raping and killing of many in the Congo, including children.
Sacramento native Charles Smith heard about Kagame’s planned address and said he had to come out to stand in solidarity with the protesters. He said he has followed the events in Rwanda and the Congo for over a decade and wanted to lend his support to those without a voice.
“(Kagame) belongs in the (International Criminal Court), not at Sac State receiving an award,” Smith said.
Smith said the plight of the people of Central Africa is an important cause, but not as glamorous as issues like Occupy Wall Street.
“You can call us the ‘.1 percent,'” he said, “because no one has heard about it.”
Alex Grotewohl can be reached at [email protected].
