Rwanda's natural beauty contrasts sharply with its political repression. The author's mother, Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, returned from exile in 2010 to challenge President Kagame. She was arrested shortly after and faced unjust charges, receiving a 15-year prison sentence. After a presidential pardon in 2018, she remained politically restricted. Her party is not registered, and she requires permission to travel abroad. These experiences reflect the ongoing struggle for freedom and democracy in Rwanda amidst the facade of progress.
The president, Paul Kagame, heralded as the man who stopped the 1994 genocide, was quietly becoming yet another strongman on the African continent.
My mother was sentenced to 15 years in prison. My mother was in jail for eight years, much of that time in solitary confinement.
Even though she was no longer imprisoned, my mother was not free. She was prevented from running for elected office.
The conditions of her pardon required her to seek permission if she wanted to travel outside Rwanda.
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