So what examples should Rwanda look for in the US to try to find “success” in the areas she has mentioned? A political system that produces Presidential (GOP) candidates who support the death penalty and waterboarding or have “brain freezes” or “all those things going round in my head”? Bradley Manning detained without trial re Wikileaks? A black President but still none of the health insurance he promised? Guantanamo Bay? Murder by drone attack? Fox News owned by Murdoch whose newspapers have indulged in phone hacking and corruption of the police in the UK? A celebrity obsessed gutter press? The death penalty including for juveniles and the mentally ill and used disproportionately in the case of black defendants? A political system abused by lobbyists and acknowledged to be corrupt? 14.5% of US housesholds suffering food insecurity in 2010?

On defamation laws: there seems to be a a real lack of clarity regarding the defamation laws. Perhaps honesty about what is in the law, and an open debate about what should be in the law, would be a good start.

There also seems to be few newspapers available outside of Kigali. On market day where I live there are small sections of newspapers available, but few buy them. Adults read incredibly slowly – it is truly a chore for many to read in Kinyarwanda, even though they technically can. Increasing literacy by making more newspapers available, regardless of the content, may make smoother reading and increase demand for more, and hopefully better, content.

On poverty reduction, I’m not sure of the figures – can’t comment there. I think things are generally going in the right direction re: maternal death rates, malaria, malnutrition.

As for Ugandans and Kenyans and the media. You can buy newspapers from both countires in Rwanda. And of course, they are available on the Internet. I meant more that allowing foreign media outlets to operate within Rwanda to publish in KInyarwanda would up the local game, IMO. Mind you, I believe the New Times has a large staff of Ugandans.

No idea about the 2K’s I’m afraid. There are plenty of rumours about all sorts of things in Rwanda, including those people and others. No idea if any of it is true. Maybe with a viable media we would know…

As for your question on Rwandan people. I do not know any of the leadership and have not met any of them. Not qualified to say how they think. I worry this place is in too much of a rush, but I can understand why they are in a rush. I also worry that there is way too much of a ‘bunker mentality’, that the plan is the plan is the plan and we will not deviate etc.

Having said that, they often just throw out seemingly very radical changes at the drop of a hat, like the new media law proposals. can’t say I understand the whole thinking behind they way things are done. But, if things get done, then I’ll be happy.

But, let’s get on with the doing. Time for talk and action plans is over. Well and truly over.

I would like to ask you if you have se any change in poverty reduction. Or are government and NGO’s programs working? Or the impact of those programs should be seen in a long term view?

On the other hand, Rwandans are not known for entrepreneurship, but I noticed a change in that mentality in the last couple of years.

I suppose that many investors, in spite of the favorable investment climate in Rwanda are not sure of the stability in the country and genocide is still the first thing people think of when they hear of Rwanda, in part because it still used to market Rwanda overseas.

Regarding the freedom of press, the leadership has always welcomed the criticism as long it was not politics. For instance in the fight against corruption, the leadership is actually encouraging the population to participate. I’m not sure if it is sincere or just a facade, but even the most critics of government agree on the results. Regarding the new media regulating body, I think it is more a result of outside pressure or push, than an evolution or a need of the media in Rwanda. I also notice after reading a lot of article written by Rwandan journalist, many of them rely on rumors or hearsays, what happen to the Law on free access to public information? Last time I heard it, it was in the parliament. By the way I thought that Ugandan and Kenyans news papers are allowed to be published in Rwanda. Was it not one of the purposes of introducing the NMG on Kigali Stock Exchange? Another thing I noticed, why most of the regional media (Ugandans, Kenyans,) have a favorable view of the Rwandan government than westerns news media (most of them)?

Last, I would like to ask you about what happened about the 2K’s (Kagame & kayumba)? I heard that the story started during the national dialog a couple of years ago when a villager called in and told that Kayumba appropriate himself some land in the east, and threw some villagers who lived there. I know you talk to a lot of people in Rwanda; you must have heard at least a theory.

By the way, how do you see Rwanda and Rwandan people in general? How about the leadership, a lot of article state that the Rwandan government “think out of the box”, is it the impression you have?