I
feel as though I am living in one of those "stan" nations, where
religion is dictated by the state, where public institutions such as yours take
pride in defining faith practices in the name of making order
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To
the esteemed Rwanda Governance Board (RGB),
Since
the latter part of 2017, your efforts regarding the regulation of places of
worship have certainly garnered attention.
Yet,
as a citizen of this land, it is my duty to voice the personal tribulations I
have encountered as a result of this work that has left me questioning not only
your intentions but also the very future of my right to freely practise my
faith.
I’m
not speaking on behalf of any other Rwandan, nor do I seek to impose my
personal perspective upon anyone else. I am simply a man of conscience offering
a reflection of my experience after finding your actions wanting on a righteous
standard.
In
my own experience, I have witnessed the closure of two places of worship in
Kigali and in a rural district, both of which I contributed to rebuilding, in
line with your ever-shifting standards.
Yet,
despite my contributions, those places stand silent now, behind the iron
curtains of regulations that do not value people’s resources like mine.
However,
buildings themselves and the cost of having them are not what truly matters.
The
core issue, the one that weighs heavily on my heart, is my inalienable right to
worship freely, to practise my faith in peace and without fear, whether in
public or in private.
Dear
RGB, if truth be told, you have made me feel as though I stand on the wrong
side of the law simply for seeking to worship in the manner I believe is right.
I
constantly find myself feeling guilty when I consider my faith practices,
fearing they may be deemed wayward and heretical by your inquisition.
Places
of worship are shuttered; tell me if I will not be a criminal when I manifest
my beliefs in private spaces.
Tell
me if I would be free to pray in a private space as a picnicker would be.
Families
cannot gather in their homes to express their faith without fear of violating
your regulations that seek to dictate church architecture and religious
practices.
I
feel as though I am living in one of those "stan" nations, where
religion is dictated by the state, where public institutions such as yours take
pride in defining faith practices in the name of making order.
I
cannot help but feel that the RGB is transforming my country into a theocracy,
where one’s religious practices are governed by an elite council that seeks to
impose a single, narrow interpretation of both religion and scripture.
When
I search for news about the Rwanda Governance Board, I see a list of what the
institution has deemed permissible and what is not in matters of faith.
I
did not know that such could be the work of a public institution meant to
protect the rights of citizens to enjoy good governance.
I
am not blind to the power RGB wields through concession with a small group of
religious leaders and the means to polish the outward appearance of frustrated
faces like mine.
Yet,
I would like you to know that I believe the true purpose of governance, which
is the preservation of freedom and individual rights, has been lost and that
you have not lived up to my expectations.
It
is not for me to say how you should dispense the “good governance” you carry,
but I wish to make it known that I would feel immense relief if you stopped
politicising faith and consulting religious leaders who lie in your bed to help
you shape my fate of worship.
The
situation today reminds of a story told of some powerful man who forced a
weaker one to sit down and keep quiet.
The
weaker one sat down and said: “I am physically made to sit, but I am actually
standing and complaining.”
I
am not proud of a public institution that raises mistrust of my interpretation
of sacred texts, treating me as though I am incapable of understanding the
words of my faith.
Such
interference is a remnant of the past before the Renaissance, when the minds of
men were not free.
I
see no nobility in officials who tell the media that RGB has seen Rwandans
dying of hunger due to fasting and praying in caves, an allegation that has
stood for almost a decade but without verifiable sources or figures to support
it.
When
the government turns its attention to matters of faith, it does not improve the
nation but drags it back into the darkness of persecution and fear.
You
may claim that your regulations are not informed by any religion, but the fact
that what you do affects my faith practices means you are enforcing some kind
of faith so superior in state power that it overwhelms mine.
For
what RGB is doing, I fear that my country is on a path that has led Rwanda to
disaster time and time again, ever since the 1920s when colonial powers interfered
in the religious practices of Rwandans.
The
Belgian colonialists, aligned with the Roman Catholic Church, exiled King
Musinga and many other Rwandans who sought to practise their faith freely.
James
Carney, a professor of Roman Catholic Theology and Catholic Church Historian at
Creighton University, a Jesuit university in the USA, commented on church-state
governance:
"But
as Musinga continued to vacillate in his posture towards the Catholic missions
and their Protestant rivals, Classe gave up on the notion that Musinga would
ever become the Rwandan Clovis [Clovis is the historical king who made France a
Catholic nation]. Committed to traditional religion and Rwandan sovereignty,
Musinga had no place in the emerging Belgian-Catholic order." (Rwanda
Before the Genocide: Catholic Politics and Ethnic Discourse in the Late
Colonial Era, pages 35-36)
By
the 1950s, almost half of Rwanda’s total population had sought freedom in
neighbouring countries in just 20 years (from the late 1920s to the 1950s) as a
result of church-state policies.
In
the years that followed, the governments of Grégoire Kayibanda and Juvénal
Habyarimana also sought to impose religious values upon the people, aligning
their decisions with Catholic dogma.
Ian
Linden, one of the great anthropologists of the century, said in his book
Church and Revolution in Rwanda that President Kayibanda was so immersed in
Catholic philosophies that he applied them in his government:
"I
was impressed during an interview with Grégoire Kayibanda, then President of
Rwanda, in June 1973, by the intensity of his feelings against the Tutsi.
Interviews with missionaries who had known him intimately during the years
1950–61 convinced me that social Catholicism, rather than any other philosophy,
informed his actions and planning" (p. 245).
You
know that in the late 1980s, Habyarimana’s government imprisoned many
Seventh-day Adventists who interpreted the choruses sung in praise of the
president as blasphemy.
As
I told you, religious practices are not defined by a religion or a government
entity.
The
Seventh-day Adventist Church in Rwanda and other religious groups had no
objection to individuals singing choruses of praise to the president.
As
a result, the government deemed these good citizens who were struggling to
provide for their families, criminals and sentencing them to long prison terms,
much like many people today who are imprisoned for praying in places that the
RGB disapproves of.
The
lesson is clear: when a public institution meddles in private matters of faith,
it does not create peace but division, persecution, and suffering.
The
state is not the custodian of faith practices; the people’s consciences are.
Dear
RGB, it is my sincere hope that you heed these words.
The
handwriting on the wall shows us the consequences of such overreach, and I pray
that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past.
The
path of righteousness lies not in control but in freedom particularly the freedom
to worship, to believe, and to live as we are called to do.
As
I told you, I have no hope that your redress will be good for me.
My
God is all in all.
I
am telling you this for your own benefit, to think again and to help you make
informed decisions, considering my ideas after many have praised you for the
same work I disapprove of.
The
LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be
gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee
peace. (Numbers 6:24-26).
........................
If you’ve found value in this work, I would deeply appreciate your support. I have more on this subject, but daily needs have made it difficult to find the time and focus needed. Your contribution can make a significant difference in overcoming this challenge.
Thank you for your consideration.
Kelly Rwamapera
Tel: +250788240436
Email: FaithReporters@gmail.com
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