Kagame Condemns “Saviour Mentality” Found on African Continent
President Paul Kagame has strongly criticized what he called the “saviour mentality” still prevalent among Rwandan officials and across Africa, where citizens and leaders alike wait for external actors to define their progress.
Speaking during the swearing-in of newly appointed Prime Minister Dr Justin Nsengiyumva and cabinet, Kagame said this mindset — of expecting to be rescued by development partners or foreign powers — is a dangerous illusion that undermines Africa’s dignity, self-reliance, and responsibility.
He urged Rwandan officials to abandon this thinking and instead take ownership of their country’s destiny, stating that the time has come for Africans to stop outsourcing their future.
“This savior mentality belief of thinking that we will be saved by these people seated here (development partners). This is the first problem that we must distance ourselves from in this country and start from within us to do what we are able and do it in our own manner,” Kagame said.
The remarks come at a time when Rwanda, like many African countries, is facing cuts in donor funding, especially from USAID and the Global Fund, as a result of geopolitical influence from superpower countries.
Kagame stated that despite the fact that donors support different initiatives, this is not meant to enable beneficiaries to move a step forward; instead, it is in the benefits of the donors. This is a call to homegrown actions to build a sustainable future for Rwandans and Africans.
“They don’t want you to develop; they don’t need it to happen but instead want you to remain where you were. And we Rwandans and Africans end up sitting and waiting for someone to save us,” he said, noting that this is a whitewash lie of which many have fallen for in decades.
Kagame, therefore, told the appointed and non-appointed officials that if they begin wasting time debating on why one is appointed and the other left out, whether to deliver or underperform, this should be done knowing that it is useless, a waste of time that needs a change of mindset to take responsibility, own their actions, and have a sense of self-dignity.
“If we (all Rwandans) don’t do away with this culture of not understanding one’s responsibilities and the dignity we deserve before anyone else gives us our dignity; then you know that you are nothing (empty),” Kagame lamented, but stated that even when some are comfortable with being useless, controlled for over 100 years; that is not the pathway for Rwanda today.
“This will not be the manner of doing this, now and even for the next one hundred years ahead. This won’t happen,” Kagame said.
In order for that to happen, Kagame said that as he has mentioned it before and will continue to do so, Rwandans (Africans) need to change the way of doing things (beginning with the beggar mindset) and so are the donor communities, especially in according one’s dignity.
For instance, Kagame said that the democracy issue has been twisted and taught to Africans but it has not abided by the fact that everyone has rights and is equal.
Unless people think we are dumb, have no capacity to think and act upon what we think and what we must do. The kind of disrespect that people (Rwandans, Africans) experience on a daily basis is staggering, he said.
“But on the other hand, I don’t entirely blame other people. We have a responsibility. Why don’t you just reject it? What do you lack to reject it and raise questions about yourself first and also about others?”
“I cannot quarrel with you just because you have been coming around giving me lectures, without blaming myself for committedly listening to you and going by what you are telling me, that I know…And it is as if we are going to do right because we have been instructed to do so,” Kagame said, noting that this has become an African mentality which is reflected in responsibilities and thus needs to change.
“In short, what I am talking about is, the mindset must change. We cannot be the same Rwandans, Africans we were one hundred years ago. We can’t,” Kagame said, and explained that this has to do with the changes in the recent cabinet changes that were aimed to awaken a sense of ownership, taking responsibility, and creating change.
