Kagame’s right-hand woman Akamanzi called her BBC host “unintelligent.”

By David Himbara

Kagame’s right-hand woman Akamanzi called her BBC host “unintelligent.” They were discussing the £30 million Rwanda-Arsenal sponsorship deal. The deal has been compared to the poor feeding the rich.

 

Claire Akamanzi, CEO of Rwanda. Development Board, called her BBC Interviewer, John Humphrys, ”unintelligent.” Synonyms of the term include stupid, ignorant, dense, brainless, mindless, slow, dull-witted, feebleminded, simpleminded, irrational, and idiotic. The host and the guest were discussing the £30 million Rwanda-Arsenal sponsorship deal. Under the deal, Arsenal players will wear on their sleeves ”visit Rwanda.” According to Kagame, Rwanda will reap huge benefits . Some of the 35 million people who watch every Arsenal game should flock to Rwanda as tourists.

What would drive a public servant to use such language on a global network?

 

Evidently, the Kagame-Arsenal £30 Million sponsorship deal still shocks. The British media seems unable to comprehend how Rwanda can give £30 Million to a fabulously rich football club, while the country receives millions of pounds in foreign aid. According to the UK Department for International Development (DfID), planned British aid to Rwanda for 2017/18 is £64 Million and £62 Million for 2018/19.

It was in this context that the BBC invited Claire Akamanzi, CEO of Rwanda Development Board, to explain the paradox. Akamanzi began by dismissing the £30 Million figure, claiming that the money involved is much less. But she would not reveal how much. BBC host John Humphrys put it to Akamanzi as follows:

“It is obviously a very large amount of money and it seems a very bizarre thing to do to boost the tourism to Rwanda by putting adverts on shirts of Arsenal players. It seems positively eccentric.”

Humphrys hit a raw nerve when he brought up the nature of the Rwandan state and its terrible human rights record. Akamanzi became furious. She then uttered the word — the BBC host is unintelligent.

Here is the full extraordinary exchange between Humphrys and Akamanzi.

Akamanzi has now adopted the Kagame style of discussion. Their debating strategy is simple — win no matter how dirty you play. 1) Avoid genuine discussion of the topic at hand. 2) Instead, attack the character, motive, or another attribute of the person you are debating with. 3) Use the crudest language to describe and intimidate the person you are debating. This is how and why Akamanzi dared to tell her BBC host and millions of listeners that he was an idiot. Kagame will award Akamanzi for this performance.