Yesterday on twitter I came under friendly fires from some tweeps after I questioned the violent methods used by demonstrators in Toronto who interrupted the celebration of Rwanda Day in the city. Although I completely support and salute the initiative of raising awareness about the brutal dictatorship of Kagame in his country and the negative involvement of Rwanda in the war in the Kivus/DRC, I was not comfortable with the way demonstrators stoned the Rwandan delegation and their incitement to violence on social media.
When I tried to reason them and explain my non violent perspectives I was labeled a 'holocaust perpetrators sympathizer' in reference to the mass killing that are happening in the DRC because of Rwanda, they accused me of facilitating the looting of the DRC by working for multinational mining companies and said that I was a Lackey of countries supporting Rwanda (in reference to my very recent move in the US)
Because I did not need their validation or their permission to defend my views, I withdrew from the conversation and took my time to reflect on 4 quotes from leaders I very much admire:
- Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds ~Albert Einstein
- we need leaders who are ready to seat down and analyze the reality, and work hard. Leaders who put selfish motives away and think of the nation, who will not be influenced by party politics but people's interests. A leader with a developmental mindset ~ Zitto, "the fear"(http://zittokabwe.wordpress.com/2013/09/26/the-fear/)
- The sailors are quarreling with one another about the steering- everyone is of the opinion that he has a right to steer, though he has never learned the art of navigation and cannot tell who taught him or when he learned, and will further assert that it cannot be taught, and they are ready to cut into pieces anyone who says the contrary ~Plato, "the ship"
- Change will come from the grassroots, not from the top... And not from Paris, Washington or Brussels. We need to show a bit more consideration and respect for our fellow Congolese who have been labor in hard on the ground, roll our sleeves and join them at the grassroots as mayors, Governors, members of parliaments etc. and push for change from within. Only then will we have a critical mass for positive change and the results will be tangible. ~Dr. Mvemba Dizolele (https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=547455875328402&id=176267342447259)
Doing the right thing and standing for them is not easy, but is important to define our path and to inspire our peers
