Legs of Tornado

Anteloppes grazing in savannas and steppes.
Volcanos covered with clouds, hills, and valleys.
Herds of elephants in steppes at the foot of a volcano. .
Volcanos, Valleys, Lakes, and Hills.
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With her magic tail stolen, the imparambwe has lost most of her power−but she has more than enough left to seek revenge on the young man. Now hunting the hunter, she will use every trick she knows to destroy him. Maguru had best beware, or he’ll lose his life, and the drought will never end.
An African fable, Legs of Tornado tells the tale of Maguru, a humble orphan who has a chance to become a mighty chief−if he can outsmart the imparambwe, the mystical beast.
Legs of TornadoThe Human Who Outran the WindAuthored by Felicien KanyamibwaEdition: 1 List Price: $14.99 Add to Cart |
About the author:
US citizen Felicien Aroni Kanyamibwa, PhD, was born in Rwanda. He grew up in both Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kanyamibwa received his PhD in business administration from Penn State University, University Park. He also holds an MS in quantitative business analysis and management information systems from Louisiana State University. While in Rwanda, Kanyamibwa worked as a senior executive in the banking, manufacturing, and civil engineering industries. In the United States, his professional career has included teaching at the university level and fulfilling executive roles for various technology, financial, and pharmaceutical companies. He has been published in both academic and professional journals. When not writing, Kanyamibwa enjoys reading; exploring ethnic, modern, and classical art and music; and telling stories from his homeland. Long ago, the people of Rwanda suffered through a terrible famine. The rains did not come to help the crops grow, the grass withered, and the soil became so dry that it cracked. The people looked to their village chiefs for guidance, but the chiefs could not help. They looked to the king, but he could not bring the rain. Only the magical tail of a mystical creature could save the kingdom. Maguru is Rwanda’s best hunter, even better than the king—and certainly better than his jealous village chief. He’s hunted the buffalo, the antelope, and the leopard, but he has never hunted the deadly imparambwe. To save his people, Maguru must now learn to outrun the wind and outwit a creature that can change shape in the wink of an eye. If he succeeds, he’ll be a hero. If he fails, his people will die of starvation. Maguru is determined not to fail. Beautifully illustrated, Felicien Aroni Kanyamibwa’s Legs of Tornado introduces readers to the world of African fables, where animals talk, beautiful brides hide deadly secrets, and magic lives and breathes.
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The icon of the struggle against oppression, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, passed away today December 5, 2013. As the South African President Jacob Zuma said, “Although we knew that this day would come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss. His tireless struggle for freedom earned him the respect of the world.”
The death of Nelson Mandela should be an occasion, not only to mourn the loss of the person who epitomizes the success of overcoming oppression, but also to reflect on our own struggles against oppression, wherever it is and wherever and whoever we are.
While thinking about Mandela’s struggle against oppression, one question came to my mind: “Is there oppression that is not deliberate or by design?”
The question came to my mind, perhaps because, lately, I read two converging opinions on the nature oppression in Rwanda, coming from leaders from opposing sides: the Rwandan President General Paul Kagame and Dr. Gerald Gahima, one of his current staunch opponents.
In an interview by Jeffrey Gettleman, the East Africa bureau chief for The New York Times, published in New York Times on September 4, 2013 under the title The Global Elite’s Favorite Strongman, Jeffrey Gettlemen wrote:
“When I asked Kagame about this, he first tried to convince me that Tutsis actually don’t dominate politics or business. When I presented specifics: the health minister, defense minister, foreign minister and finance minister are all Tutsis, along with some of the richest men in the country, he acknowledged that Tutsis might enjoy a few advantages here and there, but this was “by default and not by design.” Many Tutsis like him had lived outside Rwanda, where there were more advantages. When I was openly skeptical, he finally said, “This Hutu and Tutsi thing, if you get lost in it,” he said, getting exasperated, “you get lost in the pettiness of the past of our history, and you end up in a mess.””
So, for General Paul Kagame, most of the Rwandan top government and military positions are occupied by Tutsis. Most of the businesses are owned by Tutsis, and almost anything of value is dominated by Tutsis who represent, based on official statistics, close to 10% of the population, while 85% of the population, the Hutus, remain in abject poverty, can hardly get a position within the government, are excluded from the military, the police, and from owning strategic businesses. For General Paul Kagame, it is by default, not by design.
Then, independent journalist Jennifer Fierberg published an interview she had with Gerald Gahima, a former leader of the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front and Rwandan Attorney General, before he was forced into exile by General Paul Kagame.
In the interview, Gerald Gahima said: “Unfortunately, though, it is evident resources allocation and control of political power aligned. Poverty in Rwanda has an ethnic dimension. There is an imbalance of power toward Tutsi in Rwanda as well as economic inequalities. I do not agree that there is a deliberate policy to impoverish the Hutu people but there is no doubt that Hutu are discriminated against as well as marginalized in political representation. Economic inequalities between rural and urban population are quite glaring. A disproportionate percentage of the urban population is typically Tutsi. Urban dwellers have better access to state provided services and a better quality of life where as rural communities, who are predominantly Hutu, live in abject poverty. Relatives of people in power get differential treatment over the children of peasants in terms of access to employment and business opportunities. This is not unique to Rwanda. It happens in democracies as well. There is a historic precedent of ethnic division of economic factors.”
There are glaring problems with Gerald Gahima’s arguments. First, the arguments surprisingly support General Paul Kagame’s premise of “ oppression by default, not by design”.
For Gerald Gahima, because political power is aligned to Tutsis, then it is normal that riches and spoils go to Tutsis. Since the Tutsis are mostly city dwellers, then they are richer.
Gerarld Gahima later appears to contradict himself: Hutus are systematically discriminated against, but there is no deliberate policy to impoverish the Hutu.
Gahima’s argument begs a question: If Hutus are systematically excluded from all the positions of power, in the government, military, education, businesses, how is not this a deliberate policy of exclusion?
He adds that this is not unique to Rwanda. Granted. It was the same in South Africa’s Apartheid regime, America during slavery, Burundi during the Tutsi reign, and France during the monarchy.
In Apartheid, the Blacks were excluded to Bantoustans, from government positions, businesses, best schools, etc. In Rwanda, Hutus are banned from residing in some areas in the cities, government positions, the military, from receiving grants or scholarship to study in the best schools or abroad. If that is not a deliberate policy, then what would it be called?
Incidentally, Gerald Gahima says that Tutsis were deliberately discriminated against under General Habyarimana’s and Gregory Kayibanda’s regime.
This then raises another question: did Tutsis become city dwellers after the RPF took power, or were they also the richest under the previous Hutu dominated regimes, since they were also mostly city dwellers?
My point here is not to single out Gerarld Gahima, not even expand the already inhumane divide among the Hutu and the Tutsi brothers and sisters. Instead, I would like to encourage everybody fighting oppression, in Rwanda or elsewhere, to free themselves from ethnic or group bias and shackles, and face the reality surrounding oppression.
Oppression is deliberate, regardless of who is the oppressor or the oppressed. I believe that there is no such thing as oppression that is not by design. Oppression can only be based on a deliberate policy. In the pre and post independence Rwanda, any ethnic and political oppression could only be the policy of the ruling elite. Currently, the ruling elite appears to be from the Tutsi minority that is oppressing the Hutu majority and other Tutsis that dare to challenge the ruling elite.
Now, the question remains the following: how can we overcome this oppression, deliberately designed by the ruling minority? By following the example of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, after his liberation. Jacob Zuma summarized Mandela’s example very well while announcing the death of the icon: “Let us commit ourselves to strive together — sparing neither strength nor courage — to build a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous” Rwanda.
3.1 Burundi3.2 Uganda3.3 Invasion of Rwanda3.4 Assassinations in Rwanda3.5 The Arusha Accord3.6 Warning Signs
3.6.1 The RPF Battalion3.6.2 The RPF and the air traffic Corridor3.6.3 Meeting of the final preparation3.6.4 Delay Tactics3.6.5 Dallaire’s Question3.6.6 Regional Summit of Heads of State on Burundi
4.1 The Night of the Assassination4.2 Different Reactions after the Assassination
4.2.1 Inside Rwanda4.2.2 Rwandan Patriotic Front4.2.3 UNAMIR4.2.4 President Museveni and His Army4.2.5 The Tanzanian Government4.2.6 Government of Burundi
6.1 The Burundese Connection6.2 The Moderate Opposition6.3 Hutu “Extremists” from the Former Rwandan Government6.4 The Rwandan Patriotic Front, with Assistance from its ForeignAllies
6.4.1 Motive6.4.2 The Plan to Remove Habyiramana6.4.3 The Means to Shoot the Presidential Plane
7.1 The Interim Government7.2 The RPF Government7.3 The United Nations Organizations7.4 Organization of African Unity
7.5 The Belgian Government7.6 The French Government7.7 The American Government7.8 International Civil Aviation Organization
8.1 The Trigger Event of the Rwandan Tragedy8.2 Need for Justice and Fairness
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As an infant, I was first told—and often told again—this tale by my own mother at bedtime. Then, my older siblings added their own versions when my mother was not around.
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