As Rwanda hosts the World Cycling Championship, familiar critics recycle tired accusations. But the country’s vision, progress, and resilience speak louder than Western hypocrisy.
In a few days, Kigali will make history by hosting the World Cycling Championship — the first time this global event takes place on African soil. It should be a moment of pride not only for Rwanda, but for the entire continent. Yet, instead of celebration, Rwanda once again faces a coordinated campaign of criticism. From Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International to media giants like Reuters, BBC, and RFI, the attacks are consistent and predictable. They extend far beyond sport: every time Rwanda organizes or hosts a major event — from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to the Basketball Africa League — the same voices rush to undermine it. Their favorite, tired phrase? “Sport washing.”
Rwanda’s Vision Beyond Sport
Rwanda’s investment in sport is not about polishing its image; it is about building a future. Under the vision and leadership of President Paul Kagame, Rwanda has pursued sport as a pillar of national development: a way to empower youth, foster unity, and connect with the global economy. Whether through the Visit Rwanda partnerships with top European football clubs, which significantly boosted tourism revenue, or the pioneering Basketball Africa League with the NBA, these initiatives have opened doors not only for Rwandans, but for Africans across the continent.
Critics ignore this reality because acknowledging it would mean admitting a deeper truth: Rwanda is reshaping the narrative of what an African nation can achieve.
Why Rwanda’s Progress Unsettles the West
To understand the hostility, one must look back at 1994. During the Genocide Against the Tutsi, Western powers turned away. Their policymakers and self-styled humanitarian organizations failed Rwanda when it needed them most. It was Rwandans themselves, under the leadership of Paul Kagame, who stopped the genocide. It was Rwandans themselves who built unity, reconciliation, and peace through homegrown solutions.
Over the past three decades, that same vision has transformed Rwanda into one of Africa’s rising giants — a country with stability, fast-growing infrastructure, and a strong economy. This progress has been achieved without Western saviors dictating the path. That, more than anything, unsettles the critics.
It is not about “human rights concerns” or “sport washing.” It is about discomfort: the discomfort of seeing an African country step outside the status quo, succeed on its own terms, and defy the dependency model that many Western institutions are invested in maintaining.
The Double Standard of Global Criticism
Whenever Rwanda makes progress, the goalposts shift. Hosting the Commonwealth Summit was framed not as a diplomatic milestone, but as a chance for critics to recycle accusations. Launching the Basketball Africa League was portrayed not as a boost for African sport, but as an image project. Even the Visit Rwanda partnerships with European football clubs — a straightforward tourism campaign that increased visitors and generated significant revenue — were attacked as vanity projects. Now, with the World Cycling Championship, the same script is repeated.
This is the essence of the double standard. When Western nations invest in sports or culture, it is hailed as innovation or soft power. When Rwanda does the same, it is dismissed as manipulation. The hypocrisy could not be clearer.
Moving Forward
Rwanda is not hiding anything. The world knows our past. What Rwanda demonstrates today is that a nation scarred by tragedy can rebuild with resilience, vision, and determination. Hosting the World Cycling Championship is not a cover-up — it is a milestone of our progress, a testament to what Africans can achieve when given the space to lead their own destiny.
Conclusion
Rwanda is not asking for charity, nor for approval. It is simply moving forward. And perhaps that is the real problem for the critics: a successful, self-reliant African country that owes them nothing.
