Lessons from Rwanda: Philanthropy’s Role Fighting Authoritarianism
What I saw in Rwanda is a warning
I’m writing today from a place of deep reflection and, frankly, deep concern. I want to share a story from my past that has taken on a chilling new relevance in our present moment.
In 2012, I led a delegation to Rwanda with Forward Global. At the time, President Paul Kagame was the undisputed darling of the West. US presidents, including Obama and Clinton, praised him, celebrities championed him, and the narrative was singular: he was the visionary leader who had stopped a genocide and was now building a modern, prosperous nation. I arrived at Rwanda’s Kigali International Airport with that same admiration.
But that narrative began to crack almost immediately. My team had arranged meetings with local organizers and human rights defenders. But a few of our public meetings were canceled or moved. We found ourselves not in hotel conference rooms, but in a private, borrowed hotel room, the windows closed, our voices hushed. Our hosts, including a local representative for Human Rights Watch, explained they couldn't trust anyone—waiters, drivers, hotel staff—all were potential informants for a government lethally intolerant of any perceived dissent.
My initial reaction was skepticism. I remember thinking: “Surely this is just the lingering trauma of the genocide. They’re being paranoid.”
But my certainty was shattered when news broke of yet another “terrorist attack.” A grenade had allegedly been thrown into a marketplace north of us, killing and wounding dozens. Among our group, it was a topic of grave concern. But the local organizers we were with were conspicuously unconcerned. Their reaction, more than anything, gave me pause.
Upon investigation, a disturbing pattern emerged. These “terrorist attacks”—highly publicized by government-controlled media—never seemed to materialize in any verifiable way. The images shown were often old stock footage. The marketplaces were never photographed in their current state. It was a specter, a ghost story told over and over to keep a population distracted and afraid.
The benefit of this narrative to Kagame was immense. He was preparing the ground. The man hailed as the sole architect of peace was positioning himself as the only person who could maintain it. He argued that the job of securing Rwanda was not yet finished. The constant, manufactured threat of terror became the justification for criminalizing opposition, silencing critics, and consolidating absolute power.
Paul Kagame is still in power today, 13 years later.
I share this story today because, as I watch the Trump administration’s takeover of DC escalate, I’ve been hit by a sickening sense of déjà vu. Today, our president is describing a crisis—in this case, crime in Washington, DC—that exists in direct opposition to all available data. We are seeing statistics dismissed as “fake” because they failed to support the administration’s desired narrative. We are witnessing the deployment of resources not to areas of actual need, but to stages designed for a political show of force, and the administration has shouted its intent to use DC as a testing ground from which it can expand its repression to other cities, with a focus on cities run by Black mayors who are resisting its authoritarian agenda.
The playbook is concerningly familiar: manufacture a crisis, position yourself as the sole solution, and discredit any independent truth tellers or leaders that get in your way.
So, what is our call, as philanthropic leaders, in this moment? The lessons from Rwanda are an urgent blueprint for action right now.
What can funders do right now?
1. Stay Calm and Fund the Truth-Tellers. Authoritarians thrive on hype and fear. Our role is to be steady, fact-based, and discerning. We must increase funding for the independent journalists, researchers, and grassroots organizations that have the courage to speak truth to power, even at great cost. These are the voices that were silenced in Rwanda until it was too late. Who on your grant roster is speaking out, even if it’s unpopular? Those are among the partners we need to double down on supporting.
As an example, I want to acknowledge the rapid action of a group of foundations to shore up the government’s retreat from public media stations around the country.
2. Listen Deeply To Organizers On The Ground. Our due diligence must go beyond White House talking points to deeply understand the voices from community leaders and local governments on the ground and ensure they have a place at decision-making tables. Who is informing our grantmaking in these moments? Who sits on our boards? Can those people offer alternative viewpoints or critique power without fear? We must actively seek out and listen deeply to people leading community-based work on the ground—they are the canaries in the coal mine and can help cut through the hype.
3. Reject the Authoritarian Illusion of “Stability.” Authoritarians sell the idea of stability through an overreliance on policing and repression. True, resilient stability is built on justice, strong public institutions, and inclusive dialogue, not a weaponized police state. We must have the courage to fund the messy, difficult work of building grassroots power and alternatives to policing that truly make our communities safe, even when it seems less linear than the status quo.
Rwanda shows us a possible, tragic fate: a nation locked in a permanent “state of emergency,” where a leader’s grip on power is never relinquished. But that fate is not inevitable. And the actions our sector takes right now will play a role in deciding the collective future of our country.
We can choose to fund work that is building a different future. We can choose to bolster the independent pillars of a free society before they are eroded. We can choose to believe the organizers and truth-tellers over the fear-mongerers.
In solidarity and hope,
Glen
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Glen, having recently returned from Rwanda, and having long been grateful for your tutelage via The Philanthropy Workshop West/Forward Global, I appreciate your illuminating post. In Rwanda the seeming stability of society seemed almost too good to be true -- and may be due in part to authoritarian rule. At the same time, I want to celebrate the NGOs I visited that are improving the quality of life for Rwandans (including Maranyundo School, the University of Global Health Equity, Save the Children, and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund). Those NGOs have made progress in part through partnership with Rwandan public sector Ministries. In contrast, from being a 15-year funder to Haiti, I know that such public-private partnerships are hard to negotiate when a government is fractured, dysfunctional, and coopted by a cabal of elites.
So, as international and US donors, let's fund journalism and human rights organizations (as you argue) that tell the truth about authoritarian rule. At the same time let us fund organizations that have made great strides in education, health and the environment despite the political context.
I am eager to read more of your posts, Glen!
Karen Ansara