Rwanda

Rwanda is a country of just under 12 million people that shares borders with Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A former colony of Germany and Belgium, Rwanda became an independent state in 1962. The country enjoys relatively low levels of corruption in comparison to its East and Central African neighbors. However, routine clampdowns on journalists and suppression of freedom of expression are common. This entry discusses government censorship and media self-censorship in Rwanda. It then looks at the country’s newspapers, radio, television, and digital media.

President Paul Kagame, who came to power in 2000, 6 years after the deadly genocide that [Page 1510]claimed the lives of nearly 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus, has earned praise from Western leaders for presiding ...