Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Rwandan Genocide - an African Tragedy. Intrique in the CAR. Murder in Mombasa



After ten years I closed my web site and have transferred the text from it to here. Unfortunately, I can not figure out how to post photographs to the blog.  The following material highlights my three published books  - my Rwandan memoir, and two novels one set in the Central African Republic and another in Kenya. Read them all and enjoy.
 

Rwandan Genocide Revisited  -What happened afterwards?


(Washington, D.C.)— In his new book In the Aftermath of Genocide: The U.S. Role in Rwanda Ambassador Robert E. Gribbin recalls standing in an eerily quiet overgrown church court yard while a survivor described the methodical murder of thousands, whose desiccated moldering bodies were stacked like cord wood only feet away in Sunday school rooms. A crunch underfoot revealed a human jawbone that was quickly and reverently added to the macabre collection. Against this grim background, Gribbin throws new light on why the U.S. (and the West) failed to respond to Rwanda’s genocide. He goes on to tell how guilt for inaction generated an outpouring of assistance in years afterwards.

Stating that Rwanda’s saga did not end with the terrible genocide itself, Ambassador Gribbin said, "Imagine the hatred, pain and guilt that Rwandans felt and the enormous difficulties the people faced in putting their lives and their society back together. How to half impunity for genocide crimes? How to fairly reallocate land for returning refugees? How to structure and government so that it promoted peace rather than threaten reconciliation?" Sent to Rwanda ans U.S. ambassador just after the genocide, Gribbin said, " These were the substance of my tenure in Kigali. I believe I had a unique responsibility to write about them."
  
In this gripping story, Gribbin takes us into claustrophobic prisons where tens of thousands of accused patiently awaited trials on charges of genocide. Run by prisoners themselves, the mob of men cautiously welcomed the U.S. ambassador and quietly parted like a sea before him as he made the rounds. Outside the prison walls, an insurgency, still inspired by unrepentant genocidaires, operated clandestinely to murder Tutsi survivors and Hutu officials of the new government. Yet the new government’s heavy-handed response to such violence, risked renewing the cycle of conflict and despair.  Fears of renewed conflict, fueled by the looming destabilizing presence of over a million uprooted Hutu refugees just across the borders, diminished when over a million people, once the camps were broken up by Tutsi-backed rebels, trudged home to an uncertain future.

Drawing on inside information and conversations with policy makers, especially Rwandan military genius (then-Vice President) General Paul Kagame, the author describes how the U.S. responded to the unfolding crises in Rwanda and in the region. The ethnic conflict that began with the genocide, spilled over into neighboring Zaire/Congo, not once, but twice. First, in a dramatic chase of the remnants of the militia group responsible for genocide, that coincidently swelled into a grass roots ouster of long-time dictator Mobutu; and secondly, when Kabila, Mobutu’s successor, failed to honor his commitments regarding ethnic tolerance.

In the Aftermath of Genocide is essential reading for those seeking to understand the complexities,agony and violence of contemporary Africa. Furthermore, it is crucial for those who ask what can we Americans do about such problems?

Robert E. Gribbin lived and worked as a U.S. diplomat in Africa for thirty-five years. He served in Rwanda twice, once before and once after the genocide. He was U.S. ambassador from 1995 to 1999. Now retired, in addition to consulting, writing and teaching about Africa, he undertakes short-term diplomatic postings to the continent he knows so well.

In the Aftermath of Genocide: The U.S. Role in Rwanda, ISBN 0-595-34411-9, $23.95, is sponsored by the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (seven former Secretaries of State sit on the board) as part of its “memoirs and occasional papers” series and was published in March 2005 by iUniverse, Lincoln, Nebraska. It is available from ADST, www.iUniverse.com or on-line bookstores.

Acclaim

"Ambassador Gribbin applies the keen insight he developed over a long career in Africa to U.S. - Rwandan relations. He outlines clearly the failure of the U.S. and the rest of the world to stop the genocide, and places blame where it is deserved, yet manages to inject humor into this otherwise unremittingly grim story. " 
H. Roberts Melone, former U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda.

"Not a traditional diplomatic memoir or a diary but a frank account of a life and career, centered on service in a volatile Rwanda. Ambassador Gribbin doesn't mask his values, views, or mistakes. He lets the record tell you about his successes. One of the least egotistical career retrospectives I have read and a great contribution to African and diplomatic scholarship. A remarkable book by a distinguished diplomat, who invites the reader to comprehend the challenge ad agony of decision-making by the "man of the spot.'"  Robert G. Houdek, former U.S. Ambassador to Uganda and Eritrea.

"Ambassador Robert Gribbin's book is a very welcome contribution to literature on Rwanda's recovery after catastrophe. No previous publication has dealt with issues relating to Rwanda's efforts at rebuilding and its relations with the international community in general. The author's account of the period of his service in Rwanda leaves no doubt that he was and remains well versed with the critical issues that faced the new government of Rwanda following the genocide: peace and security, repatriation and resettlement of refugees, economic reconstruction, national unity and reconciliation, human rights, justice and the rule of law, democratization, and regional peace and stability."  Gerald Gahima, former Attorney General of Rwanda.







Reviews

A Benchmark Work on Rwanda, February 10, 2006

Reviewer: Thomas P. Odom "Tom"

I take great pleasure in writing this review as Bob Gribbin was my Ambassador for the last 3 months of my own tour as the US Defense Attache in Rwanda from 1994-1996. Much tripe concerning US roles in Rwanda and the Congo War has been offered directly to the US Congress or in the press, various blogs, and even in some published works.

This book has many strengths. First it offers more than the title implies: Ambassador Gribbin's previous assignments in Rwanda and Uganda provide critical insights into the workings of the RPF and Museveni's Uganda. Second it is both concise and personal. I read the book cover to cover in 2 evenings. The Rwandan Genocide is still a very personal issue to me. Bob captures its horrors well and yet manages to offer very balanced interpretations of its causes and its effects. Finally, it is without doubt the authoritative account of the 1996-1998 events in Rwanda and Zaire (now the DRC). I am proud to have worked for Ambassador Gribbin and I am proud to have his book in my library.

Sincerely,
Thomas P. Odom
Author, Journey into Darkness: Genocide in Rwanda, Texas A&M University Press, 2005


Indispensable source on post-conflict Rwanda, June 14, 2005

Reviewer: Larry Lesser (Washington, DC USA) - The world watched in horror as Rwanda descended into hellish barbarism. And after the violence ended, what then? That is Gribbin's subject, written from the perspective of the U.S. ambassador -- the embodiment of U.S. policy in the post-conflict period. His book is filled with exotic names and places, probably more than the non-expert can keep up with. (And the skimpy index is not much help.) Nevertheless, this pioneering book provides a depth of detail and an appreciation for the complexities of nation building under mind-bogglingly challenging conditions. It will be an indispensable resource for the student of the Rwandan tragedy or, more broadly, as a case study on the death -- and, we hope, rebirth -- of a modern nation-state.


A must-read for Africanists, April 22, 2005

Reviewer: Don Heflin -

An outstanding contribution to the literature on Rwanda. There have been several good books about the 1994 genocide, but Gribbin's book stands out as the best source on the post-genocide era. His observations on the 1996-7 war in Eastern Zaire, which drove Mobutu from power and put the Kabilas in the presidency in Kinshasa, are especially valuable. These times remain a controversial topic, and it's essential to get the viewpoint of an American diplomat in the field, which Gribbin ably provides. The book is well-written and an enjoyable read, even though it deals with serious subjects. No student of Rwanda, the Congo or genocide should be without it.


Questions and Answers

Q.  Is the Rwandan genocide over?

A.  Yes, the killings as such took place in April, May, June and  July 1994.  About one million people died. Residual ethnic violence, mostly in the form of an insurgency continued on for several years. Today Rwanda is at peace.  Even so, several thousand Hutu militiamen, calling themselves the FDLR (Force Democratique pour la liberation du Rwanda) remain at large in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Q.   Have those responsible for the genocide been tried?

A.  There are essentially three venues where justice is being delivered. First is the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania. There about thirty-five of the most prominent planners of genocide are being slowly tried. In Rwanda itself trials continue in the regular courts for tens of thousands of persons implicated in heinous acts of genocide. Additionally, another hundred thousand or so persons are/will face Gacaca courts on their home hillsides. This method of delivering traditional justice has been modified to handle the less severe genocide related cases.  Combined the three methods of justice are effectively holding those accused accountable for their crimes.

Q.  How democratic is Rwanda today?

A.  Rwanda has successfully held multi-party presidential, parliamentary and local elections. Current President Paul Kagame, who was the military leader of the largely Tutsi Rwandan Patriotic Army and former Vice President, was elected to a six year term in 2003 and re-elected in 2009.  Even though observers did not fault the electoral process, it is clear that power rests with the group that vanquished the genocide.  The challenge for Rwanda is to truly build a multi-ethnic, multi-party democratic society out of the tragedy of genocide.

Q.  Is reconciliation reality or a facade?

A.   Reconciliation after events as traumatic as genocide is indeed very difficult, both individually and for the society as a whole. The delivery of justice to those guilty of the crime is seen as a perquisite for healing on a national level. Even so, there are thousands of efforts, some organized, some not, aimed at finding ways and mechanisms for people to come to terms with their pasts, even as they move on with their lives.

Q.  How are U.S. Rwandan relations?

A.  Relations between our two nations are excellent. Through USAID and other programs the U.S. is actively engaged in helping Rwanda develop economically as well as in combating HIV/AIDS.

Q.  What is Rwanda's regional role?

A.   Rwanda keeps a careful eye on developments in the neighboring Congo. It has welcomed recent Congolese elections and has largely disengaged from cross border activities. Elsewhere in the region several thousand Rwandan forces are critical to the international effort to contain genocide and ethnic violence in Darfur, Sudan.











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  Blood diamonds, poached ivory, smuggled arms, political intrigue, rebellion. 
  Ripped from today’s headlines! A fictional saga of modern Africa.

  Rip Roaring Adventure in Central Africa!

  Against the backdrop of contemporary Africa, political prisoner Jean
  Mbaito escapes from jail.  Following his conscience he sparks a
  revolution that attempts to sweep the corrupt blood-drenched tyrant
  from power.  Clandestine political forces and even black magic,
  cynically observed by jaundiced diplomatic personnel, rally to his
  cause. Mbaito joins with a disgruntled professional hunter and a
  beautiful English conservationist, who themselves are combating
  elephant poachers, in order to further his quest.  Full of intrigue,
  political violence, blood diamonds, witchcraft and poaching,
  the tale of Mbaito’s challenge reflects the mysteries of Africa
  and the passions of its people.

  State of Decay - An Oubangui Chronicle published by
  InfinityPublishing.com is available for $13.95 from 
  www.buybooksontheweb.com or on line bookstores.  































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Murder in     Mombasa
                                                      a novel by Robert E. Gribbin     






Rather than a review as such, let’s do some q's and a’s about  Murder in Mombasa.
                                                  

Synopsis: The tale is recounted by the American Consul when in the aftermath of a riotous shore visit, a U.S. Navy seaman is accused of murdering a Kenyan girl. But did he do it? His alibi says no, but Kenya must have someone to prosecute for the crime.  The girl is dead, but who was she last with? Police jump to conclusions and rush to convict. However, the U.S. consul and his team seek the truth. The pressure is on. The police, the public and government leaders clamor for conviction, so the case goes to trial. Not only is the man’s guilt or innocence at stake, but also U.S. - Kenyan relations. Meanwhile shadowy terrorist operatives and their possible links to the crime cloud clarity. Will justice prevail or will it be trumped by political expediency?

Ripped from the headlines, this fictional story is based  on a real incident.  The Mombasa, Kenya setting is impeccable as are descriptions of police, prison and judicial procedures.  Furthermore, handling of the problem by U.S. diplomats provides insight into the operations of the consular service.

Available only as an ebook from www.smashwords.com (in kindle and other formats) or your istore or Nook provider.

 
Why did you write the book?   I enjoy writing and find fiction a fascinating diversion from non-fiction.  It is easier to make up facts rather than look them up. However, this story is based on a real event.  I was the American Consul in Mombasa in the early 1980s at the time when a U.S. sailor was accused of murdering a Kenyan prostitute.   It caused  a big brouhaha in Kenya in part because several years earlier there had been another death of a prostitute wherein the U.S. sailor had been found guilty of manslaughter, but not sentenced to prison.  That verdict scandalized the populace.    So when another death occurred, the popular cry was for punishment.  My book is a fictionalized version of what ensued.  In order to spin the tale I invented personages and added plot.

What makes the story unique?   First, a narrator of events is the U.S. consul, so the reader sees the plot unfold from his perspective.  The book paints a realistic portrait of what American diplomats do overseas when citizens get in trouble.   Additionally, the murder troubled U.S. Kenyan relations more broadly so aspects of international diplomacy are included.  Secondly, the setting of the novel in Mombasa, Kenya is impeccable and the characters realistic, so those who know Kenya will find that the tale rings true.

So what sort of book is it?  It is a murder mystery that evolves into a courtroom drama all against a backdrop of diplomatic intrigue and maneuvering.  The question is did the sailor kill the girl or not? If not, who did? and why? And even if he did not, will he be convicted of the crime anyway?

Why did you self publish it?  The publishing world is a brutal one. Self publishing via www.smashwords.com lets me put the book out there quickly for readers to enjoy. Also it’s inexpensive at only $2.99. Murder in Mombasa is only available in ebook format, also from the istore or Nook. 

Murder Solved



Following is a review of Hell’s Gate by Richard Compton, Sarah Crichton Books, NY 2014

This is an intriguing detective story set in the Naivasha/Hell’s Gate area of Kenya.  The hero is police detective Mollel who has been demoted to the Rift Valley location - or has he?  The plot winds around a bit and features all sorts of disreputable characters on the make in one form or another.  Ultimately the plot revolves around the mysterious death of a young worker in the flower industry.  Unraveling the cause of her demise leads the intrepid Mollel to a range of disturbing activities - disappearances, poaching, tribal enmity, police corruption, witchcraft, gang intimidation and national politics.  Ever steady, Mollel’s low key approach slowly makes headway and finally, of course, results in an acceptable outcome.  Along the way the reader gets to appreciate his determination and insights into the people he interacts with.  A sub theme plays on his Maasai tribal origins, his differences from other Kenyans, and whether or not, or to what extent, Maasai people ought to be integrated into modern Kenya.

The Naivasha area setting is accurate and the characters, even though replete with stereotypical traits given their various stations in life, i.e. noble game warden, obnoxious expatriate, venal gang chief, etc. are nonetheless believable.  The author’s use of Swahili and even Sheng (the patois of urban Kenyan youth) give authenticity to the story.  Although the plot does get a bit wild towards the end, the tale is well told and keeps the reader engaged. 

Apparently detective Mollel is featured in at least one other novel. Certainly, there will be more to come.

Reminisces of East Africa



This is a review of And Home Was Karikoo - A Memoir of East Africa by M.G. Vassanji, Doubleday Canada, 2014

Part travelogue, part history, part reflection, part meditation this memoir by M.G. Vassanji explores Tanzania past and present.  After an absence of many years the author (presently a well know writer resident in Canada) at various times and with various companions returned to Dar es Salaam, where he grew up in the early sixties, to take the modern pulse of the city he once knew well.  Additionally, he (they) visited several far flung corners of Tanzania to learn about and assess life there.  

Throughout the memoir Vassanji is preoccupied with the status of the Asian community (with origins in the sub-continent) , especially the Ismaili sect of which he is a member.  He was always looking for a good cup of chai (tea) and folks who might remember the contributions that the Asians made to economic and social development.  This was sort of a sad quest in that beginning with independence in 1961 and the waves of socialization that followed, many Asians packed up and left.  Vassanji described what they left behind - rows of little shops with living quarters above, mosques, temples and community centers that barely function or are abandoned.  He found that numbers and importance of Asians had shrunk commensurately, yet there was often a story there that merited telling.    Vassanji lamented the loss of such history. He urged that Tanzanians, Africans and Asians alike, claim their own history and write it themselves, rather than leave it to Europeans.

For each city or town - Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Kilwa, Zanzibar, Dodoma, Kigoma, Tabora, and others - Vassanji gave a good concise history. To compliment that he often cited from contemporary accounts from previous centuries - Portuguese, English, German, Arabic - that reinforced his point.  Ergo, the reader learns about slavery, exploration, racism, revolution and war that afflicted Tanzania in earlier times. 
 
The author saves his warmest memories for Dar es Salaam and the Karikoo neighborhood where he grew up.  Through his rose tinted lens we see a well balanced society where each Asian caste/religious community played a role. Africans and Europeans occasionally intruded, especially Africans after independence, but life was generally predictable and pleasant.  This is the norm that Vassanji reverts to in each of his upcountry visits, knowing how, but wondering why things changed. 

The memoir skips back and forth a bit, I was never sure of the chronology of the various visits, however, the book does hang together.  Just read it chapter by chapter.  Overall it is a wonderful history of Tanzania with the added bonus of a good critical look at the nation today.  Vassanji and his interlocutors wax nostalgic about the past. They accept the present, but are not too optimistic about the future.  Folks who know Tanzania will nod in recognition that bad roads, weather, and just the difficulties of travel in a place where time is not too important requires patience and flexibility.  They too will acknowledge the hospitality extended to visitors.  And finally, those who know the map or who have been there themselves will recall the places (perhaps) fondly.

I found a couple of errors, but without being able to turn down the page, they are hard to recall.  One was that the Zambezi River was said to debouche into the ocean in Zimbabwe.  Obviously, that is Mozambique.  Also Paul Theroux was quoted a couple of times from his book Dark Star Safari, which is listed in the notes as Dark Night Safari.  Finally, I was surprised that Vassanji never explained that Karikoo, his home neighborhood and part of the title, is a corruption of Carrier Corps.  It was initially an open area of Dar where African porters or “carriers” were mustered by the Germans as part of the World War I war effort.

Monday, October 12, 2015

Hobnobbing with Dictators



A review of The Mind of the African Strongman Conversations with Dictators, Statesmen, and Father Figures, by Herman J. Cohen, New Academia Publishers, Washington, D.C. 2015.

This is an interesting and chatty book. It is what it purports to be: a series of anecdotes recounting contacts and conversations with sixteen African leaders over a period of forty years.  Ambassador Cohen spent many of those years in Africa as a diplomat on the scene and more as the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs at the Department of State in Washington. Even in his post diplomatic career, Ambassador Cohen saw old contacts and made new ones. 

The author puts each of the strongmen in context. He provides background on the country in question and information on the individual chief of state.  The result is a penetrating look at the foibles, personal concerns and motivations of African leaders.  Their individual personalities come across vibrantly.  Few, Mandela and DeKlerk excepted, were altruistic.  Most  - Moi, Barre, Mugabe, Houphet - were crafty politicians who understood their home context exceedingly well, but who were often adrift in the international arena.   Others - Doe, Taylor, Kabila - were just thugs who managed to grab power, but were able to do little with it. Cohen’s unenviable task throughout was to convince and cajole these men to do something positive; many times just for their own people, but always also for the United States.  Cold war concerns frequently provided the point of departure for a conversation, but internal politics, democracy and human rights, economic development and conflict resolution figured on Cohen’s agendas.

Students of Africa will enjoy the candid insights and solid analyses that Ambassador Cohen delivers.  All in all, Cohen provides humanizing portraits of African leaders that advance understanding of the roles that these men played.  Concomitantly Cohen shows what diplomacy is all about: how and why American leaders engage and communicate with foreign leaders .

Lost In Africa



This is a review of Against the Current - How Albert Schweitzer Inspired a Young Man’s Journey by Clarinda Higgins with William G. Armstrong Jr., Oakham Press, Westport, Ct. 2015. 

This is a biographical tale of Mark Higgins, who in 1959 at the age of 19 went on a voyage of self discovery to Schweitzer’s clinic in Lambarene, Gabon.  The scion of a prominent New England family Mark felt he never measured up to the expectations of his demanding father and rarely had the support of his distant divorced mother.  He bounced through a couple of prep schools and during an emotional crisis tried to take his own life.  After a “hush, hush” stint in a mental institution, he struck out for Africa. 

In Lambarene he found the space and the support that enabled him to mature into his own person.  Starting essentially as a laborer, Mark became a reliable jack of many trades, working with lepers,  giving injections and conducting heart disease research.  After a year or so with Dr. Schweitzer’s eclectic team, Mark decided to move on, to cross Africa and voyage up to Israel to work on a kibbutz.  Unfortunately, the summer he decided to do this was 1960, the year of African independence, and the month he began his travel through the newly independent (ex-Belgian) Congo was July, immediately after independence on June 30.  This was a chaotic period for the Congo.  The Force Publique mutinied and ran amuck.  A hundred thousand Belgians were fleeing from every corner of that vast land.  Yet armed with a youthful sense of invincibility, good French language skills, and a genuine liking for African people, Mark was determined to persevere.  Traveling by river, rail and truck, he made it about two thirds of the way east, before being murdered by renegade rebels in the town of Kasongo on the Lualaba River.

So that is the story, but the book offers more.  The author Rindy Higgins, Mark’s younger cousin, knew little of Mark’s youthful troubles and only a smidgen of his Lambarene experiences and not much beyond the fact that he died in the Congo.  However, beginning with what she did know she fleshed out the tale through an enormous amount of research.  The family had some of Mark’s letters home, but Rindy found a treasure trove of correspondence in the Schweitzer institute in France - virtually everything that the man wrote, everything that was written to him, and all sorts of memoirs by his staff and supporters is preserved there.  Using these resources, the author was able to vividly reconstruct life at the African clinic.  Most importantly she was able to discover the identity of the man who reported to the American Consulate in Elizabethville, Congo, the fact of Mark’s murder. Additionally, she was able to reconstruct his travels throughout the Congo and juxtapose them day by day with international developments regarding the Congo.  

Although Mark was certainly a nice congenial young man with a brighter future ahead of him once he found himself and got back on track, his death elevated him to martyr status, especially as seen by his cousin. He is even touted as an inspiration for the Peace Corps; perhaps he was. Many young Americans have found themselves in service to others. 

I found only two factual errors, both in the same sentence describing the Ruwenzori Mountains as volcanic (they are not) and reaching to 22,000 feet (they top out at 16,721 feet).  I found the chapters on Lambarene to be couched in paternalistic terminology of that era, which was understandable as much of the material was drawn from contemporary accounts.  But the author persisted in using the term “natives” throughout the narrative, which is a bit passe.  

For those who want to learn about Albert Schweitzer’s operation in Gabon, this book is relevant. It also reveals solid details of what the Congo was like as it crashed into anarchy in July 1960.  Finally the story of Mark Higgins’ short life and his tragic end provide a cogent tale.