Rwanda President Paul Kagame at the F1 Grand Prix announcement. / Jean Baptiste Nkurunziza / AFP This week, Rwanda scored a momentous victory when it was announced as the next African host of a Formula One Grand Prix. The small Central African country has emerged as a serious contender to bring the world’s premier motorsport series back to Africa for the first time since 1993, when South Africa hosted the last African Grand Prix at the famous Kyalami circuit north of Johannesburg. The significance of Rwanda’s achievement has not received the attention it deserves, particularly on the African continent, given the magnitude and historical implications of the announcement. In April 1994, barely a year after the last Grand Prix on African soil on March 14 1993, Rwanda descended into one of the most horrific genocides in modern history. In approximately 100 days, nearly 800,000 people, predominantly members of the minority Tutsi population, were killed before the genocide was brought to an ...
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