The Infantilization of Opposition Politics in Rwanda

In a recent space conversation, I heard a die-hard supporter of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) say something that was both revealing and troubling: “The RPF is the engine; the other parties are just friends of the family.” It was almost amusing — and yet deeply sad — to hear this kind of reasoning: RPF ni moteri, andi mashyaka ni inshuti zumuryango.

“The RPF as the engine, the others just ‘friends of the family’: A satirical take on Rwanda’s stunted political pluralism. — LivenBooks Graphic Creative Team”

It sounded more like a scripted talking point than a genuine belief — and it perfectly illustrates the problem with how political pluralism is understood (or misunderstood) in Rwanda today.

This metaphor reveals precisely what is wrong with Rwanda’s political imagination today. It suggests that the RPF alone drives the country forward, while other political actors are relegated to a symbolic, secondary role — as if their participation is not essential, but merely ornamental.

Yet in a healthy democracy, no single party should claim to be the “engine” of the nation. Power and legitimacy must come from the people and be shared, contested, and renewed through inclusive, pluralistic processes. By casting the RPF as indispensable and others as peripheral, this view entrenches a culture of dominance and dependency that is incompatible with genuine democratic practice.

Even more troubling is the idea that opposition parties are simply “friends of the family.” This language infantilizes politics, reducing it to personal loyalty instead of institutional accountability. It ignores the fact that dissent, alternative visions, and even criticism are not threats to national unity — they are its lifeblood.

If Rwanda is ever to move beyond authoritarianism, it must abandon metaphors that glorify one party’s monopoly and diminish others to passive bystanders. What the country needs is not an engine and its passengers, but a shared journey in which every citizen and party has a say in how the nation moves forward.