Truth Became Karasira's Death Sentence in Kagame's Rwanda

David Himbara’s Review of Aimable Karasira’s Autobiography

Aimable Karasira’s book is a 232-page autobiography written in 2020, one year before he was arrested in 2021, and six years before he mysteriously died in prison in 2026 as he was about to be released.

The Book is titled Ndeka Undorere with a biblical sub-title “Namwe muzamenya ukuri, kandi ukuri ni ko kuzababatura.”

I translate the title and subtitle into English as: BE MY WITNESS

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

In my presentation of the Karasira’s autobiography, I first give an overview of the book. Second, I present what I consider to be his main messages to the people of Rwanda and then conclude my review of the book. I close my review by placing Karasira in the company of the world-renowned truth-teller who chose death penalty rather than compromise his principles — Socrates.

Karasira begins his autobiography by describing his life as an ethnic Tutsi growing up under the Hutu regime of Juvenal Habyalimana in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the eldest of four children born to Claver Karasira, an agronomist by profession and Goretti Mukaruzamba, a teacher.

Next, the biography takes us into the 1994 Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi and its aftermath. Karasira describes how he lost most of his immediate family. He blames both the Hutu Interahamwe militias who killed his extended family and the RPF forces for the deaths of his parents and siblings. Karasira asserts that the mother and siblings were killed by RPF soldiers in the Bugesera/Rilima area on suspicion of sharing information with Médecins Sans Frontières about the executions done by the RPF.

The biography then takes into Karasira’s struggle to lead a normal life as a teenager while raising his only surviving younger brother. After attending schools in Kigali and studying at the Petit Séminaire de Ndera, he earned a degree in computer science from the National University of Rwanda and later a Master’s degree in Software Engineering in Sweden. He became a lecturer in information technology/computer science at the University of Rwanda. He was dismissed in 2020 for what the university called “disciplinary” or “professional misconduct” reasons — in truth, Karasira simply refused to be silenced about his criticisms of the RPF regime.

By 2019, Karasira had already become a visible figure in Rwanda’s music scene and popular culture under the name “Professor Nigga,” producing outspoken rap and reggae tracks that addressed social and political themes. In 2011, he launched the YouTube channel Ukuri Mbona (“The Truth as I See It”), where he posted political commentary, personal reflections, and criticisms of the government, RPF policies, genocide narratives, and societal issues. The channel gained tens of thousands of subscribers and millions of views. He frequently discussed his family’s losses, called for recognition of all victims including Hutu victims of RPF actions, and criticized perceived injustices and restrictions on free speech.

His outspokenness made him a prominent voice, described in admiring terms as a “prophet” for challenging fear and hypocrisy in Rwandan society.

Karasira’s five main messages to the people of Rwanda:

Firstly, Rwandans do not accept who they are and do not respect fellow Rwandans from outside their own ethnic groups of “Hutu”, “Tutsi” and “Twa”. There will never be peace in Rwanda if Rwandans do not accept who they are and respect their ethnic counterparts for who they are.

Secondly, the current Rwandan regime, led by General Paul Kagame, exhibits an even more problematic approach to the ethnic question. While it labels the 1994 Rwandan genocide as the “Genocide Against the Tutsi,” it has criminalized the terms “Hutu,” “Tutsi” and “Twa,” asserting that all Rwandans belong to a single Banyarwanda ethnic group. In contrast, neighbouring Burundi, which shares a similar ethnicity, embraces the terms “Hutu,” “Tutsi” and “Twa” and is identified on its official identity cards accordingly. Rwanda should follow this example.

Thirdly, Rwandans are trapped in the miserable past because they cannot forgive but not forget past injustices through genuine interrogation for lasting solutions. Rwandans must undertake a genuine truth and reconciliation exercise that allows to forgive while punishing those responsible for the past injustices.

Fourthly, Rwandans must recognize their true history, especially the fact that the entire history of Rwanda from the days of kingdoms before the colonial rule to the presidential systems after independence was characterized by dictatorship with blood on its hands.

Lastly, Rwandans must reject the mentality of what the French call L’histoire des vainqueurs or the Victor’s history. This refers to the idea that the official historical narrative in post-1994 Rwanda is shaped primarily by the Rwandan Patriotic Front. Similarly, the official historical narrative of post-independence Rwanda was shaped by the Kayibanda and Habyarimana regimes. Rwandans are poor learners, lacking the culture of reading and a deeper analysis of the past and present. Only deeper understanding of our history based on evidence can lead to lasting solutions. The truth can only be learned by rejecting the false histories dictated by the dictatorship in power.

In conclusion, Karasira’s autobiography proves that he was a truth-teller who would not compromise his truth-telling mission at the cost of imprisonment and even the loss of his life. He predicts both in the autobiography. And as we now know, his prediction was spot on — he was imprisoned one after writing the book, and lost his life six years later.

Karasira reminds us of other truth-tellers who did not fear to tell the truth even when with the loss of their own lives. Case in point is Socrates, the Greek philosopher who was executed in 399 BCE — some 2,424 years ago as of 2026.

Socrates often stated that “The unexamined life is not worth living.” He was arrested and executed for corrupting the youth through his questioning and teachings. At the trial, Socrates refused to flatter the jury or promise to stop philosophizing, arguing it was his duty to his country. After being sentenced to death, Socrates refused offers to escape, arguing it would violate his principles and the laws of Athens. Socrates became a symbol of intellectual freedom, integrity, and the individual standing against the crowd. Socrates’s story continues to resonate as a cautionary tale about truth-telling and power.

Socrates’s story is Karasira’s story — Karasira is Rwanda’s Socrates. Karasira would not flee to exile for safety like most of did to escape death. To him, like Socrates, “the unexamined life and silence to injustice” was not worth living. Karasira’s story is nothing but a tale about truth-telling and challenging power even at the ultimate price of his life. May God the Almighty bless his soul.