Rwandan dictator Paul Kagame will stage sham elections this week to keep himself in power for another term. He has already arranged to stay in office until 2034, if he chooses. Those who challenge the vote count often wind up dead, or in prison, like Victoire Ingabire – which is fine with Washington, Kagame’s major backer.

The role of the activist within Rwanda is extremely fraught as it involves balancing the desire and need to express oneself in order to build a better future for the country, while entering increasingly dangerous territory for even attempting to do so. Diane Rwigara’s bravery is a call to other activists within Rwanda to begin to assert themselves peacefully on their government, reminding it that they want to be heard, reminding it that they too are part of its developmental project.

Created in 2011 by the International Women’s Network for Democracy and Peace, the prize is awarded to any person or association promoting peace and reconciliation in the African Great Lakes region and educates its populations on non-violent strategies of resistance and achieving change. Two of this year’s winners have featured in recent interviews published by Pambazuka News.

The Rwandan dictator has mastered the philosophy of the big lie: if you keep repeating a falsehood over and over again, people will sooner or later believe it. Kagame has grossly exaggerated his social and economic accomplishments of the past 23 years. He says he has built the Singapore of Africa. In reality, though, Rwanda is the poorest country in East Africa, except for Burundi.