KIGALI — Lewis Hamilton has said Formula 1 must "approach it with humility" amid human rights concerns over Rwanda hosting a new African Grand Prix, after the sport signed a 10-year deal with the central-east African country starting in the early 2030s for a new track near Kigali designed to exploit Rwanda's natural landscape.
The seven-time world champion, who has campaigned for a race in Africa for many years and now drives for Ferrari, said: "I don't get to choose where we go. Naturally, there are problems all over the world today, so I've seen many of the stories. But I think we really have to approach it with humility." Hamilton added: "There's a lot that we don't know. Growing up in England, they never taught us anything about Africa. It needs to be on the curriculum. A lot of the problems they have there are still results of colonialism and the West intervening."
The deal has drawn criticism from Rwanda's neighbour, the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has filed a case against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice accusing it of breaching multiple international treaties covering genocide prevention, racial discrimination, women's rights and torture. DRC Minister for Foreign Affairs Therese Kayikwamba Wagner said last week that "giving (Rwanda President) Paul Kagame this platform would help polish the image of an authoritarian leader whose government has helped fuel a devastating war in our country", noting the US had sanctioned the Rwandan army and four senior officers for destabilising the region, conducting military operations inside the DRC and supporting the M23 rebel group. She added that F1 "should require credible, independent guarantees that no money used to host the race comes from conflict-linked minerals or the exploitation of Congolese resources".
Hamilton said Africa deserves a place on the calendar, stating: "Africa is a place that deserves to have a grand prix. It's about more than just one country. It's about the continent itself, and there are so many beautiful countries within it." He added: "The people are so lovely. The culture is so rich, and I think it's important that we get to show that to the world. We get to do that with our sport." He continued: "All of a sudden, it becomes something that's on the screen, and kids are talking about it. They go to school talking about it. So, I'm really, really hopeful for that grand prix."
The Briton stressed that staging the race should not ignore wider issues, saying: "Going there doesn't mean that you neglect the things that are happening there. So hopefully many people start to educate themselves a little bit more about what is happening there and what has happened there for hundreds of years. I hope that does spark the conversation." He added: "And then I guess I'll finish it off with this: I think we need to make sure we're pushing to free Congo, free Sudan, free Syria, free Palestine. I think there's a lot of peace that I'm hoping we get to at some stage."