S. M. Shlenskaya "The Republic of Rwanda", published in April 2012, is the first full - scale study of this country in Russian African studies since 1974. Meanwhile, during these years of research vacuum, dramatic events occurred in Rwanda that radically affected the subsequent political and cultural development of that State. The causes and circumstances of the political confrontation in the mid-1990s, as well as the consequences of the civil war for the population of Rwanda, are comprehensively covered by the author in the chapter "History".

This section can be considered as a separate independent study, as the author gives an idea of the origins of the acute ethno-political conflict in the Great Lakes region, which resulted in a monstrous genocide at the end of the last century, the consequences of which are still being felt not only in Rwanda itself, but also in neighboring African countries. During the hundred days of genocide against the" ethnic minority " of Tputsi by Hutu extremists (representatives of the numerically dominant ethno-cultural group), about 800 thousand people were killed. This chapter covers all periods of the country's historical development - from pre - colonial to modern-and ends in 2010, when Rwandan President Paul Kagame was re-elected for a second term. Portraits of the most prominent figures in Rwandan history are successfully woven into the narrative fabric.

The reference nature of the study also determined the structure of S. M. Shlenskaya's work, which contains all the traditional sections for such publications. The author uses a wealth of factual material, which allowed her to convey an objective and holistic picture of the country's development in various spheres - economy, politics, culture. The source of factual data for the handbook is recent statistical materials from the Rwandan Institute of Statistics and International Organizations, published in online publications and in the press.

The publication of the handbook symbolically coincided with the anniversary of Rwanda's independence, which was celebrated this year. On 1 July 1962, Belgium granted independence to Rwanda and Burundi in accordance with the UN decision to abolish trusteeship over Rwanda-Urundi. During these half-centuries, the country has passed a difficult path of formation and development. Nevertheless, in the 18 years that have passed since the tragic events of 1994, Rwanda, as the author of the handbook shows, has managed to achieve some success in creating a stable domestic political situation, in developing its economy, and in strengthening its authority in the international arena.

It is impossible not to mention the excellent language in which the work is written, which is especially clearly demonstrated in the "Physical and Geographical Characteristics" of Rwanda-a section that is often difficult to read in similar reference publications. S. M. Shlenskaya managed to make even this part of the book lively and interesting. The author describes the geographical position of the country, its geological structure and mineral resources, the relief for which Rwanda is called "the land of a thousand hills" in tourist guides, the climate and soils, describes the flora and fauna, national parks and reserves, one of which - "Volcano Park" - is home to representatives of one of the rarest animals in the world. world - black mountain gorilla, preserved only in Rwanda and Uganda.

* This was the name of this territory until 1962 (editor's note).

The work contains detailed information about the numerical, gender, age, tribal, and confessional composition of the inhabitants of Rwanda, about the country's major cities, their location, history of their origin, and population structure. The author describes the main beliefs professed by Rwandans.

The Foreign Policy section provides a fairly complete picture of Rwanda's place in the system of modern international relations, its participation in international and regional organizations, and its relations with neighboring countries, traditional partners, and some other countries, including Russia. Special attention is paid to the dynamics of relations with those countries whose diplomatic relations were interrupted for one reason or another - such as the DRC, France.

In the chapter "State system", the author introduces the reader to the main provisions of the country's Constitution, the state symbols of Rwanda, the highest state authorities, administrative and territorial divisions, the armed forces, political parties and public organizations, and the judicial system, which, as the author shows, has its own specific features, namely: the Constitution of Rwanda provides for the existence of special traditional courts of Gachach that deal with cases concerning crimes against human beings committed between October 1, 1990 and December 31, 1994. In essence, these are councils of elders, which are called upon to consider on the ground various offenses for which death sentences are not imposed.

The Rwandan leadership decided to revive the pre-colonial Gachacha courts in order to relieve the burden of ordinary courts and speed up the trial of cases of the 1994 genocide, thus reducing the number of persons (more than 120 thousand) who are in prison and waiting for years to be charged.

The chapter "Economics" examines the economic development of Rwanda since independence, focusing on both the general economic programs of the Government implemented by Rwanda since the mid-1980s with the assistance of international financial institutions, as well as individual plans and programs - the Strategic Plan for Agricultural Transformation currently being implemented by the Government, and related policies. with it, the Program of intensifying the production of food crops.

The paper contains a comprehensive description of the leading industries: agriculture, transport, tourism, manufacturing and mining. The author focuses on the peculiarities of Rwanda in solving the problems of the economy and overcoming poverty, in particular, on the implementation of the Girinka program, which is held under the slogan: "A cow for every poor family".

The results of the Kagame Government's economic policy aimed at introducing new technologies and modernizing agriculture and developing the service sector are described in detail. During the 16 years of his rule, the country's GDP and the level of foreign investment doubled. In 2010 Rwanda has been recognized by the World Bank as the world's best business reformer, and in 2011 was ranked among the top ten African countries with the most attractive environment for foreign investment. The economic sections of the reference book are equipped with tables that may seem overly detailed and overloaded with factual material, but this is the law of the reference genre.

The chapter "Culture" contains a variety of information about the education system of Rwanda, its scientific institutions, libraries, museums, mass media, literature, theater and cinema, music and dance arts, architecture, folk arts and crafts, and fine arts. The handbook is rounded off by small sections devoted to healthcare and sports.

The directory contains the most "up - to-date" information (up to 2011) not only of an economic nature, but also about the cultural development of Rwanda-modern writers, cinematographers, musicians, actors, etc., which demonstrates the painstaking and thorough work carried out by the author to find information. The work is decorated with photos that perfectly illustrate the material.

Despite its relatively small volume (174 pages), the handbook is very informative and can be interesting and useful for a wide range of readers - from amateurs interested in Africa to specialists.

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