Hamilton urges humility over Rwanda F1 race amid human-rights concerns

Lewis Hamilton has urged people to “approach it with humility” as he addressed human-rights concerns over Formula 1's planned African Grand Prix in Rwanda. He also stressed that racing there must not mean overlooking events in the region.

F1 has signed a 10-year agreement with Rwanda, set to begin in the early 2030s. Hamilton, who has campaigned for a race in Africa for years, said its significance went beyond a single country. He hoped television coverage would introduce audiences to the continent's countries and cultures, and get children talking about them.

The Ferrari driver said he does not choose where F1 races and acknowledged problems around the world. He called for Africa to have a place in the school curriculum, saying he had been taught nothing about it while growing up in England. He argued that many of the continent's current difficulties were still rooted in colonialism and Western intervention.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has filed a case against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of breaching treaties covering genocide prevention, racial discrimination, women's rights and torture.

In a statement last week, Congolese foreign minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner argued that the race would help improve the image of President Paul Kagame, whom she described as authoritarian. She accused his government of helping to fuel a devastating war in her country.

Wagner also pointed to US sanctions against the Rwandan army and four senior officers over military operations in the DRC and support for the M23 rebel group, including training and fighting alongside it. She called on F1 to demand credible, independent guarantees that no hosting money would come from conflict-linked minerals or the exploitation of Congolese resources.

Hamilton also called for freedom for Congo, Sudan, Syria and Palestine, expressing his hope for peace.