President Paul Kagame on February 3 urged the Rwandan Diaspora to stay connected with the country and make choices that take Rwanda to the place it deserves to be.
He made the remarks during the 11th edition of Rwanda Day themed: “Rwanda: A Legacy of Inclusiveness within and beyond Our Borders,” held in Washington D.C. The event brought together more than 6,000 Rwandans and friends of Rwanda living abroad to reflect on the country’s development and different avenues through which they can make their contributions.
While noting the importance of Rwanda Day in connecting the Diaspora to their homeland, he told them that they can leave Rwanda and go to different parts of the world but Rwanda should not leave them.
Given that many of Rwanda’s population, in-country and abroad, are more or less 30 years old – with the country marking 30 years after rising from the ashes of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi – Kagame said he wants to ensure that they understand that the future is in their hands.
“The young people of our country, we want to be able to rely on you, to believe in you and get a sense that you’ve been brought up in a manner that is going to be meaningful and put Rwanda in a place it deserves to be. It is upon you and the choices you have to make.”
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The Head of State added that asking the people to do more is not to belittle what they have done already, but it is the reality of the country’s situation and what is expected from everyone.
“Business, politics, philanthropy, faith organization, and many more, we welcome you. Thank you for many things you are doing but we have to be aware that there is more expected from all of us.”
No waste of lessons learnt
While the journey has been long and trying, Kagame said that it is the beauty of it, adding: “through those difficulties, we have endured, we have survived and we want to do just as much to be better human beings, to be where we want to be – where some people in other parts of the world have taken for granted, we will be there no matter what.”
Using a metaphor of “lighting doesn’t strike twice in the same place”, he said that Rwandans should prepare against any situation where the country that was once struck badly in 1994, can be struck again.
“I want us Rwandans not to take chances, we just have to ensure that we are not going to be struck again. That is possible. We just have to prepare our defenses and build our capacity.
“As Rwandans, we can’t afford to waste the lessons learnt from our tragedy. There are so many lessons including that sometimes in times of need, you are on your own. So, you prepare for when that time comes.”
“I want us to go together, fast, and reach far…this is what our situation compels us to do and we must think like that. We must be able to do things, go fast, and reach far.”
The event also featured a ‘meet the president’ session where members of the Diaspora and friends of Rwanda interacted with the President; giving votes of thanks, asking questions, and making suggestions, all in line with the country’s development agenda.
