2014 walk to remember magazine

THE WALK TO REMEMBER SIX YEARS ON:

2014

Uniting the international community and empowering youth to take action against genocide and mass. atrocities worldwide.

Why we Walk to Remember The Flame Tour Our Heros

Remember, Unite, Renew

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THE WALK TO REMEMBER 2014

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THE WALK TO REMEMBER 2014 THE WALK TO REMEMBER SIX YEARS ON:

2014

Uniting the international community and empowering youth to take action against genocide and mass. atrocities worldwide.

Content

Why we Walk to Remember The Flame Tour Our Heros

Remember, Unite, Renew

PUBLISHER: Design Today Ltd Kimironko, Remera Tel: +250 786 555 074 + 250 783 867 407 Email : info@designtodayltd.com Website: www.designtodayltd.com

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EDITOR: MaryAnn ROKI ASSISTANT EDITOR: Salma PETER ADVERTISING: PEACE & LOVE PROCLAIMERS Aaron MUGISHA Clarisse UWERA Delice UMWIZA Jessica MUKAZI Kevene UMWARI

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CREATIVE DIRECTOR Bethsheba GATHONI

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PHOTOGRAPHY City of Kigali Didier RUTAYUNGIRA – Aegis Trust Paul KATO

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EDITOR’S NOTE

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DIRECTORS WORD

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MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF CULTURE

CONTENT CONTRIBUTORS: Ambroise Jean LOUIS Angel UWAMAHORO Blaise JABO Clarisse IRABAGIZA Daniel Taylor SHAUT Femke BEKIUS Grace Mutavu Jan Willem ANDRIESSEN Kate KELLEY Natasha MUHOZA Nicolentsia BATEAU

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DISCLAIMER: Design Today Ltd publishes Walk to Remember Magazine for Peace and Love Proclaimers. All rights reserved. Content and opinions expressed in Walk to Remember Magazine do not necessarily represent those of any other organization associated with this publication.

No liability can be accepted or any inaccuracies or omissions. Reproduction in part or whole without permission of the publishers is strictly prohibited.

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22 SPEECHES 34

PEACE AND LOVE PROCLAIMERS

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WHY WE WALK TO REMEMBER

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2013 WALK TO REMEMBER PICTORIAL

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KWIBUKA FLAME TOUR

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OUR PRESIDENT

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E.A DIGNITARIES

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OUR HEROS

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OUR YOUTH

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YOUNG PROFESSIONAL RWANDANS

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FRIENDS OF OUR YOUTH

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OUR TEAM

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RWANDA TODAY (POEM)

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OUR CITY

116 POEMS

The fragility of life is always underrated. Human beings usually learn to appreciate the value of life at the very end of their time. And such is the sad reality of living.

I played with friends from Rwanda as a child. I watched children who moved with their families to start life afresh in a foreign country. My innocence did not allow me to sense their distress. It was not until my adult years that I go to understand the tragic happenings of 1994 in Rwanda. In the years of my stay here, I am still fascinated by the country. I am not only fascinated by the courage and strength of the Rwandan people but also by the incredible pace at which the country is moving forward.

As we mark 20 years after the 1994 genocide perpetuated against the Tutsi, the peace and love pioneers, PLP team brings the Walk to Remember Magazine.

Founded in 2007 by the youth, for the youth, PLP spearheads initiatives to spread the message of peace and love. One of the ways this is achieved is by sensitizing the society through organized impact oriented events and outreach programs.

This initiative brings together youth from Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, India, USA and Malaysia for a positive change and awareness. We will take a moment to learn about them.

We take a quick tour through our country and introduce it to you in all its splendor and glory. We will also take you for a walk as We Walk to Remember. PLP organizes the walk so as to remember the love and life of those we lost as we heal and reconcile. So with you we will walk through a Walk to Remember organizer’s day and share experiences of some of the youths who have previously attended it. We also have a look at the three month journey of the undying Kwibuka Flame as it tours across the country, from corner to corner.

EDITORS NOTE:

We then pay tribute to our national heroes, acknowledge and thank them for showing us the way. In this issue we specifically salute Mr. Damas Gisimba and our great president, H.E. Paul Kagame and take cognizance of the fact that there are still many unsung heroes out there, living and past, seen and unseen, who ensured that our process of healing and reconciliation sprung forth after the end of the Genocide.

Our close neighbors from the East of African Community and the region remind us that we are not on this journey alone. With thoughts of inspiration and warm greetings they send their messages to the people of Rwanda. The Youth of Rwanda, not to be left behind, speak up for the nation and talk of hope, healing melodies and determination backed up by their friends from around and about.

In this collective message of hope and inspiration we show you our city; the majestic and ever resilient city of Kigali that is growing at a tremendous pace.

Kigali city has risen like a magnificent phoenix from a pile of cold ashes and the Rwandan people choose to keep this phoenix forever rising.

MaryAnn

Together the people of Rwanda are determined to walk away from fear and destruction on the path to a unified strong nation. We as Rwandans will always embrace the mighty spirit of our being, NDI UMUNYARWANDA! Lastly, I would like to take a moment and thank my wonderful team for their time, dedication and determination. You are a clear indication that we as Rwandans are headed in the right direction and that our future is indeed bright. I would also want to thank everyone who sent us content and made this project a success. I would also like to take this opportunity to also thank all the dignitaries who gave us their time and sent messages of hope to the Rwandan nation.

Enjoy your reading.

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The idea to develop the Walk to Remember Magazine came as a response to various things that we have learned over the years and our need to share them with nation. For the past five years the walk has been bringing people from all walks of life both young and old and of different races and continents - together to walk with a common goal and purpose, which is a symbol of unity against genocide in our country In this regard we saw it fit to develop a magazine that would shed some light on what walk to remember is all about, how it started, the impact it has had and the organization behind this annual event.

In our first issue we have compiled the memories gathered over the period of time Walk to remember has been in existence and especially at this time when we mark 20years since the 1994 genocide which affected every Rwandese in one way or the other. This has been done in form of pictures and articles of experiences of people that have been part of Walk to remember both locally and internationally.

Our aim to is show our country in a different light, show that we are moving forward and not being held at ransom by our past, to show that we are a new generation, A generation filled with hope and great aspirations. To tell the world that we are here and we are a force to reckon. In Rwanda there many young people doing amazing things in their professional careers may it be in the private of public sector.

Young people have begun taking up leadership positions which is a move that has been welcome by our current government. In this issue we could not feature all of them, we just picked a few and we salute them for the time they took off their busy schedules to avail themselves for the interviews.

We also have articles from young men and women from all over the world who are currently living or have lived in Rwanda, before sharing with us their experiences, thoughts and messages of encouragement to we, the people of Rwanda. We salute them too.

Behind the magazine is an amazing team of young vibrant people who are members of peace and love proclaimers that am very grateful to for the time, dedication and selflessness they displayed during this project. Am also very thankful to Ministry of sports and culture for their continued support and commitment to our course, the office of the president and the city of Kigali for the resources they made available to us in form of pictures of our president and of the city of Kigali. I would also like to thank everyone who contributed to this project in one way or the other thus making it a success.

Do enjoy your reading

REMEMBER – UNITE - RENEW.

PLP Director Mr. Marc Gwamaka

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Message of

HOPE Mr. Lauren Makuza DIRECTOR OF CULTURE PROMOTION MINISTRY OF SPORTS AND CULTURE

ermit me to begin by expressing gratitude for this initiative “Walk to remember” that brings all Rwandan youths together. As you all know Rwanda marks 20 years since the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. A lot has been written about Rwanda’s journey and as is to be expected, much of the commentary is misleading, lacking sufficient understanding of the extent to which Rwanda has been transformed over the last 20yrs.

This year’s theme – Unite, remember and renew – it is our hope that will enable us to honor their memory and also rededicating ourselves to ensuring that it never happens again.

The little boys and girls born in 1994 genocide against the Tutsi are 20 years today! One thing they all have in common is that none of these children was born under conditions that befit a newly born child. In fact, for some to be alive is simply a miracle! But the lucky ones, who survived and live celebrate their 20th birthday this year, are Rwanda’s hope for the future. They are children raised in a different Rwanda- a Rwanda where every child has a right to life a right to basic needs. They are children born and raised in an environment where meritocracy has replaced favoritism, unity replaced sectarianism, harmony replaced divisions and hope replaced despair. In short this is the generation that will be the new face of this country and will define its future.

Campaign continues as the genocide deniers and their supporters operate a vicious and racists propaganda to ensure that Rwanda, in academic journals, newspapers and broadcasts, is the most mis reported nation on earth. The ideology of the perpetrators has never disappeared. To this day its supporters remain organized and financed and they live among us determined one day to finish their task. At the heart of this campaign is a theory that the massacres in Rwanda were not a result of planning but a result of a spontaneous uprising of a population angered by the death of their Hutu president.

This monstrous lie blames the victims themselves for the moral responsibility for the genocide and this is the foundation of the campaign. The regime in 1994 premeditated, planned and executed the extermination of Tutsi people. Referring to this tragedy as “Rwandan Genocide” was and still is a mistake. It cannot be genocide when there is no group that is targeted; this has to be corrected as it is a way of denying the deliberate state sponsored killing of the Tutsi population.

Most deniers engage in very dangerous hate filled propaganda while claiming to be advocating for human rights, truth and reconciliation, democracy and peace. But these democratic values are not goals they are truly striving to achieve because such ideals cannot be achieved on a bed of lies and falsehood.

Rwandans hope that after the Genocide in 1994 the world would never be the same again. We should now be aware that inaction or hesitation by the international community when faced with situations like what we faced in Rwanda in 1994 can only lead to tragedy. The United Nations, the organization to which we all belong, was established principally “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war” and to “reaffirm faith in the fundamental human rights, dignity and worth of the human person”. Sadly, those two basic principals were betrayed. Let us dedicate ourselves to ensuring that this does not happen again.

Thank you.

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Limited.

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A Word from the Managment of Inyange As we commemorate our difficult past, we honor those who lost their lives and remember the plight of those who live on but under difficult conditions as a consequence of the genocide. We urge them that, while not losing sight of the past, they should be encouraged by the vibrant and bright future that has already started to materialize, a future worth living for.

We at Inyange Industries Ltd pledge our never ending support to the people of Rwanda during this difficult time of remembrance as we endeavor to unify and renew our great nation.

REMEMBER, UNITE, RENEW

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WALK TO REMEMBER

2014 Story by Didier Rutagungira Photography by Herve IR

o mark the 20th commemoration of Genocide against Tutsi, on 7th April, the Walk to Remember started from the Rwandan Parliament building where all roads lead to the Amahoro National stadium.

One could hear cheerful claps and joyful sounds from the youth and officials from all walks of life and from around the globe as His Excellency the President of Rwanda Paul Kagame and First Lady Jeanette Kagame joined and lead the walk. “1000 young people were involved in organizing this and over 10,000 turned up for the walk, together affirming “Never Again” as one voice” Said Marc Gwamaka, the founder of Walk to Remember and National Youth Coordinator with AEGIS Trust Rwanda. “.. We are truly a nation moving forward from ashes to a better shared future” Gwamaka declared.

Remembering and honoring the innocents lives lost during the Genocide against Tutsi, the candle lighting was speared headed by the President Paul Kagame together with the first lady Jeanette Kagame and the youth proceeded with reading out names of the victims and gave twenty messages of hope to this nation. Songs of comfort and affirmation from various artists were part of the ceremony.

Speaking to Nelson Kitofu one of the organisers he said,” Walk to Remember is a reminder of the role I have to play to rebuild this nation.

Alexia Umurerwa Said, “I walk to Remember our beloved, to learn from what happened and since I walk with others it’s a symbol of peace, love and unity.

Speaking at the occasion, Prof. Jean Pierre Dusingizemungu, The Head of IBUKA an umbrella Organization for Genocide survivors’ associations said: “Remembering and speaking truth about what happened will contribute in building a new Rwanda where hatred and divisionism has no place” Walk to Remember 2014 was also attended by several diginataries among them was: U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield who pledged to walk again if the walk goes to Washington DC, Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague, US Permanent Representative to United Nations Samantha Powers, Gabonese first lady Sylvia Bongo, American Orthodox Rabbi Stimuley Boteach, among others.

The Kigali walk launched the walks from all over the world. Sweden, Canada, Switzerland, Uganda and Malaysia have already walked and many more countries will walk during these one hundred days.

We thank everyone who participated in this year’s event and everyone who helped in making this event a success in one way or another.

REMEMBER – UNITE – RENEW

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THE SPEECHES GIVEN ON THE 20TH COMMEMORATION OF THE RWANDAN GENOCIDE AGAINST THE TUTSIS, 7TH APRIL AT AMAHORO STADIUM, KIGALI RWANDA

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HIS EXCELLENCY HON. PRESIDENT PAUL KAGAME

PRESIDENT OF RWANDA

don’t have enough words to express my appreciation to all our friends, who have come from near and far to be with us, on a day as important as this. I also thank all of those who have stood with us in Rwanda’s incredible journey of rebuilding.

We are gathered here to remember those who lost their lives in the Genocide and comfort those who survived.

As we pay tribute to the victims, both the living and those who have passed, we also salute the unbreakable Rwandan spirit, to which we owe the survival and renewal of our country.

To our parents, children, brothers, and sisters who survived — to Rwandans who defied the call to genocide and to those who give voice to their remorse — it is you who bear the burden of our history.

We have pursued justice and reconciliation as best we could. But it does not restore what we lost.

Time and again these past twenty years, Rwandans have given of themselves.

You have stood before the community to bear witness and listened to others do the same. You have taken responsibility and you have forgiven.

Your sacrifices are a gift to the nation. They are the seed from which the new Rwanda grows. Thank you for allowing your humanity and patriotism to prevail over your grief and loss. Thank you very much.

Historical clarity is a duty of memory that we cannot escape. Behind the words “Never Again”, there is a story whose truth must be told in full, no matter how uncomfortable.

The people who planned and carried out the Genocide were Rwandans, but the history and root causes go beyond this country. This is why Rwandans continue to seek the most complete explanation possible for what happened.

We do so with humility as a nation that nearly destroyed itself. But we are nevertheless determined to recover our dignity as a people.

Twenty years is short or long depending on where you stand but there is no justification for false moral equivalence. The passage of time should not obscure the facts, lessen responsibility, or turn victims into villains.

People cannot be bribed into changing their history. And no country is powerful enough, even when they think that they are, to change the facts. After all, les faits sont têtus.

Therefore, when we speak out about the roles and responsibilities of external

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actors and institutions, it is because genocide prevention demands historical clarity of all of us, not because we wish to shift blame onto others.

All genocides begin with an ideology — a system of ideas that says: This group of people here, they are less than human and they deserve to be exterminated.

The most devastating legacy of European control of Rwanda was the transformation of social distinctions into so-called “races”. We were classified and dissected, and whatever differences existed were magnified according to a framework invented elsewhere.

The purpose was neither scientific nor benign, but ideological: to justify colonial claims to rule over and “civilise” supposedly “lesser” peoples.

We are not.

In Rwanda, we are relying on universal human values, which include our culture and traditions, to find modern solutions to our unique challenges.

Managing the diversity in our society should not be seen as denying the uniqueness of every Rwandan. If we succeed in forging a new, more inclusive national identity, would it be a bad thing?

We did not need to experience genocide to become a better people. It simply should never have happened.

No country, in Africa or anywhere else, ever needs to become “another Rwanda”. But if a people’s choices are not informed by historical clarity, the danger is ever present.

This is why I say to Rwandans — let’s not get diverted. Our approach is as radical and unprecedented as the situation we faced.

This ideology was already in place in the 19th century, and was then entrenched by the French missionaries who settled here.

Rwanda’s two thousand years of history were reduced to a series of caricatures based on Bible passages and on myths told to explorers.

The insistence on finding our own way sometimes comes with a price.

Nonetheless, let’s stick to the course.

To our friends from abroad — I believe you value national unity in your own countries, where it exists.

Where it doesn’t, you are working to build it, just as we are.

The colonial theory of Rwandan society claimed that hostility between something called “Hutu”, “Tutsi”, and “Twa” was permanent and necessary.

This was the beginning of the genocide against the Tutsi, as we saw it twenty years ago.

We ask that you engage Rwanda and Africa with an open mind, accepting that our efforts are carried out in good faith for the benefit of all of us.

With the full participation of Belgian officials and Catholic institutions, this invented history was made the only basis of political organisation, as if there was no other way to govern and develop society.

The result was a country perpetually on the verge of genocide.

However, Africans are no longer resigned to being hostage to the world’s low expectations. We listen to and respect the views of others.

But ultimately, we have got to be responsible for ourselves.

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We want you to know that we appreciate your contributions, precisely because we do not feel you owe us anything.

Rwanda was supposed to be a failed state.

Watching the news today, it is not hard to imagine how we could have ended up.

We could have become a permanent U.N. protectorate, with little hope of ever recovering our nationhood.

We could have allowed the country to be physically divided, with groups deemed incompatible assigned to

different corners.

We could have been engulfed in a never-ending civil war with endless streams of refugees and our children sick and uneducated.

But we did not end up like that. What prevented these alternative scenarios was the choices of the people of Rwanda.

After 1994, everything was a priority and our people were completely broken.

But we made three fundamental choices that guide us to this day.

One — we chose to stay together.

When the refugees came home — we were choosing to be together.

When we released genocide suspects in anticipation of Gacaca — we were choosing to be together.

When we passed an inclusive constitution that transcends politics based on division and entrenched the rights of women as full partners in nation-building, for the first time — we were choosing to be together.

When we extended comprehensive new education and health benefits to all our citizens — we were choosing to be together.

Two — we chose to be accountable to ourselves.

When we decentralise power and decision-making into the towns and hills across the country — we are being accountable.

When we work with development partners to ensure that their support benefits all our citizens — we are being accountable.

When we award scholarships and appoint public servants based on merit, without discrimination — we are being accountable.

When we sanction an official, no matter how high-ranking, who

abuses their power or engages in corruption — we are being accountable.

As a result, our citizens expect more from government, and they deserve it.

Three — we chose to think big.

When Rwandans liberated our country — we were thinking big.

When we created Rwanda’s Vision 2020 and committed to meeting our development goals — we were thinking big.

When we decided to make Rwanda attractive for business — we were thinking big.

When we invested in a broadband network that reaches all our 30 districts — we were thinking big.

When we became a regular contributor to United Nations and African Union peacekeeping missions — we were thinking big.

We may make mistakes, like every country does. We own up and learn and move forward.

There is more hard work ahead of us than behind us. But Rwandans are ready.

A few years ago, at a commemoration event, I met a young man who was one of the twelve people pulled alive from under 3,000 bodies in a mass grave at Murambi.

He still lived nearby, totally alone.

When the perpetrators he recognised came home from prison, he was understandably terrified.

When I asked him how he managed, he told me: “I could not do it unless I was convinced that these impossible choices are leading us somewhere better.”

Yet as Fidel told us just now, today we have a reason to celebrate the normal moments of life that are easy for others to take for granted.

If the Genocide reveals humanity’s shocking capacity for cruelty, Rwanda’s choices show its capacity for renewal.

Today, half of all Rwandans are under 20. Nearly three-quarters are under 30. They are the new Rwanda. Seeing these young people carry the Flame of Remembrance, to all corners of the country over the last three months, gives us enormous hope.

We are all here to remember what happened and to give each other strength.

As we do so, we must also remember the future to which we have committed ourselves.

I thank you.

We did not need to experience genocide to become a better people. It simply should never have happened.

No country, in Africa or anywhere else, ever needs to become “another Rwanda”. But if a people’s choices are not informed by historical clarity, the danger is ever present.

This is why I say to Rwandans — let’s not get diverted. Our approach is as radical and unprecedented as the situation we faced.

Twenty years ago, Rwanda had no future, only a past.

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HIS EXCELLENCY HON. PRESIDENT YOWERI MUSEVENI

PRESIDENT OF UGANDA greet you and convey to Your Excellencies and the people of Rwanda the greetings of the people of Uganda.

Rwanda, along with Burundi, Uganda, parts of North Western Tanzania, Eastern Congo, Western Kenya, is part of the Great Lakes area that has, since several millennia, been occupied by the interlacustrine Bantus, Nilotics, Nilo-Hamitic and the Sudanic peoples.

The Rwanda people themselves are Bantu, part of the interlacustrine Bantus.

This area of the Great Lakes is unique because it had a quite advanced level of centralization, civilization and state formation (kingdoms and chiefdoms); advanced agriculture and livestock industry; unique industrial practices such as the processing of bananas into alcohol and juice, the milk industry, the cereals of sorghum and millet and their derivatives, etc., etc.; the science of converting iron-ore (obutare) into iron was also advanced ― totally vertically integrated ― as was the workings on other metals such as brass (emiringa), copper (ekikomo), etc., etc. There was also the unique technology of making textiles out of the fichus trees (emitooma).

In the socio-economic spheres, a feudal system was sitting atop symbiotic societies of agriculturalists (abahinzi), cattle keepers (abarozi), craftsmen such as blacksmiths (abaheesi), Wood workers (ababaizi), pottery workers (ababumbyi), textile workers for bark cloth (embugu, ebitooma) known as abakomagyi, leather workers (abaremi), etc. and professionals such as medicine men, magicians, musicians, etc.

At the top, the system could be parasitic where the kings and other rulers could expropriate property from citizens (kunyaga), do partial expropriation (kunogora), practice obuhakye – a form of serfdom, Kibooko etc. The rulers could also take tribute (emitoijo, amatuuro in Kinyarwanda) from the ordinary people. At the base of the society, however, the system was symbiotic with the different groups specializing in crops, livestock, fishing (abajubi), seamen (abarimbi), craftsmen (as already narrated), medicine men (abafumu, abaraguzi) and, then, exchanging products (okuchurika) ― barter trade ― with one another.

It is, therefore, a historic crime that external forces, working with local traitors, could turn a symbiotic society into the theatre of the most fiendish reactionary crimes – genocide. To the credit of one of the Kings, Rudahigwa, he had abolished obuhake and Kibooko. He also enforced sharing of economic resources (cows and land) between chiefs and ordinary people, both Hutus and Tutsis. Unfortunately, he was assassinated as was Prince Louis Rwagasore of Burundi. Rudahigwa and Rwagasore were patriots and Pan-Africanists. That is why the parasitic forces grew desperate and started using sectarianism, assassinations and genocide. All that did not save those traitors. Where they still exist, it is on account of the mistakes of the International community.

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Trade, within the Great Lakes and between the Great Lakes and the Coast of the Indian Ocean, was booming although inconvenienced by the greed of the egotistical chiefs on the trade routes. Ruswaruura of Bujinja distinguished himself in that skill of extorting “hongo” ― tax from travelers. The benevolent Kings like Rumanyika, Oruguundu, of Karagwe, on the other hand, encouraged the travelers and traders and assisted them. The fatal weakness of the Chiefs and Kings of that time was the failure to see the wisdom of political integration.

Although the Europeans spent about 400 years at the coast of the Indian Ocean before they had the capacity (automatic weapons, the steam engine and quinine) to penetrate in the interior of the continent, the myopic kings and chiefs, engrossed in self glorification and, sometimes, tyranny, could not see the wisdom of political integration in order to defend themselves against the strangers (the Bazungu) that were frequenting the coast of East Africa ever since 1498 when Vasco Da Gama went around the Cape of Good Hope.

Eventually, that ego-centrism of our kings and chiefs proved fatal.

Once the Europeans had used the 4 centuries to advance themselves in technology, they called the Congress of Berlin in 1884 to partition Africa among the British, the French, the Germans, the Portuguese, the Spanish and the Dutch in South Africa. Except for Ethiopia, the whole of Africa was conquered. This was a big shame for Africa.

That interaction with Europe came with the slave trade, mass killings, imported epidemics of small pox and other diseases, colonialism and the looting of our natural resources.

When Africa joined the worldwide anti-colonial struggle, along with India, Indonesia, Indo-China, China, parts of Latin America and some parts of the Middle East, assisted by the socialist countries (the Soviet Union, China, Cuba, etc.), also assisted

by the wars among the imperialist countries (1st and 2nd World Wars), we regained our freedom. This made certain circles among the imperialists very desperate. That is how they launched the criminal schemes of genocide, mass killings, assassinations of prominent political leaders, the secession schemes of Katanga and Biafra, etc., etc.

Rwanda, one of the most highly centralized indigenous states, fell a victim to these schemes. A bankrupt pseudo-ideology of dividing the People of Rwanda, who have got a common language and culture, was hatched and promoted in the form of sectarianism. While there could have been antagonistic relations between the rulers (Abanyiginya and other nobles) and the people, there could be no antagonistic relations between ordinary Batutsi and Bahutu.

Those groups had a symbiotic relationship that I have talked about above. Specialization in production and, then, exchange of products.

You could not have an ordinary Mututsi extorting tribute from an ordinary Muhutu. It is only the rulers that would take tribute (amatuuro) from both the Tutsis and Hutus. Using their military force (e.g. Kakomankongyi – helicopters), the Colonialists supported a criminal sectarian group of Gregoire Kayibanda whom they had trained in their Seminaries in Europe, to take power and launch the first genocide of 1959 to 1963. That genocide, apart from killing hundreds of thousands, produced a Tutsi diaspora that, eventually, numbered 1 million.

The reactionary regime told these people that they could not go back to their Country because it was over- crowded. When that bankrupt group was challenged by the RPF, their answer was genocide. In spite of killing 1 million people, the traitor criminal regime could not defeat the revolutionary forces. They fled to link up with their ideological colleague – Mobutu Sese Seko of Congo – Kinshasa.

That is the tragic story of Rwanda, of Burundi, of Congo, of Uganda, of Sudan etc. – where local reactionaries link up with the foreign parasitic interests to cause haemmorhage of life, on an unimaginable scale in Africa and do so with impunity.

I want to congratulate the People of Rwanda and the RPF for defeating these traitors and ensuring that they will never come back to kill the People of Rwanda again. We all can witness the economic growth in Rwanda and its stabilization. As a veteran patriot of this area, I would like to warn those who hobnob with the genocidaires to know that they will have to contend with the patriotic forces that defeated the traitors with their external backers when they were still much weaker. We are now much stronger in every sense of the word: politically, militarily, socially and economically. The People of Rwanda should know that they can always count on the People of Uganda. Uganda is steadfast in the support for African emancipation.

Again, I congratulate the RPF for defeating the traitors. I call them traitors because they created unprincipled and pseudo contradictions among the Banyarwanda. It is good that you have transcended that phase by relying on patriotism to defeat sectarianism.

I wish you continued prosperity.

I thank you.

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HIS EXCELLENCY HON. PRESIDENT UHURU KENYATTA

PRESIDENT OF KENYA join you today, pleased to be here but bearing a heavy heart in remembering the terrible events that got underway this day, twenty years ago. The people of Kenya reach out to their Rwandan brothers and sisters; we mourn with you, and join you in our determination that genocide will never find space in our region again.

For a hundred days, Rwanda suffered grievously while the world watched without daring to step in and fulfil the famous pledge of “never again” made after the Jewish Holocaust. Almost a million Rwandans were lost in an escalation of violence that had plagued Rwanda for decades with its roots in colonialism’s racist ideology and a postcolonial state that practised the politics of division and terror.

These beautiful hills were deluged with pain and death. The world’s refusal to act against the killers exposed the gulf between high-minded avocations of humanity, and the calculating approach that judges ‘interests’ against human lives.

Our region also stood aside, and for that we owe the most profound apology to the people of Rwanda. We have learned that no one from far away can be relied on to come to our aid; we must build an independent capability and will to protect the lives of our children and their futures.

This is why as the chairman of the East African Community I believe that we must ensure that our region is as strong on security and mutual aid, as it is in trade and economic integration.Building an EAC in this second decade of the 21st century that would have intervened in 1994 is the least we can do to honour the memory of the dead.

Rwanda learnt its painful lesson well. We proudly watched you go about the business of burying your dead, seeking justice for them by pursuing the killers, and then building a country that disavowed ethnic division, and promised good government.

Your nation is a phoenix, home of millions of unsung heroes.I salute the Rwandans who endured and survived. I applaud those who reached out to save their neighbours. I thank the Rwanda Patriotic Front for doing what so many others were unable or unwilling to do. I join hands with your President, H.E. Paul Kagame, in working toward a region that is prosperous, brotherly and safe for all our people.

We have learnt from your outstanding example of resisting the politics of ethnic division. We too have suffered from the violence that arises from not putting colonial divide-and-rule narratives to rest. We must guard against those who sought to dominate and exploit us all those years ago, and who even today pursue their economic and geopolitical interests with scant regard for our

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independence and sovereignty.

But that is not all we need to guard against. We must take the Rwandan example of Gacaca to deploy homegrown solutions that find the difficult balance between the victim’s craving for justice and the nation’s need for reconciliation and peace following conflict.

The dreadful media of Kangura and Radio RTLM must be remembered for us to reject hateful and inflammatory speech that seeks to turn us against one another on the basis of ethnicity or religion.

We must also guard against deniers of the genocide and their supporters.

We note that genocidaires remain abroad, openly rejecting the horrors of 1994 and even seeking to argue, from reputable rostrums, that it is they who were the real victims.

This is a way to hide their vile agenda, which is nothing less than the continuation of the genocide by narrative means, behind admirable norms such as free speech.

Central African Republic. Kenya has worked hard to engage in the search for peace in these troubled countries.

Our troops like those of Rwanda have been deployed to protect civilians, while our diplomats work overtime to forge stability and then peace.

We must not allow those crises to escalate any further into the kind of mass atrocities that would betray our determination to ensure that “never again” is a real promise.

Let me finish by telling all Rwandans that in Kenya you have a friend.

We grieve with you, and honour the memory of all who suffered and perished. I pray with you for the souls of the dead, and for the healing of their families, friends and compatriots. I look to the future in expectation of continued stability and progress. Stay united and independent. I wish you all God’s blessings – and peace, love and unity always.

Thank you.

We are not fooled for one instant. Free speech is not hate speech. Denial of the 1994 genocide is not an exercise in academic freedom or democratic politics; it is a cloak for murderers who to this day believe their genocidal work is not complete.

Rwanda has moved forward together with Kenya and East Africa. You are no longer just a nearby country; you are a first-line partner in our transformative political and economic enterprises. These days we look out for each other.

Although we do not expect mass violence to revisit Rwanda, our history has taught us the need for vigilance. The Inter-Government Committee on the Great Lakes Region (IGCLR), the Eastern Africa Standby Force, and other arrangements remain at hand to ensure that our region is never again home to mass murder and genocide.

Our concern extends to the tragic events in South Sudan and the

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THE WALK TO REMEMBER 2014

HIS EXCELLENCY BAN KI- MOON

UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY – GENERAL uri jye, ni icyubahiro cyinshi kuba ndi kumwe namwe kuri uyu munsi ukomeye mu mateka y’u Rwanda. [I am deeply honoured to be here on this important day for Rwanda.]

I am profoundly honoured and humbled to join the people of Rwanda and so many leaders from around the world.

The genocide in Rwanda that targetted the Tutsi was one of the darkest chapters in human history. More than 800,000 people were systematically killed – overwhelmingly the Tutsi, and also moderate Hutu, Twa and others. The blood spilled for 100 days. Twenty years later, the tears still flow.

I express my solidarity with all Rwandans as you continue your journey of healing.

I also recognize the devastating consequences that the wider region continues to feel.

I have come to Rwanda many times as United Nations Secretary-General.

I have met survivors. I have listened to harrowing stories of cruelty and suffering.

On my first visit to the Gisozi Memorial, I heard and felt the silence of death.

The silence of all those lost – and the silence of the international community in your hours of greatest need.

Many United Nations personnel and others showed remarkable bravery.

But we could have done much more. We should have done much more.

In Rwanda, troops were withdrawn when they were most needed.

One year later in Srebrenica, areas proclaimed “safe” by the United Nations were filled with danger, and innocents were abandoned to slaughter.

The shame still clings, a generation after the events.

Today, Syria is in flames and the Central African Republic is in chaos.

The world has yet to fully overcome its divisions, its indifference, its moral blind spots.

At the same time, there is progress that gives hope.

Under the Responsibility to Protect, States can no longer claim that atrocity crimes are only a domestic matter.

International criminal justice is expanding its reach. Leaders and warlords alike face the growing likelihood of prosecution for their crimes.

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The remarkable work of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda has shown once again how justice is indispensable for sustainable peace.

And I have launched a call to the United Nations system and the international community to put human rights up front.

Since genocide takes planning, human rights violations must be seen as early warning signals of conflict and mass atrocities.

I have sent my own signal to UN representatives around the world.

My message to them is simply this: When you see people at risk of atrocity crimes, do not wait for instructions from afar.

Speak up, even if it may offend.

Act. Our first duty must always be to protect people – to protect human beings in need and distress.

That is what we have done recently in South Sudan. Thousands were fleeing for their lives in the latest round of fighting.

The UN opened the gates of its peacekeeping bases to shelter them.

The situation remains fragile. But many thousands of people are alive today thanks to this open gates approach – a lesson of Rwanda made real.

We are sure to face other grave challenges to our common values.

And we must meet them.

We must not be left to utter the words “never again”, again and again.

There is a truth to the human condition that is as alarming today as it was 20 years ago; the fragility of our civility.

The bonds that hold us together can swiftly disappear.

Societies can rapidly revert to a capacity for violence and

brutalisation that is far too easy to incite in the dark corners of the human heart.

No country, no matter how tolerant on the surface, is immune from targetting the so-called other.

No corner of the world, no matter how advanced, is free from opportunists who manipulate identity for political gain.

Over the past generation, you, the people of Rwanda, have shown the world another essential truth: the power of the human spirit.

The resilience of the survivors almost defies belief. Children witnessed enough brutality to age them overnight. Yet you, and your country, have found a way to emerge from the depths, overcome frightful memories, and live again.

You have shown the world that transformation is possible.

I encourage Rwanda to continue deepening democracy and protecting human rights so that Rwanda’s future is one of freedom, dignity, security and opportunity for all I urge the wider Great Lakes region to expand upon your efforts to strengthen prevention and cooperation towards regional stability and harmony.

Twenty years ago, thousands of Rwandans found refuge in this National Stadium, barely escaping the murder and rape that stalked Kigali and the countryside.

Today it is filled with people who are building a new Rwanda, a Rwanda of shared culture, traditions and peace. Let the name of this arena – Amahoro, or peace – forever be our goal and guide.

Nzahora iteka nibuka kandi nifatanya nabanyarwanda. [I will always remember and stand by the people of Rwanda.]

Murakoze cyane. [Thank you very much.]

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THE WALK TO REMEMBER 2014

DR. NKOSAZANA DLAMINI-ZUMA

CHAIRPERSON, AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION (AUC) he commemoration of twenty years since the Rwanda Genocide is in remembrance of an event of great tragedy that will affect the people of Rwanda and all Africans for generations to come.

When we listen to the stories of survivors they are heartbreaking.

Within one hundred days, more than 800,000 men, women and children were abandoned to systematic and most callous of deaths, as longtime neighbours, colleagues and friends turned against one another. Over a quarter of million women and girls were raped, and many infected with HIV/AIDS. At least 100,000 children were separated from their families or orphaned. Place of sanctuaries such as churches, military bases, hospitals and other public buildings were turned into slaughterhouses. The aftermath of this great tragedy on African soil was a wasteland and a shattered people.

Twenty years later, it is apt that the commemorations are held under the theme Kwibuka: remember, unite, renew.

As we gather today in solidarity with Rwandan people we remember those who lost their lives, and those who lost parents and grandparents, children and siblings, their spouses, aunts and uncles, friends and neighbours, often whole families, villages and neighbourhoods.

We must also remember, as we again pledge Never again what led up to these tragic events. The roots lay in the colonial history of divide and rule; the continuation of treating certain groups in society as the Other; the earlier attempts at ethnic cleansing; the discrimination and hate speech shortly before; the systematic planning to exterminate the Tsutsis and anyone opposing this; the complicity (either by omission or commission) of the international community, including our own organisation and the failure by all of us to intervene as the massacres unfolded before our eyes.

It indeed became a case of the triumph of evil, as good men and women did nothing, until the liberation of Rwanda by the RPF, which put a stop to the slaughter - a long 100 days later.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen We remember, as President Kagame said so eloquently a few days ago at in Kigali: “Rwanda was supposed to be a failed state. We could have become a permanent U.N. protectorate, with little hope of ever recovering our nationhood.

We could have allowed the country to be physically divided, with groups deemed

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)

incompatible assigned to different corners.

We could have been engulfed in a never-ending civil war with endless streams of refugees and our children sick and uneducated.

But we did not end up like that. What prevented these alternative scenarios was the choices of the people of Rwanda.”

Rwanda indeed made the choices to unite, to involve all its people - men and women, young and old, victim and perpetrator, Hutu, Tutsi and Twa - in the process of justice, reconciliation and healing, and to build a country that belongs to all.

This is not easy, but it had to be done.

It is not a journey of two decades.

The country, its leadership and people will have to continue with this journey, climb a hundred more hills, in memory of those who died, for the survivors and more importantly for future generations.

Rwanda, twenty years later, shows us the triumph of the human spirit, in the rebuilding of its health, and education systems, in reducing poverty, in its efforts to diversify its economy and in its fast economic growth of the past decade.

I don’t believe this would have been possible or the country would have come this far, without the conscious choice made to do this by empowering women and girls.

Rwanda today is a lodestar not only for Africa, but the world in terms of gender equality, even though they still need to do more.

Unless we remember the lessons of Rwanda, across the continent, in all countries we will not live up to our pledge of Never again. These lessons are embedded in our Pan African values of solidarity and unity, and in the African Union principle of nonindifference.

It is part of our strategic orientation for the future, to build inclusive,

tolerant and democratic societies; to fight against impunity; to invest in our young people; to promote people’s and human rights; to empower our women and fight gender-based violence; to build accountable, democratic and developmental government and institutions; and ensure the human security of all Africa’s people.

As we therefore reflect in the coming months on how to silence the guns by 2020, as we take forward the AU Human Rights Memorial Project and as we finalise our Agenda 2063, we must renew our determination, and make the choice: that Africa shall be peaceful; that we will integrate; that we shall be prosperous and that we will never again tolerate genocide on African soil.

We must also be honest with ourselves as the Peace and Security Council reflects this month on how to silence the guns by 2020. We must address the question whether we have a plan of what to do when such situations arise again. As I stand here, I am not confident that we have the capacity to respond immediately to prevent the killings before it starts, and to intervene quickly to stop mass atrocities and genocide.

Let me conclude with the words of the great Pan African, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela that he wrote in Long walk to Freedom: No one is born hating another person because of the colour of her skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.

I thank you

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THE WALK TO REMEMBER 2014

WHO WE ARE

PEACE AND LOVE PROCLAIMERS OUR OBJECTIVES ARE TO PROMOTE YOUTH LED INITIATIVES AIMED AT SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT, TO ADVOCATE FOR CHILDREN’S RIGHTS AND TO PROMOTE UNITY AND RECONCILIATION. CROSS-CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING AND COOPERATION AMONG COUNTRIES, PEOPLES AND COMMUNITIES.

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Youth for

change Introduction by

Marc Gwamaka Director of PLP “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Mahatma Gandhi

responsibility remain the foundation for each club, initiative and event created worldwide.

Peace and Love Proclaimers (“PLP”) is a movement created for the youth, by the youth.

Through a series of grassroots initiatives, PLP empowers students from around the world to take responsibility for establishing a more unified nation within their respective countries.

P LP‘s mission is to establish a positive change in the world through unity, peace and development

Founded in 2007 by a group of young Rwandans, PLP consists of over 2000 members spread throughout Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, India, USA and Malaysia.

In Rwanda, PLP provides school-fees for underprivileged children and organizes clubs in secondary schools and universities to teach the principles of forgiveness and reconciliation, as well as promote AIDS awareness and children’s rights. Programming is designed to cater to the specific needs of each community within each country their members are present.

Since 2007, PLP has hosted numerous community events in Rwanda such as The Watchman Visit and Good in the Hood as well as established three annual events. Their annual events include: The Global Youth Forgiveness Conference, Walk to Remember, and The Chain of Hope. As PLP expands internationally, the underlying principles of hope, unity, and social

Our vision is a unified world that is free from any kind of divisionism and where every child is free to exercise each of his/her rights fully.

Our objectives are to promote youth led Initiatives aimed at socioeconomic and cultural development, to advocate for children’s rights and to promote unity and reconciliation. Cross-cultural understanding and cooperation among countries, peoples and communities.

In Peace and Love Proclaimers, we have different projects that are helping us work towards our goals.

One of the programs, Walk to Remember (W2R) aims to educate young people about the causes and consequences of genocide and to highlight the role and responsibility young people have to help prevent such atrocities now and in the future. W2R also aims to provide a platform from which the youth of the world can speak out. It is our goal to encourage young people to be active in fighting prejudice, intolerance and hatred in their own communities.

Another important program is the Global Forgiveness Conference (GFC); the aim of the GFC is to discuss the role of forgiveness in healing the heart of the Rwandan society and the world at large. We believe that the youth play a central role in ensuring the growth of our society not just economically but at the core of all personal interactions among the people.

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why w

THE WALK TO REMEMBER 2014

WALK T REMEMBE By: Angel Uwamahoro.

We walk , Because we Don’t Just Talk We walk, Because actions Speak louder than words We walk To -Move –This- World…

You ask why we walk?

We walk For change In sunshine or rain, In fall or snow We walk To let the world know…

That we are not a youth That is indifferent We are a youth of another brand Understand that we will make a difference We are different …

So we walk!!!

And we do it none stopWe are An unstoppable force of hope We move forward, One step at a time Right foot left footOver the hills, on campuses or city streets Down the valleys and in between trees In different countries US, UK, Norway- Walk Canada, India, China -Walk France, Belgium, Netherlands-Walk Nigeria, Malaysia, Uganda- Walk

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Tanzania-Walk, Kenya Walk, Burundi Walk, Rwanda Walk You will see usWalk- And cars will stop and let us Walk-And people will stop and let us Walk - Or better yet join the Walk - And we shall all Walk But we don’t just walk…

We walk to remember…

And we remember…from December to December We remember, April, May, June And off course July- fourth…

We remember All the stolen lives and All a million souls We remember And so we walk to remember…

That this will never happen again…

Not on my watch, not yours We walk till sweat breaks through our pores, We walk for a cause, (flash back) In 1994, They stole our hopes and dreams Broke our families, Homes, towns and

city Our country was one, the world showed no pity We were a wreck A nation of broken hearts Where were we even supposed to start?

So we sat stillUnsure of what to do or feel…

Unsure of how to deal…

All some of us could do was kneel Stare out in hopelessness Stare out in hopelessnessWe were a messA nation distressed- DepressedBut in this dark night There was a sparkly light of hope Giving away to cope So we blew on it till We could blow no more, And this spark of hope became a flame A flame of hope that was ours to claim (Phase back to reality) And now we walkWalk to remember Walk to set an exampleWalk to tell a story- of a different

y we

TO BER

kind of youthWalk for the transformation of a nationWalk for peaceWe shall walk- With our heads held highWalk Moving forwardWalk till we rock this world We will walk— Because we are the rock of Rwanda The firm foundation that our cities will be built overWe will walk To mock the past they wanted us to forget But we remember This will be a walk for all to remember And this This is why we walk

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THE WALK TO REMEMBER 2014

3.

WALK TO REMEMBER 2014 FACTS 2014 Theme:

“Uniting the international community and empowering youth to take action against genocide and mass. atrocities worldwide.”

Our First Walk to Remember : It was in 2009 THE 5 PARTS OF WALK TO REMEMBER: 1. Training Program for Rwandan Team 2. Mobilization Period 3. On-site Preparation 4. Power of Image 5. Walk to Remember Event THE AIMS OF WALK TO REMEMBER: 1. TO COMMEMORATE the Genocide against tutsi in Rwanda and remember victims of other genocides and mass atrocities 2. TO EDUCATE young people about the causes and consequences of genocide and to highlight the role and responsibility young people have to help prevent such atrocities now and in the future.

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TO PROVIDE a platform from which the youth of the world can speak out 4. TO EQUIP the youth with necessary tools and understanding to take a stand against genocide within their own communities and abroad.

THE OBJECTIVES OF WALK TO REMEMBER: 1. TO ENGAGE the youth worldwide in an ongoing commitment to the concept of ‘Never Again’ 2. TO DELIVER awareness raising events in each country by holding film screenings and discussion sessions on what happened in Rwanda and its relevance today 3. TO ORGANIZE commemorative walks around the world in April each year, engaging approximately 800 people in each location THE OUTCOME OF WALK TO REMEMBER: 1. EMPOWERED young people acting against mass atrocities or genocide – whether in their own community or in other parts of the world.

2. ESTABLISHED links between young people in East African communities and throughout the world to act together on the issues of racism, prejudice and genocide ideology 3. EQUIPPED young people with the necessary skills and knowledge to speak out against genocide and promote unity within their own communities and abroad.

WHEN WE START WALK TO

REMEMBER PREPARATIONS: September of the previous year THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE READING OF NAMES: W2R requests that each location reads 10 or 100 names of victims of Genocide in Rwanda to humanize the experience for participants. If a location reads 10 names, each name represents 100,000 individuals lost, if 100 than 10,000.

THE CURRENT LOCATIONS FOR WALK TO REMEMBER AROUND THE WORLD: 1. Rwanda (Countrywide) 2. Burundi: Bujumbura 3. Uganda: Kampala 4. Kenya: Nairobi 5. Tanzania: Dar es Salaam 6. Canada: Quebec, Toronto 7. China: Beijing 8. India: Bangalore, Chidambaram 9. Norway: Oslo 10. United Kingdom: Isle of Lewis 11. United States: Arkansas, California, Maine, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee For Information visit our kindly website : www.walk2remember.org

THE WALK TOREMEMBER

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THE WALK TO REMEMBER 2014

EXPERIENCES OF

WALK TO REMEMBER ORGANIZERS

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With Salma Peter

The Walk to Remember started four years ago, organized by young individuals across the country and beyond borders. We caught up with some of the organizers of the Walk to Remember and they shared their experiences with us.

ANGEL UWAMAHORO I organized the walk in the year of 2010. It was the first ever Walk to remember East Africa.

When I heard about walk to remember, I felt like this was my way of taking ACTION, to do something that would honor the victims of the Genocide, Raise awareness and prevent it from happening again.

I was going to WALK (an action) and mobilize others to do so as well- to make a difference for the better and this is what prompted me be part of the walk.

Organizing the walk was not an easy task; I was part and head of the team organizing the Walk in Uganda. Many sleepless nights were involved, a lot of brain storming, knocking on VIP’s doors, waiting outside offices for long hours etc. but the results, were so rewarding. We had our Walk in Uganda, and had a ceremony honoring the victims; we also made the news hence raising awareness, so truly it was a great experience. In the process, I learned a lot of skills and made a lot of new friends.

I remember when we had asked one of our coordinates to secure our venue, and he had said that he had done so; however two days to the event, we found out that the venue managers had no idea who we were or what we had come to do, and no venue had been secured for us whatsoever.

I almost fainted!

However, after a lot of running around and getting signatures from mayors and police the venue was finally secured.

Lesson learned from that: Was always do things yourself- If you have team players from another team, walk with them on their side of the court too, after all it’s your game- no one will care for your baby as much as you do.

The walk is something that I carry very close to my heart. Like i said before, the walk is us youth TAKING ACTION, to do something of value, to make a change in this world.

We walk to remember, we remember so we don’t forget, we don’t forget so that it won’t happen again, It won’t happen again so that we can have a better and brighter future.

I believe planning ahead- would be something that would be essential to make walk to remember a firmer and

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THE WALK TO REMEMBER 2014

more effective event in Rwanda and the rest of the world.

I wish for the walk to remember be a global event, where all countries around the world gather together to remember the lives lost in such atrocities on the 7th of April.

To the other organizers I recommend that they plan ahead as much as they can. Stay motivated, remember who you are doing this for and why.

Save your contacts, and keep your connections, you will need them again soon.

This would be my message to the youth of Rwanda.

Youth of RwandaOur great, great grandparents suffered a lot Our great grandparents suffered a lot Our grandparents suffered a lot Our parents suffered a lot We too have suffered a lot...but how about we change the cycle?

I want my kids to grow up in a country they can call home; to be able to roam the streets freely to check the time on their watches only because they might be running late for dinner, but not because they are afraid that a curfew might catch up to them.

We are a blessed generation that has leaders who promote change for the better, education and peace.

Let us use this time to make a difference and to make history in a better way.

ROBERT MANZI. We’ve organized two “Walk to Remember” events here in Bangalore so far, in 2011 and 2012. Both attracted all (or most) of the Rwandans and friends of Rwanda in Bangalore. My experience is that ‘Walk to remember’ is one thing that Rwandans here respect and are always willing to take part in.

The organization has never been easy. Bangalore is a big city with Rwandans spread across various parts, bringing them together to one particular place at the same time is always a challenge but it turns out just fine. I feel that the ‘Walk to Remember’ should take place every

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year; it’s one of the ways to voice to the world “NEVER AGAIN” I have not taken part in any ‘Walk to Remember’ in Rwanda yet.

I believe creating awareness of the importance of the ‘Walk to Remember’ for us as Rwandans and its impact on the world would make it a more firm and effective event in Rwanda.

SALOOM MURUGI. I am university student studying from Bangalore University india doing my final year in B.COM .

We organized walk to remergmber in Bangalore last year and it was amazingly surprising how Indian dignitaries and locals joined us to educate the Indian public about the genocide and its extremely negative consequences that time to heal or cured. I am proud to have taken part in the walk to stop genocide from happening again. During the event we all agreed to fight the ideologies of genocide in any place in and see to it that it never happens again. my dream for my country is that we as Rwandans can live together as one people and nation in peace and we continues the building a stable nation.

KARIM MBANYUNDO. I am a PLP (Peace and Love Proclaimers) member. I organised the walk to remember in Burundi since 2010. We started with 600 participants in 2010 and increased to 1000 as of the most recent Walk to Remember event.

the future to be something that all Rwandans across the world take part in. Coordinated and well planned for, making sure that our ‘Voice’ is heard.

CYUZUZO INGRID. My experience in organizing the W2R is very broad. I learnt as the head of mobilization during the walk to remember 2013 that people are aware of what we do and they are very supportive. The walk itself has a lot of meaning to everyone who participate and it is a good way to educate and people about genocide and its consequences.

The biggest challenge during the preparation of the walk to remember is the lack of collaboration among the different organizations that have the same purpose of remembering the genocide to stop it from happening worldwide. I think it would be an amazing success we if all worked together to serve the same cause.

I feel that the walk to remember should be part of our culture and especially its meaning. Young ones should attend the walk to learn how they can always take an action against the genocide and its ideology.

And I have to say that I acknowledge all efforts of people who do and give their strength and knowledge for this event to take place because it impacts many hearts, it is the work of our hands and mind but the effect is in our hearts.

The first time we organized the Walk to Remember, we faced the challenge of acquiring permission to organize the walk to remember due to security reasons.

There should be a more effective collaboration among all organizations that aim at taking actions against genocide and its ideology. Make people share a common perspective of the walk. I have not yet been in a walk to remember abroad but I hope to be able to onetime.

WHAT I learnt from organizing the walk to remember is that when you are leading many people; you have to manage their way of thinking and know how you lead people who are older than me and I know that any decision that I make will have an impact to many people I wish for the ‘Walk to Remember’ in

I wish to see a walk where all organizers use together their strength, where Rwandans will participate, I wish to see that they really understand in the deepest of themselves the purpose of remembering genocide and seeing how ready and able they are to fight the genocide.

EXPERIENCE OUR WALK TO REMEMBER

Umutesi Asha Karim, student walk to remember helped me to compare the past and the present in order to know where i will start to build a better future I have attended walk to remember 4 times now. In my first experience with walk to remember I that when is dealing with many people it is important to have good leadership skills.

Walk to remember presents an opportunity for the youth to do something positive for themselves and the country.

My message: Let’s keep this movement growing it’s an amazing opportunity for the youth to come and walk together for a good course.

Ingabire Phionah, Tigo Service Centre 20yrs.

I have actively participated in several Walk to Remember events. During the event I got to meet very many people and even some of our local leaders.

Walk to remember is an emotional event for me because we get to remember all the people who died in the genocide and be with the families of the lost ones. It’s A time to show our love and support for each other.

Message: Let us all be part of nation building and make Rwanda a better place for generations to come.

Kirezi Linda, Senior 6 Kagarama Secondary I have attended walk to remember. It’s a good exercise as we walk in large numbers remembering our beloved families and friends that fell victims of the tragedy of the Genocide in 1959-1994, as we are walking we are also educating, helping the victims and also helping one another to be strong and moving on to a brighter future.

Message: Be your brother’s keeper.

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THE WALK TO REMEMBER 2014

AKALIZA Ashley, student at Gashora girls academy.

I learn about walk to remember from my friend who was a PLP member back then in 2009 and I attended walk to remember 3 times. My first experience was very interesting and I believe as a patriot and team leader I did a good job and was able to tap into my leadership skills that had hidden somewhere in me.

Walk to remember mean something special to me since each walk to remember come with a different message that guides us throughout the year.

As one of the walk to remember organizers I have gained more experience and as more years come walk to remember come with more challenges which help us to explore our different abilities.

I learnt many things such as public speaking, I gained many leadership skills and I learnt many more things about our history and how to take part in the fight against genocide as a youth.

I would encourage the youth to take part in the walk to remember because it is not a walk like any other but rather a walk meant to remember the innocent youth which were killed in the 1994 genocide.

My Message: I would like to tell everyone participating in the walk to remember especially the youth to come with a specific purpose of course the good one and not to take walk to remember as a leisure activity where people come to just meet their friends or make friends.

Let us all be purpose drive.

My name is Rutabayiru Lea, S5 Student GGAST I heard about walk to remember for the first time from a friend who was part of the Peace and Love Proclaimers (PLP) committee and told me about its motives and importance

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then convinced me to join for the following year. So far I have attended the Walk to remember three times, that is since 2011.

I was really impressed with the number of people that had attended, especially because it was mostly the youth. I was really happy to be part of such a great cause that brings in reconciliation, self-reliance and most importantly unity and harmony among Rwandans.

know more about the walk and why it was done and it was a wonderful experience. I never used to attend the walk because I thought that it was actually a get together for different people but with experience, I got to know that people had been traumatized and that many were heartbroken and therefore decided to join the group PLP (Peace & Love Proclaimers) so that I could offer my support in one way or the other.

To me, Walk to Remember is about many different things. First and foremost, it is about to “forgive without forgetting”. In this case, remembering the genocide that happened in our country twentyyears ago.

My message: I would encourage the youth to take part in the walk with a willing heart for it enables one to have the right mindset and would trickle down to the future generation, a mind of change.

Forgiveness is a long process depending on the gravity of the crime and if we look at the outrageous tragedy in Rwanda, it seems impossible to some to forgive but this is exactly exactly what we need, the citizens of Rwanda as a whole; to learn from our past to build a brighter future.

I would send a message to simply encourage them and let them know that where there is a will there is away. Let us keep pushing and keep moving.

GAKWENZIRE Laura; student Gashora Girls Academy I got to hear or learn about walk to remember when I was in S1 at Lycee Notre-dame de citeaux. I have attended the walk 2 times in 2011 and 2012. I had the chance to participate in 2013 but fell sick.

My Message: I would encourage the youth to take part in the W2R because it is a sign of respect to the victims and a sign of support to our friends and fellow citizens who survived. It gives us more knowledge about what happened and strategies to apply to make sure it never happens again.

The message I would want to send to all the people participating in the W2R is to let them know that unity is the pillar of development and political stability which is why we should remember unify and inspire other communities and countries.

Akariza Sandra When I was in O-level, I was told about the walk to remember.

I have attended the walk to remember once. My first experience was that I had a change of heart. I realized that Rwanda faced a lot of changes and lost many of her citizens. When we walked to remember, I got a chance to

My first experience when I walked to remember; it felt right , as in I felt that I was doing something right, I was remembering people who died in a terrific catastrophic event which tore down my country Rwanda and that I should always do this walk.(For me it’s also a kind of sign of patriotism).

My message: I would encourage the youth to participate because this is very important to them; in the past the youth used their energies in perpetrating Genocide; they put their time and effort in the country’s destruction so the present youth should make a change. We should remember and learn from our history so as to positively impact on our country. For everyone else participating in Walk to remember

; be courageous ; let us all learn from this awful past and make positive change and be there for the survivors.

Kalisa Marebe Claudia, student at GGAST I learnt about walk to remember through my friends who had participated in the walk to remember So far, I have participated two times in the walk to remember The first time I participated in the walk to remember, it was on 7th April 2012,it was on the 18th commemoration. I remember it was a rainy day but still I had to go. It was not an awesome experience because of the rain but it was worth it.

I think walk to remember is a walk done with a purpose to remember the innocent victims of the 1994 Genocide and also as a symbol of the long distances they walked as they were trying to save their lives.

My message: I would encourage the youth to participate in the walk to remember because it helps us who were not yet born i.e. those who didn’t witness the 1994 genocide to understand better what happened and know what to do in order to prevent genocide from reoccurring.

Linca Teta UKUNDWA, student in GGAST , S4 PCB/M I heard about walk to remember in 2012 when my sisters were preparing to go to participate in it and I decided to join the band wagon.

I attend and participate two times in 2012 and 2013.

My first experience was exhausting I thought I was going to die for we had walked for quite a distance but I eventually made it to the end of the line.

My Message: We as the youth should come together and work hard as brothers and sisters. We can achieve anything and everything if we put our hearts and minds to it.

Let’s keep this movement growing it’s an amazing opportunity for the youth to come and walk together for a good course.

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pi ctorial

2013 WALK TO REMEMBERTHROUGH THE LENSE

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THE FLAME TOUR

n the remembering of twenty years post the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, a flame is lit. This undying flame, “urumuri rutazima� was launched on January 7th 2014, and planned to tour the country until April 7th this year. A simple flame is lit and used to distribute flames in all thirty districts of the country.

This undying flame is carried as a symbol of remembrance as well as the resilience and courage of Rwandans over the past twenty years. In a period of three months, a flame was lit across the country.

This tour ended in Kigali at the start of the national mourning period, April 7th. The scheduled tour plan shows it starting from the Kigali Genocide memorial center on 7th January in Gisozi. And continued from there, as the tour schedule shows below: 10 January: Nyange School, Ngororero District 13 January: Mugina, Kamonyi District 16 January: Bwishyura, Karongi District 19 January: Kinazi, Ruhango District 21 January: Nyanza Stadium 24 January: University of Rwanda, Huye District 27 January: Kabuye, Gisagara District 30 January: Kibeho, Nyaruguru District 3 February: Murambi, Nyamagabe District 7 February: Rusizi Stadium 9 February: Kagano,

Nyamasheke District 13 February: Kabgayi, Muhanga District 16 February: Rutsiro Stadium 20 February: Rubavu District 21 February: Nyabihu District 24 February: Busogo, Musanze District 27 February: Rugarama, Burera District 1 March: Kivuruga, Gakenke District 4 March: Rusiga, Rulindo District 6 March: Mutete, Gicumbi District 11 March: Nyagatare District 13 March: Kiziguro, Gatsibo District 16 March: Mukarange, Kayonza District 20 March: Mwurire, Rwamagana District 22 March: Ntarama, Bugesera District 24 March: Rukumbeli, Ngoma District

27 March: Nyarubuye, Kirehe District 30 March: Nyarugenge District 3 April: Ndera, Gasabo District 5 April: ETO Kicukiro, Kicukiro District The tour was once again was concluded at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, Gisozi on April 7th with the presence of his Excellency the president of the republic of Rwanda. This would mark the beginning of the national mourning period of 100days.

The flame has also toured other countries around the globe: Uganda, USA, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, china among others.

This undying flame portrays the true spirit of the people of Rwanda .A People who rose at an astounding pace from a terrible past.

This unfortunate past is now remembered with the burning flame inside every citizen of the country. A

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burning desire to remember, honor and celebrate the lives of those we lost; the desire to build this country to the top, where it rightfully belongs. The fire that burns within the people of Rwanda drives us to work hard, learn from the past mistakes and make sure they are never repeated. Be it in Rwanda or any other parts of the world.

So we light a flame all around Rwanda. To remember, unite and renew. Let us remember our past, let us remember those we lost and the mistakes we made. Let remembering guide us into correcting our past mistakes and striving to be much better than we could ever be.

Let us unite our people, into one solid strong family. And let the strength of this unity be a light for those around us. Let us renew our spirit.

The Rwandan spirit is one of harmony, growth and togetherness: the ultimate essence of being Rwandan. Let it be renewed and shared with all those near us. With renewed strength of will, let us spread the light. So, shine bright Rwanda. Shine through your children, shine through the brave hearts of your people. Let the undying flame burn and illuminate Rwanda!

EXTRACT FROM : www.kwibuka.rw

THE COORDINATOR OF THE FLAME TOUR:

Simon Rwema: Simon Rwema is one of the national flame tour coordinators. He invited

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our team to go with him in one of the Flame tours where we embarked on a journey from Kigali to Rurindo and through to Gicimba district via Kigali.

Because of how hectic his schedule was we carried out the interview as we moved from one district to the other.

The Role: As coordinator, I had to be in the district the Flame was to be lit three days in advance. During this time my colleges and I with the help of the government officials would identify the venue for the event.

This venue or site would be a place that had a historical background associated with the genocide. At the site we would then map out where the tents and truck would be pitched and also workout the sitting arrangements and any other logistical matters. After that, we would also have to get 20 young boys and girls aged between 8 to 12years from the local schools. I would then teach them the “URUMURI RUTAZIMA” song which would be performed during the event and also do the choreography of the performance.

This year marks 20yrs since the genocide against the Tutsi, therefore the people assigned the duty of carrying the flame were two young Rwandan youths from every district who were 20yrs of age. During the three day preparation, we would then get to meet them (a boy and a girl). We had the responsibility of confirming their ages with the help of the local government officials, family and friends.

We would also select one of the locally known poet/songwriter/ musician to perform one of their inspirational works during the event.

Every district has a flame house, this house would be used as the storage facility of the flame. After the speeches were over, the flame would then be moved from the grounds and transferred into the light house, where it would remain burning for days to come. Our team would therefore ensure that the

construction of the house was done in good time and according to plan for it was a standardized structure that had the same design throughout the 30 districts in the country.

The Event: I had the sole responsibility of transporting the flame in a lantern from one district to the other and ensuring that the lantern had gasoline at all times.

Depending on how far each district was we had to ensure that the flame was moved from the last district to the next district on time. The event was starting from 2pm pronto and time was of the essence. Moving the flame from one place to the other was no joke, we had to ensure that the flame lit throughout the journey…. If by any chance it went off along the way, we would have to go back to the district of origin, light it again and head back to the district the flame was destined for.

Thank God none of that happened, it would have been disheartening for me because the flame should never go off and it would have been a failure on my side.

Once the flame got to the next district the two twenty year olds from the previous district would hand over the flame to the already prepared two twenty year olds of the next district.

The twenty kids would have formed a path by making two files facing each other where the flame would be passed and entered into the main activity ground accompanies by the local government officials.

The 20 children would then perform the “ Urumuri Rutazim” song after the MC acknowledges the presence of all the esteemed guests and guest of honor. In every district one survivor and one perpetrator were given the chance to take the podium in an emotional moment of the event.

After that, speeches would be made by the available local government officials in the program then a local artist (poet or musician would perform) and later the Guest of honor would crown the day and escort the

flame to the designated flame house.

The Ribbons: As the event went on, ribbons were distributed to people who wrote their messages of hope, encouragement and inspiration on them dedicated to the survivors. The ribbons are then divided into two. One batch was left in district and would be placed in one of the genocide memorial sites in the district; the other batch will be used in the stadium during the official commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsis.

Challenges: In every event one always meets challenges here and there, some can really catch off guard while for others you can already preempt or fore see them, some are really intense and others are quite easy to tackle. One of the most memorable challenge I ever encountered was when we went to one of the districts and found that the flame house had not yet been constructed and it was three days to the arrival of the flame in that particular district. We had to move with the speed of lightening to ensure that the construction was done. More so the kids in the area had also not been properly prepared. But let’s just say, we thank God that through the spirit of team work everything was ready on the supposed day.

Memorable moment: Transporting the flame with the lantern was no easy task because as I said earlier if the flame went off we would have to go back to the point of origin to light it up and embark on the journey to destination point.

Please note that some districts were several hours away and if that light went off it would mean that the whole program of the day would be in total disarray. Having moved the flame in all the 30 districts, without it ever going off were all memorable moments for me. The pressure was high but each time we would hand over the flame I felt an adrenaline rush go through my body, a feeling of joy and accomplishment would engulf

me because indeed the flame lit uninterrupted across the Nation.

Significance of the flame: The flame means a lot to me.

It signifies the transition from darkness to the Light. It symbolizes a new beginning, hope, a bright future not only for the current Rwanda generations but also for generations to come.

Message of hope: Our country is Rwanda, We are the country. Let us come together in the spirit of togetherness in building our nation; let us not be divided but find strength in our diversity. Ndi Umunyarwanda!

THE 20YR OLD FLAME HOLDER Elizabeth Irankunda

Elizabeth Irankunda is a 20yr old girl from Inyange High School, Rurindo District, Southern Province. She’s in senior 6 and studies Mathematics, Computers and Economics. She is also learning Chinese and has 30 per cent fluency in it. She hopes to pursue a degree in Economics in China once she is done with her high school education.

According to her she chooses to study economics because she believes this is one of the corner stones of our ever growing economy and therefore would want to come back home after her studies and actively participate in the economic

development of the country.

We caught up with this very pleasant young lady as she was going to hand over the flame from Rurirundo to Gicumbi and this is what is she had to say about having being chosen as the female 20yr from her district to carry the flame and represent her fellow 20yr old age mates in southern province.

I was excited and felt honored to be part of the tour. I felt that I had been given yet another lease of life seeing as many children who were born in 1994 never got to see their first birthday, but I had not only been privileged to see my first birthday but to also carry a flame that signified the remembrance of all those would have been age mates of mine.

What went through your MIND as you carried the flame?

As I carried the flame I felt a feeling hope, hope for a brighter future Hope and believe that our government is working relentless to bring people together in the spirit of togetherness.

Hope that the youth are more enlightened and informed and will NO longer be used as a TOOL to spread such evil and divide but be the forces of harmony.

Hope that genocide is a thing of the past and it will never occur again.

Hope that Rwandans as a people are striving to live in peace and focus on matters development on all facets of life.

What is the significance of the flame to you?

It signifies unity, oneness, forgiveness, reunion, reconstruction and reconciliation.

The Flame signifies a Rwanda with a bright future for everyone from all walks of life.

Message of Hope: As we commemorate 20yrs of the genocide against the Tutsis let us

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live by this year’s theme Remember, unite and renew and as we do so let us work to build a stronger and united nation. And may everyday be another chance to foster the Ndi Umunyarwanda spirit.

Urumuri Rutazima Interview with Liza Kamikazi Writter and composer of

URUMURI RUTAZIMA SONG

Liza Kamikazi is a local musician and performer, who is gifted with amazing vocals and a beautiful and creative mind. she composed the song “URUMURI RUTAZIMA” a song that has been accompanying flame during 30 district tour around Rwanda.

This is what she had to say: What does the song mean to you?

This song means a lot to me as a Rwandese and as an artist. To me the song is about the immortality of our positive shared spirit that guides us like an everlasting light and what matters more is not so much what it means to me but what it means to others.

What were you going through as you every word of the song?

For such an important song that had to be sung by the children, the

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challenge was to write words that are simple but at the same time profound. Also the lyrics had to be reviewed a few times as the song was meant for the national purpose so, it was challenging experience and I am happy with the fruit.

but sometimes we tried to find a deeper meaning to the words we were singing. The advantage in art is that there is not only one way of interpreting what you see or what you hear .It varies from people, background and circumstance.

What does the Flame mean to you?

The answer to this question is in the chorus of my song “light will always shine” that I composed for the 2011 commemoration.

Have you attended any of the Kwibuka20 flame tour events? If yes, what are your thoughts and feelings about this tour? (Do you think it a positive effect on the people, and how does it do so?)

I attended the launching ceremony of the Flame tour and performed with the children. I believe it is a powerful concept. When it comes to the effect on people I think it is personal and to me it is a way of bringing people together once again to remind us that the light lies in each one of us and we need to keep it alive for us, the coming generations and the rest of the world.

The flame is the light of peace, love and memory.

“As long as we keep your memory alive Light will always shine With peace and love Under the shadow.”

How was it working with children who provided the voices? do they understand what the song means? Did you drive in the meaning to them and if yes...how did you do it?

It was wonderful working with those children, I always love to work children.In fact I am one of the founder members of Kaami Arts Organization, a child driven NGO that promotes arts. I made sure the children understand the meaning of the song so they can feel the song while recording and performing.

As the chorus words are simple and easy to memorize it was not difficult for them to understand

What do you think we as Rwandans should do to ensure that this symbolic flame never dies?

We need to embrace it, make it ours and keep the flame burning. Me personally as a Christian, I know I can’t do it on my own, and I believe the source of light is our creator and his Holly spirit. The challenge we face today as Rwandans to finding a way of inculcating this symbolic flame into our lives and making it a reality.

What message would you want to send to the people of Rwanda during this period?

We have come a long way. Let’s keep the flame burning, and keep passing it to each other for a better tomorrow, a better Rwanda and a better world.

URUMURI RUTAZIMA Written and performed by Liza Kamikazi Izuba rirarenga ntirizima Buri gitondo uzaribona rirashe Ntirikangwa n’umwijima w’ijoro Rirasana umucyo rigasakaza urumuri hose.

Chorus :Urumuri rw’u Rwanda Ni urwanjye nawe Ni urumuri rutazima Ni urumuri rw’ubuzima Urumuri rutuma ubaho nanjye nkabaho Urumuri rutuma ubona nanjye nkabona Tukabana amahoro Rwimura ikibi, rukimika icyiza Rwimira umwijima, imitima igasubira mu nda Imitima igasubira mu bitereko.

Tukayobagurika Tugakaburana Bridge: Turiho turi urumuri Turiho ariko kandi turibuka Turiho turumwe turiyuba Turi urumuri rutazima yemwe.

Horana urumuri Ururinde icyarukomakoma Urusigasire uhore urabagirana Kuko iyo nta rumuri Turahungabana

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DEVELOPMENT BANK OF RWANDA

Respect for history, constructing the future Alex Kanyankole BRD Chief Executive Officer

At BRD, we believe in providing our clients with high quality products and services. Moreover, we are dedicated to developing responsible and ethical staff, who can serve you with unwavering loyalty and commitment. We are a caring and responsive banking institution that seeks to meet the various demands and needs of the communities we cater to.

Our core priority is poverty reduction; we focus on the vulnerable members of society and support initiatives that seek to improve their standard of living and secure their well-being. Our purpose is to make lives better financially by offering our customers the financial solutions they need.

Our agenda seeks to encourage productive community participation and collaboration to ensure the success of government programs centered on economic, social, political and cultural advancements.

We undertake corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives that strive to enhance the prosperity, progress and cohesion of the community that the bank serves. This is achieved by creating an enabling environment for the communities in question to seek the bank’s support.

At BRD, the staff understands the CSR mandate of the bank as exhibited in their voluntary participation and monetary contributions towards the bank’s CSR community initiatives.

This collective involvement serves to strengthen the relationship between the organization and the community.

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20 years of Remembrance, supporting peace building and reconciliation through CSR The 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi was an internecine conflict that had a devastating impact on Rwanda’s citizens and the nation’s overall social and economic development.

“We sat together as genocide orphans, and looked at what we could do to keep us busy and forget the sad memories, so we started training in sewing,” said Theopista Mukanoheri, head of the coop-erative. “After that, we were given some machines and started our cooperative which then had 25 members; now we have even opened up to others. We are not longer desperate and are living de-cent lives thanks to the income generating activities that we started.”

BRD was not exempt from this tragedy, as many members of our staff perished during the 100 days of darkness.

As such, supporting Rwandans to emerge from one of the most brutal genocides the world has ever seen as a peaceful, prosperous and united society is a priority.

BRD has also taken responsibility for taking care of the families of the fallen employees of the bank in a bid to help the survivors as well as celebrate the dedication of the deceased members of the BRD team in the service of the bank.

In light of this, BRD has been actively engaged in corporate social responsibility initiatives geared towards fostering social cohesion and improving the socioeconomic welfare of Rwandans.

BRD continues to provide support to their families through the education of their descendants as well as facilitating them in the starting of income-generating activities.

During the 19th genocide Commemoration last year, BRD staff visited Nyarubuye Genocide memorial in Kirehe district and donated 2-year health insurance coverage to 100 Genocide survivors.

BRD staff support an orphanage based in Mageregere, Nyamirambo where each staff has an adopted child assigned to him/her. “We registered considerable success stories where most of of the orphans have been well taken care of by BRD staff to the point where five of them have graduated from University, and even had their marriage ceremonies held in their respective adopted parents’ homes.” explains Mrs. Kalisa Prossie, the Marketing Manager, BRD.

Early this year, BRD delivered a modern Generator worth 5 million Rwandan francs and sewing machines to the 25 member Nyarubuye Sewing Cooperative comprising of widows and orphaned children.

Investing to build for the future In building for tomorrow, BRD has been at the forefront of supporting Rwanda’s efforts in working for their own development through contributing Rwf 155million towards the Agaciro Development Fund (AgDF). The fund aims at facilitating economic development that is financed by Rwandans and in so doing usher the country into an era of self sustainability.

About DEVELOPMENT BANK OF RWANDA (BRD)

Strategic Objectives

Sectors of Operation

BRD provides medium and long term finance that significantly facilitates the emergence of different productive enterprises in the private sector.

BRD operates in all sectors of productive investment that ‘add value’ to the locally existing or imported raw materials, provide employment for Rwandans as well as creating wealth by using imported technology as a tool to enhance knowledge and experience to Rwandans.

In its 2013 / 2014 strategic plan, BRD has pinpointed its attention; To be the key role partner in promoting export oriented sectors and contribute to reduce the country’s ImportExport coverage Ratio; To promote agriculture sector financing; To promote small and medium enterprises (SMEs;

The Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD) is a public limited liability company limited by share, with a share capital of RWF 7,808,931,000, and was incorporated on August 5, 1967. The company code is 1000003547 with its headquarters in Kigali, Rwanda.

Vision “The Leader of productive investment and the most profitable Bank at the service of poverty reduction”

Mission “To become the Government of Rwanda’s investment arm by financing the nation’s development objectives with a focus on the priority sectors of the economy”

To increase productivity and youth employment through Financial Sector Development, supporting UMURENGE SACCOs and other MFIs with productive projects; To boost investment in the energy sector specifically in green energy related investments and provide active support to the creation and financing of environment protection projects To support the development of secondary cities as defined by EDPRS 2, by intervening in providing affordable houses in all secondary cities.

To participate in the development of the Free Trade Zone and City of Kigali face lifting through construction of commercial buildings;

In its credit policy, BRD’s priority fields of intervention include: • Agriculture and livestock • Industries and Services • Hotels and Tourism • Housing (Real Estate and Individual Houses) • Social Infrastructures (Health and Education) • Micro Finance Institutions • Water and energy • ICT • Transport and related facilities

Products and Facilities BRD operates in all sectors of productive investment Development Bank of Rwanda provides a wide range of products mainly investment financing - in the form of short, medium and long term; • Loans • Leasing • Equity • Refinancing • Capacity Building • Advisory • Guarantee Funds (SME, AGF, RIF2, FSA) • Syndications • Public / Private sector facilitation

The Bank plays a triple role of: Guiding Principles The Bank is guided by the following principles: • To maximize development impact • To maintain sound banking principles • To be additional to other funding sources • To leverage on strategic alliances • To focus on socioeconomic development

•Lender •Advisor •Partner

The Bank plays a triple role of: •Lender •Advisor •Partner

BRD physical address DEVELOPMENT BANK OF RWANDA (BRD) Boulevard de la Révolution P.O Box 1341 - Kigali, Rwanda Call Toll free number: 3288 Fax: (250) 252 573569 E-mail: brd@brd.rw

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PRESIDENT PAUL KAGAME

OUR PRESIDENTS QUOTES 1. Remembrance of the genocide is an obligation for every Rwandan. It is also falls on us to teach and pass on that responsibility to the youth so that they, in turn, can pass it on to successive generations. Sharing our history, some of which has been tragic, will help us prevent future evil, fight genocide ideology and anything that could take the country back to the bad past we have left behind. It will also help us focus on that which will advance the collective good of Rwandans.

2. We must therefore do everything possible to make sure that we write our own history, preserve the physical evidence of genocide, including memorial sites, so that they do not get lost, but become symbols of remembrance and prevention of genocide.( 19 yrs commemoration speech, April 7th 2013) 3. For the youth to take their proper role in leadership, it must start early.

You don’t wait for tomorrow. You start as early as possible, it starts with individuals, then groups, then it goes up to the level of the nation and beyond.( youth meet the president, October 19th 2012) 4. We cannot turn the clock back nor we can undo the harm caused,

but we have the power to determine the future and to ensure that what happened never happens again 5. But it is our duty as young people or students to make sure that we become the change agents that we should be and are capable of being.

We must have that determination, we must make that choice, we must be able to do it.

6. Nta muntu ushobora kuguha agaciro,agaciro n’ukukiha kuko n’uburenganzira bwanyu kandi biri mu bushobozi bwanyu,bikwiye rero kuba no mubushake bwanyu kugirango mubigereho 7. We are capable of doing it, because we are talented as much as any other person on this earth, isn’t it?

Yes! Why should you be a secondary citizen on this planet earth? Why should you? Ask yourself that question. Always ask yourself that Question.

8. Young people, our future, you must not accept that, it doesn’t mean saying no, you must do something about it. It’s not just about words, its saying no through what you do that brings about that change, and who says it is simple. I’m not saying it’s simple, I’m only saying we are

just capable of doing it, but we have to make the right choices, we have to do the right things, we have to understand the purpose of doing that.

9. The youth are Rwanda’s future, its Agaciro [self-worth] in all ways, in terms of strength and leadership, and they are the value and foundation of what every country wants to achieve.

This is what youth means.

10. All of us, as we are here, share one country. We as a people have aspirations. We wish to attain a good level of development, enjoy the welfare we deserve. Each of us in our unique way; wherever we may hail from; however different we may be; we have something in common.

11. The question that we must address now is how to make more progress in removing the barriers to equal opportunity and promote greater empowerment.

That will be done when we all recognise that the question of equality should be part of our values as a society and therefore an obligation to raise everyone to a level where they can play their rightful role in development.

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EAST AFRICAN DIGNITARIES

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KENYA

Amb. John Mwangemi Ambassador of Kenya Rwanda has come a long way since the tragic events of 1994. The spirit of the Rwandan people triumphed over evil and today Rwanda is a united, stable and very progressive country. From a very humble economy in the early 90’s, Rwanda is now the best performing economy in East Africa. It has recorded the highest social transformation in the past 20 years of any country in Africa.

applaud them for their commitment to build a united, peaceful and prosperous country, free of discrimination, hatred and divisions.

A country all Rwandans can proudly call home.

belongs to you and it is in your power to build a united, prosperous Rwanda for all.

To the youth of Rwanda, we say this; Be the guardians of your great country. Though you may not undo the past, remember the future

We in East Africa hold Rwanda as a testimony of how visionary leadership can change the course of a country. One great lesson from Rwanda is; A people united over a common purpose can triumph over anything.

As the people of Rwanda commemorate 20 years of the genocide against the Tutsi, we

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TANZANIA

Mr. Francis.A Mwaipaja Chargè d’Affaire, The Strides made: Twenty years is obviously a short time in the life of a nation. But Rwanda has made tremendous strides in socioeconomic development since 1994.

Guided by Vision 2020, remarkable progress has been achieved in developing infrastructure, building institutions and ensuring stability and security. What has been achieved in this short period is impressive and has given a model to African countries especially those emerging from armed conflict or political violence. The resilience of the people, appropriate policies and commitment of the Government of Rwanda, has made these tremendous achievements possible.

The lesson: A lot can be learned from Rwanda’s inspiring story. We acknowledge and learn from the ways in which the people of Rwanda have sought to find healing, national unification and progress. We learn that hope can be regained through collective efforts

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in seeking for reconciliation through repentance and forgiveness. Memories of the Genocide against the Tutsi teach and enable us as neighbors and as a Continent to believe, to say and to act “Never Again” The Message: Through this commemoration we honor those who lost their lives and remember the plight of those who live on but under difficult conditions as a consequence of the genocide.

We urge them that, while not losing sight of the past, they should be encouraged by the vibrant and bright future that has already started to materialize, a future worth living for.

We as neighbors and fellow members of the EAC, pledge our support to the people of Rwanda as they endeavor to unify and renew their nation.

To the Rwanda Youth: The youth of Rwanda should bear in mind that they are being bequeathed a nation in which a lot of work and dedication has been invested to realize the achievements that we see today. It is the duty of the Youth to see to it that these achievements

are protected and propagated.

The Youth are at centre stage of the future of this nation. I would therefore urge them to be astute as they take part in transformation of their great country.

The Youth should with devotion take part in national initiatives such as the “NDI UMUNYARWANDA” which intends to steer them into looking beyond the painful and conflict-ridden past so that they can be able unleash their youthful energy to nation building. They should seek to acquire knowledge, widely, and foster an entrepreneurial spirit and allow themselves to grow into a formidable work force that will propel the nation into a middle income country as envisaged in the country’s Vision 2020.

The Youth of Africa should strive to learn from their fellows in Rwanda. From their young age they should learn to fight genocide and crimes against humanity in their countries and the rest of the Continent. The African Youth should always remember the genocide and the aftermath so that they can be able to say with commitment “Never Again”.

UGANDA

Amb. Richard Kabonero High Commissioner of Uganda

achievements in future and may we all continue to work together guided by the spirit of “never again�.

As the people of Rwanda remember over our million of her Citizens who were brutally murdered during the genocide in 1994, I take this opportunity on behalf of the Government and people of Uganda to join you in solidarity and remembrance, Kwibuka.

We extend our condolences to the families who lost their loved ones, and the country that lost its best and brightest. Twenty years on, Rwanda has risen again, stronger, anchored by the resilience of its leaders and people, with hope for a brighter future.

It has turned its scars into stars and is a beacon of hope and inspiration.

The people of Uganda, extend their best wishes to the people of Rwanda on this inspiring journey of peace, prosperity and development.

May the memory of your loved ones continue to inspire you to greater

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OUR HEROS

By Salma Peter

Rwanda. Our Rwanda is an incredible country. Built by great determination from its people. Some of the people of Rwanda manifested, and some still do, great giving to their country.

These brave individuals gave us their hopes, dreams and even lives for the country. They dreamed of a brighter Rwanda and struggled to get us there. And through their sacrifice we find our vision. These men and women are the heroes of Rwanda.

And every year on 1st of February the nation applauds them. We take a day to mourn the heroes we lost and also celebrate their lives. For their sacrifices made Rwanda the country it is today.

It is thanks to the heroes of Rwanda that Rwandans stand brave and united as one nation.

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The heroes of Rwanda are categorized into three groups;

Belgian’s divide and rule system and advocated for equality.

The first category is the Imanzi heroes. These are individuals that demonstrated memorable achievements indicated by supreme sacrifice and example. Heroes in this category are regrettably no longer alive. In the Imanzi we have Major Gen. Fred Rwigema. The high spirited young man who spear-headed the Rwanda’s liberation struggle on October 1, 1990. Rwigema is remembered for being among those who greatly inspired the Rwandan refugees in Uganda to liberate their country. He died on October 2nd, 1990, on the second day of the Rwanda Patriotic Army liberation war.

Michael Rwagasana, who is noted for his love for independence, unity and his fight against ethnic segregation.

He died in prison under the regime of Gregory Kayibanda for his refusal to concede with ethnic segregation.

Agatha Uwilingiyimana, who advocated for the rights of women and spearheaded the fight against divisionism. She was assassinated on April 6 1994 on refusal to support Genocide agenda.

The unknown soldier stands with Rwigema on the Imanzi hero category.

The unknown soldier stands for all those brave fighters who fell in battle and whose bodies were never recovered.

Imena heroes also recognized for outstanding sacrifices and strong spirit for their country, the imena category comprises of King: Mutara III Rudahigwa Charles Léon Pierre,Heroes who oppesed the

Félicité Niyitegeka killed on April 21, 1994 for hosting and refusal to part ways with the people who found refuge at Centre Saint Pierre in Gisenyi (current Rubavu district).

Finally, the Nyange Secondary School students, who defied the order to divide themselves into ethnic groups and consequently resulting to the death of some of the students.

Ingenzi Heros are the Rwandan living heroes who through passionate actions demonstrate great love and giving spirit to their country.

through great compassion and love saved many lives by hiding people in his orphanage. Our sincere regards are directed his way, for it is people like Mr. Gisimba who restore our faith in humanity.

Youth and the whole country too celebrates his Excellency the President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame; for being the best leader a country could wish for; For his courage, strength and poise; for demonstrating patriotism and desire to build Rwanda; for being a source of inspiration and a guide-light to the nation and abroad. We salute you.

All together as we mark twenty years after the 1994 Genocide, we thank you. We thank all the great heroes who have been and still are there for Rwanda. We thank you for being the tinder that started the fire of the Rwandan spirit burning. And this is to the belief that the whole nation, led by our youth will carry the burning flame on. We should never let it burn low, and we should definitely never allow it to die.

In this we celebrate Mr. Damas Gisimba.( Ingenzi) a man who

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A hero

the Hutus were and who the Tutsis were. More so the identity cards played a major role in the segregation of the people because they had sections that people would identify themselves as Hutu,Tutsi or Twa, which I believe was a terribly misinformed form of identification.

Growing up:

Mutezintare Gisimba Damas

My mother was Tutsi and my father Hutu, that right there was a problem, and in 1959 my family fled to Congo and my siblings and I grew up from there. During this time, I once asked my father why we were not living in Rwanda and his response was “They wanted to kill us”. I asked him who this people were and why they wanted to kill us... he simply answered “when you grow up, you will understand all these”.

My parents raised us in a Christian environment and despite all these my father always preached to us and said “My children, you should love everyone in equal measure”. At our young and tender age we still did not understand all these but as we grew older, our father’s words started making sense.

life before 1994: Life was relatively hard because war had already started in 1990 and many Tutsis had been jailed and more hunted. This triggered uproars from other foreign countries and organization as they started complaining and demanding for the release of the jailed Tutsis. This did not stop them from the continued arrests.

During this time, the youth were being trained in military tactics and being narrated for tales of long ago, all these methods were a way of poisoning their young minds. This resulted into the genesis of killing of Tutsis from Gisenyi, Butare and Bugesera The escalation: In 1994, the hatred escalated to unimaginable proportions. The young men were asked to kill and finish the “rich and repressive” Tutsi and get to acquire the Tutsis wealth, farms and basically take over the government.

The youth, their parents and basically whole families had been trained and come 1994 execution of the genocide came as an easy mission to accomplish. Home by home they organized themselves.

They knew who the Tutsis were for these were people they had lived with for decades, borrowed sugar and salt from each other, their children together and they worshiped in the same churches. However, due to political instigations and government incitement all this was forgotten and neighbors turned on each other.

NB: The government used the nyumba kumi strategy to find out who

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We later moved back to Rwanda with the aim of rebuilding our lives. My family ran a children’s orphanage and being the eldest child at age 32, I was then the one running it.

I could see among my peers there was a divide, I could see the hatred that some had towards the Tutsi, however I used my father’s words as my guiding principles for relating with people “loving everyone in equal measure” and ensured that I was impartial at all times. When the war broke out, I saw people’s true colors when they started killing my relatives, grandparents, uncles and aunties in Kibuye, Gisenyi.

THE RESCUE: In 1994, when the late president’s plane crashed the hatred escalated to biblical proportions and that was the beginning of 100 days of horror terror and fear.

The children’s orphanage had 65 orphans. When it became apparent to me that the genocide was now with us, I asked myself “where are all these children going to go”. I could not run and leave the children.

From before I could hear people singing songs of death.. “when the time comes<TUZABATSEMBA TSEMBA>we shall kill them all” . They sang such

songs as they dressed, as they walked and carried on with their lives. So we knew this day was coming. They were fully organized, ready and on standby. So when the presidents’ plane crashed we knew it was the beginning of the end!!

One by one my neighbors’ started to bring their children to the orphanage. I took them all in. We never thought that this would go on for so long and even escalate to the levels that it did. More so, the fact there was a high presence of UN forces in our country then, gave us even more confidence that this would only go on for a few days or would be resolved as soon as possible.

After one week the UN upped and left the country, at that point we knew we were done.

I took in as many families as I could in the orphanage. As days passed by, our supplies started depleting. It got to a point where we could only afford to give the children at least two meals a day while the parents ate a meal a day. We also had no water.

One American, who had refused to leave when everyone else was leaving the country called Carl Wilken, came to our aid and brought us water and food. That is how we were able to feed the children and adults throughout that period of time.

During this time, the children would be the only ones seen playing outside. The parents remained indoors. The men would hide in the spaces between the ceiling and the roofs while the old men and women would hide under the beds.

As the children sat outside the Intaharamwe commanders’ would come and demand to see inside, but I urged them to leave the children alone for this was the only place they knew as home.

Note that: the orphanage previously had 65 children but was now sheltering 335 children not to even count their parents who remained in hiding.

Some Intaharamwe men would even

come drunk, I would bribe their commanders and ask them to leave the children alone. It was by Gods grace they even accepted and left because apparently some people would plead with them to show mercy on them but they went ahead and hacked them to death. Others would try and buy a quicker death by paying them to kill them by the bullet but they still hacked them to death.

police.” They said.

MY CRY FOR HELP All this was happening in June, so when I was told that the Intaharamwe were onto me, I had to make a move real fast and at least be three steps ahead of them. Something had to be done and it had to be done fast. Therefore, I left the orphanage and went to the red cross offices.

When I ran out of money, I started bribing them with food and surprisingly it still worked.

Finding OUT One evening as one of the adults was going to relieve himself in the latrine that was outside; the Intaharamwe launched a flare in the air and spotted him. They called him out, questioned him and out of fear he disclosed where he had been hiding.

A small child who had seen all these came and told me what had happened. So we quickly mobilized people out of that house but as fate could have it, the people we had left behind to hide and pack all evidence were caught by the Intaharamwes.

They were tortured, but they never spoke or revealed the whereabouts of the other people. They were consequently killed and their bodies disposed off in a hole just outside the orphanage.

This particular hole was initially meant to be used as a toilet; the first person to be killed and thrown into the hole was the owner of the wouldbe toilet.

After that incident, the Intaharamwe hurriedly called for a meeting to plan on how they would attack the orphanage and kill me. Amongst the people who were in that meeting was someone whom they did not know was a friend of mine. After the meeting he came running and told me what was going on. Their plan was to not only take my life but also everyone else who was with me. They would also kill the children because “ they will grow up and become Tutsi

Carl Wilkens was a missionary with the Seventh Day Adventist Church, living in Rwanda with his wife and three children.

When genocide broke out in Rwanda in 1994, Carl Wilkens refused to leave Rwanda, even when urged to do so by his family, his church and the United States government.

As Carl and Teresa listened to pleas for help from mission stations around the country over the radio, they decided that Carl would stay and Teresa and the children would evacuate.

As a result of Carl’s decision to stand up to genocide, hundreds of lives were saved. This demonstrates each individual’s ability to have a hand in stopping genocide.

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Carl wilkens was on his way to bring water to the orphanage when he found the interahamwe outside the orphanage gate. On asking them what they were doing there, their immediate response which ofcourse was a lie, was that they had come to protect the habitants of the orphanage.

Carl knew what was going on, he never left the orphanage. He called his friend from Red Cross on his walkie talkie (Handheld Transceiver) and told him he was not going to leave the orphanage that evening because if he did it would have been massacre that night. He also warned his friend not let me leave the Red Cross offices for the intarahamwe

The only way he was going to make it through the roadblock was only

by Gods grace. So what the priest at St. Michael and I did was to only pray and believe that it would happen and all those people would get to us safe and sound.

were baying for my blood.

Minister Kambanda. When P.M Kambanda arrived in the mayor’s office, Carl pleaded directly with him for help. The prime minister agreed to help on condition that Carl brought along side with him a group of journalist. When the journalist came he held a brief press conference where he said “ we don’t kill children”. We all know this was just a show he was putting on.

By luck, Carl was able to get four military personnel of Rwandan nationality (up to now I do not know how he did it) who he used to guard the people and children in the orphanage throughout the night.

The Espace: From the red cross offices, I went to St. Michael where I found a white priest. The priest also had a handheld transceiver which he used to communicate to Carl with. Carl advised me to hide and remain there for the night for my life was still in grave danger. He also promised to bring all the remaining adults and children to St. Michael. However, there was one very dangerous roadblock at a place called Gitega.

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The next day Carl went to the then mayor of Kigali Col. Renzaho Tharcisse and asked for his assistance in moving the children from the orphanage. On the first and second day attempts, the mayor refused to offer any form of assistance.

On the third day the Mayor refused to even to see him for he had an appointment with the then Prime

After that press conference the P.M Kambanda delivered the end of the deal and gave Carl a bus and police to ferry the children from the orphanage to St. Michael. The Prime Minister also ordered the police to kill any INTERAHAMWE who would attempt to stop them from moving the children and adults.

Carl then called me and told me to get ready for he was going to bring my people to where I was.

He went with two ONATRACOM buses to the orphanage, asked my wife and my younger siblings who were in the house to mobilize people for he was going to move them elsewhere.

All this time no one knew that I was alive for we did not want anything to sabotage our mission.

The Movement: When the interahamwe saw all those people leaving the orphanage and getting into the buses , they started making noise and causing mayhem outside the orphanage. They were screaming “Damas has betrayed us”.

The police warned them not to even attempt to kill anyone or come close to the buses because they had been given orders to kill any interharamwe who would try to stop them.

Back at St. Michael, I was hiding underground with Mark a white man who had also saved and brought 200 children from Gitega to the church.

Carl called me and said that they would be at St. Michael by 6 pm that evening. The doubting Thomas in me at that time was sure that they would never make it and instead be killed along the way. When it got to 6pm and they were nowhere to be seen I was sure they had been finished, but God proved me wrong and at 6.30 pm the buses arrived.

When they all saw me they were all so happy for they thought or knew I had died.

After they were all out of the buses, the police escort immediately left.

At St. Michael The evening some police men come looking for me, I identified myself and they said they wanted to separate the children from the adults. Apparently all the adults were being sheltered at Lycee Notre Dame de Citeaux. (Yet another lie….we knew that was a death trap). As if that was not enough, they asked me to write a name list of all the adults. In my defense, I told them I did not have a pen nor did I have a paper in my possession, I politely asked them to come the next day for maybe then I would have gotten a pen and paper.

They came the next evening and me to write a list, I politely used the same excuse as I had on the previous night. On the third night we nervously waited for them but fortunately they did not come back.

That was the night when Kigali was captured by RPF, however we were not on the known. We sensed something was going on because the night was abnormally quiet no gun nor bombs or explosive sounds.

Mark called Carl who assured him that Kigali had been captured by RPF and that he had gotten this information from a credible source who was General Dalaire.

The Morning after: The next morning at 5am the RPF had surrounded the church. Luckily one of their men knew me, so when they came into the church he identified as the Gisimba they had heard about. They asked me if I had hidden anyone and i told them that I was with all my people plus Mark and his. Their next words come were exactly what we needed at that time.

They said “Don’t be scared peace is going to be restored”. i went down the basement and broke the news to

the people but it was met with abit of apprehension because no one knew who or what to believe at that point in time and everyone was just exhausted from it all.

every memorial time we congregate and remember and talk about our experiences and give thanks as we catch up.

Message to the people: That evening at 6 pm many RPF soldiers came to the church and to our relief some of the people who were in hiding recognized or knew some RPF soldiers. The environment was somewhat euphoric finally we could breath. The soldiers asked us to go out and catch a breath of fresh air.

They also cautioned us not to wonder around as of yet.

Major Rose Kabuye came to see me and was surprised to be met by 33 years old man because she was excepting to be met by an old man.

She thanked us and assured us that it was over.

The next day the first thing we did was to get clothes, shower, and eat for the soldiers brought for us clothes, water, tined fish and rice.

Major Rose Kabuye asked me to take my people to SOS kacyiru while Mark took his people to Ecole Françoise.

The reason as to why we took the people there is because these two premises were empty and they had enough room to accommodate everyone. We stayed in SOS for another month before finally going back to the orphanage.

The adults who survived went round looking for their property and found that their property had been looted and their homes destroyed. They asked me to stay with their children until they could finally get back on their feet which I did.

When things settled a bit they come back for their children, other people come back from Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya to help their people. NGOs started to come in and life began to resume some normalcy slowly by slowly.

Despite everything that we went through I would still urge my fellow Rwandans to love each other, Let us learn to always be ready to offer a helping hand where we can. Let’s always be preachers and crusaders of peace love and unity. Let us always remember the Genocide, and use it as a learning experience so that it never occurs again not only in Rwanda but in the world.

To the Government/ Political leaders and politicians: Always teach and spread the right principles so that this part of our history never repeats itself. You should always preach the spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness so that generations to come will grow knowing that we are all our brothers’ keepers, we are one we are Rwandan.

What I learnt The poison you feed others will kill you too. If you help your neighbor whole heartedly you all benefit and God blesses you abundantly. If I was to die today at least I know, I played my part well and that my blessings will trickle down to my family. My conscience is not only clean and but also at peace and therefore I can gladly rest in peace.

Your message to the youth The youth are the strength of the country and should therefore use their energies, strengths and abilities to build the nation. They should not allow themselves to be used for evil but for only that which is positive.

The people you helped The children have grown up, some are married, and others are still in school while others are abroad. However,

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Our Youth

THE WALK TO REMEMBER 2014

Miss Rwanda 2014 Akiwacu Colombe

MISS RWANDA Miss Rwanda 2014 Akiwacu Colombe

Akiwacu Colombe is the current reigning Miss Rwanda crowned a few months ago. A new holder of the image of the Rwandan young female, and role model. The walk to remember magazine thought it good to have a word from the miss. The beautiful young women had this to say:

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In this time of commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi as a message to the youth I invite them to be and feel proud to be Rwandan than any other thing that differentiates us. Respect ourselves as much as we respect others and to plan our future by referring to our past because we have not forgotten where we come from as we head to where we should be, where we are.

country, will work to contribute to building our country which has gone through very painful moments; we must never disappoint our parents who fought to raise us in a united country. Let us all fight against drugs and alcohol which are the two scourges capable of destroying the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youth.

Message from Aurore Mutesi Former Miss Rwanda 2012 - 2014

The strength of any nation lies on its youth which is no different for Rwanda. The hope and strength of Rwanda lies in the inspiration and determination of its youth. The

I appeal, to the Rwandan youth to uphold unity, solidarity and have a patriotic spirit. We, the future of the

Message from Yvette Shumbusho Current Miss USIU 2013

youth can achieve anything they believe in with determination and proper guidance. Let us aspire for the development of our country by starting with developing ourselves and shaping our future and that of those around us.

Aurore Mutesi Former Miss Rwanda 2012 - 2014

Yvette Shumbusho Current Miss USIU 2013

The strength of any nation lies on its youth which is no different for Rwanda. The hope and strength of Rwanda lies in the inspiration and determination of its youth.

The youth can achieve anything they believe in with determination and proper guidance.

Let us aspire for the development of our country by starting with developing ourselves and shaping our future and that of those around us.

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Y THE WALK TO REMEMBER 2014

ou

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Pro Rwa

Young

Annette Uwera Tv and Film Producer I am a TV and Film Producer, and co-founder of A WIZE MEDIA. The motivation to start a production company came because there was hardly a TV and Film production industry to speak of, and yet the potential to tell Rwandan stories was immense.

Growing a company like A WIZE MEDIA has needed much patience and faith. For a long time there had been little investment going into Film and Television production and we did not have a healthy pool of media creatives and technicians to draw from. There was heavy reliance on regional technical crews to work on big budget productions. However the latest trends are providing the momentum needed to take the industry to another level.

With the digital migration and increased internet bandwidth, we are seeing numerous TV operators set up shop in Rwanda. This means a sharp increase for the demand of locally produced programs or content by companies such as ours. There are also media schools that have recently been established, and with all these changes I believe that the industry is

ung

investment worthy.

My dream for the next 5 years is to see this company produce unforgettable local content that will be enjoyed in Rwanda and far beyond.

I believe we can export content and generate significant revenue from the vast African TV and Film market.

Rwanda is a great place for the young and ambitious. While making money is the drive for many businesses, I find that as a media practitioner in a society such as ours, I need to appreciate the power of what is in my hands. In the past media was one of the tools that promoted genocidal ideology, and today it has the potential to turn things around for the better.

There is great prospect in producing wholesome content that not only entertains us but educates and promotes peace.

Much of what inspired me to get into this business was to change how Rwandans saw themselves and how the world saw Rwanda.

During this special time of the 20th commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsi, I salute all Rwandans that dared to dream and hope for a future.

I salute all those who still called this home at a time when it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel so homely. We are here to stay.

Let us build this country together.

offesional wandans

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ARTHUR Nkusi, 24,aka(s) (Rutura,Karokaro,Diaspora,Under 18) I am a radio presenter at K FM, acting and a dancer in Mashirika Creative and Performing arts group, and a comedian in comedy knights.I started doing theatre in 2004, by then I was just an actor, then became a dancer with Mashirika creative and performing arts group. In 2010, I created a comedy group with my colleagues, then joined KFM radio in the year 2012 at K FM as a presenter. I do the rush hour program.

People know me as a comedian, but actually I started as just an actor, my first show I performed was on the 10th commemoration of Genocide.

The performance was later invited to Scotland 2005,the UKL 2006,2008 and then USA 20012 .in this performance I act, dance and sing I acted in international movies like Shooting dogs(behide the gates),shake hands with the devil and les zone turquoise In the year 2009, while I was still in school I used to do perform comedy skits to my classmates and I would charge them Rwf 100 and I would make a total of approximately Rwf 2000 per week.

In 2010,I started working with two other guys JEROM AND MICHEAL and we created an all male comedy group now known As COMEDY KNIGHTS However, apart from entertainment I also love photography.

My message to the youth : God gave you a talent for a reason, whatever it is, don’t just sit with it.

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LORD’S ALTAR MINISTRIES The Lord’s Altar ministry was founded by young Rwandans in 2008 in Bangalore city – India. In their twenties they were determined to start an assignment that would bring and introduce God to a lot of youth.

With a lot of distracting things that were and still are making the youth go astray in different ways, This came in as a turning point to reach out to many of them and shade some light into the right pathway.

Along the way we have achieved numerous things namely; many of the youth we reached out to have turned from their inappropriate ways to a more productive God driven lifestyle. Through ministry we have trained many prominent leaders and movers of tomorrow, it remains our assignment to bring out the best out of them. For the past 5 years in Bangalore, we have been and still are conducting an annual International conference that brings together over 600 young people to be modeled into great men and women of God with different speakers from Rwanda and other countries.

This conference transforms their reasoning, understanding of life and gives them another perspective of how God intended life to be lived. In Rwanda we meet weekly and build each other from a Godly perspective.

Part of what we do is reach out to young people in Secondary schools, campuses and homes of orphans sharing with them a lot of important material that they need to know to live a life of purpose.

Our vision and mission is to use our God given gifts and talents to reach out to as many young people as we can, bringing them the good news of the Gospel and opening up to them with vivid insight of God’s plan on their lives through trainings, conferences, charity and fellowships.

Our hopes and dreams for Rwanda is to see a united, God fearing, dynamic, active and enthusiastic movement of young people walking in obedience to

God and working tirelessly to build their homes, communities, culture, businesses which will automatically lead to a healthy nation.

Our advice to the youth is to focus on what important, to dearly love God and their country, to have a discipline of self development molding themselves into tomorrow’s great movers of innovation and success. To honour God in all their endeavours, live peacefully with their peers and to always uphold the values of their faith and of their country.

Asiimwe Innocent Mudenge Jr Coordinator of LAM Rwanda

CHARLES HABA INTERVIEW Charles Haba is one of the young Rwandans who possess the talent, experience and courage required to be a real-estate service provider through his company named CENTURY REALESTATE Ltd. He established his company after identifying the strong need for professional real-estate service, he realized that Rwanda real estate industry is quite untapped and everyone in life once in his life need to rent or buy a house be it for commercial, residential use and its continuously evolving.

• •

Title and Deed Processing.

General property consultancy.

Advice to young Rwandans Still a lot of opportunities in the real estate that are untapped and need the young generation to be part of it but they need to know the market very well and keep discipline to survive the competition.

Young Rwandans shouldn’t undermine work and jobs that pay them well and help them make a difference in their lives and community.

Fiona Mbabazi News Anchor Tele 10

If given a job, the youth need to do them right and efficiently because people who pay for service in real estate sector need real value for their money and so should the youth be ready for the tasks at their hands.

1.As a young Rwanda in the Media industry, where do you see the media industry in the next 10 to 15yrs, and how far has this industry developed over the past years.

Rwandan market is very ready for service related jobs and a lot of work is there to be done as our country dream is to be a service destination.

Rwanda has come a long way, and the fact that it opened its doors to media outlets means the industry is growing. A good example would be the broadcast section especially TV all along we have had only one television station but since last year TV10 has been broadcasting and so far we have TV 1 and am sure by the end of the year, several will have opened up too. I am optimistic about the industry. Rwanda always sets trends so Africa and the world should watch out.

HOPE FOR RWANDA Making houses affordable to the entire working portion of Rwanda either rental or buying To keep our environment clean either our work places, houses we stay in. for the better future of the young generation

ADVICE TO RWANDAN The Slogan for Century real-estate is “SMART CHOICE” which spells out the importance Century real estate attaches to offering services that are second to none so that those who seek their services live to say they made a smart choice by opting for CENTURY REAL-ESTATE.

Services rendered by Century realestate • • • • • •

Buying and selling of commercial and residential properties.

Property evaluation.

Market feasibility.

Property Advisory Services.

Promotion.

Valuation.

Employ people according to their skills and attitude because those are qualities people don’t get in class but are born within people.

My name is Fiona Mbabazi, am in my mid 20’s A journalist by profession and a student in the school of life. ;)

2.What is your advice to the Rwandan Youth in regards making wise career choices They say find a job you love and you won’t work for a day. I agree to this.

Before you settle for a job ensure that you have the passion for it.

3. What message would like to convey to the fellow Rwandans as we commemorate 20yrs since the genocide of 1994.

We have come a long way. Our Future can only be greater than our past.

Let us grow in love ,and support of one another because united we stand Divided we fall.

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GABY KAMANZI - Muscian My date of birth is 12th June 1981 I’m a gospel singer and I started to sing in 1997 in a traditionnal group called “SINGIZA” from kigali(not Singiza from Butare the university).

In 1999 I joined the worship team in our church (Restoration church) I am inspired a lot by Darlene Zschech from Australia,thats’ why i do Praise and Worship songs the most,i’m touched in a very special way when i’m singing about the goodness,faithfulness,love and power of God. I have been part of several album releases by my friends :Aime Uwimana,Amani Stephane,Richard Ngendahayo,Willy Uwizeye(Burundi),Ezra Kwizera,Aline Gahongayire,Diane Nkusi,...and many more. During my carrier as gospel artist I have done several concerts in Rwanda and Burundi and have even shared stages with amazing international gospel artist such as DARLENE ZSCHECH in 2006, NICOLE C.MULLEN in 2009 and RON KENOLY in 2010.

I released my first album officially last year 31th march at serena,and called my concert : “MORE THAN A SONG”means Songs of praise and Worship to God. Awards : Best female Groove Awards Gospel Diva – Diva Awards Best Gospel Artist (2010) Message of hope Rise up and be strong, beautiful Rwanda!The rain of blessings is upon you now!For God has clothed you with the garments of salvation,he has covered you with the robe of righteousness,as the bridegroom decks himself with

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Name: SENGAZI Michael Age: 25 Industry: actor/comedy; member of comedy knight My dream: The dreams I have for my country is for it to keep growing , to maintain righteous leaders who have courage to enable we the youth realize the Rwandan dream because a dream will only stay a dream until we take the first step towards them dreams and this can only be achieved if we maintain honest leaders. The vision I have is for my country to be known not only for its past but for the incredible achievements it has made and be known not only as the country of a thousand hill but also a thousand of smiles, opportunities, and so much more. My hopes or should I say my hope, Is that my dreams and my visions previously shared come to life.

Comedy in 5yrs: Well Rwandan comedy in 5years will surely be a bigger thing than it is now. We all know entertainment in Rwanda is most of the time about Music, but then I hope we will make comedy grow and make people laugh out their problems, and maybe teach through laughter, because comedy is not only for laughing, it is also for spreading a message behind.

My Message: The message is simple. Remember; do not forget, but do forgive.

We should remember those who left us for a better place 20years ago, we should not forget what happened, how it happened for it to not happen again; but also; we should forgive in order to work together for a better future, as we are one nation, one people.

OURDREAMS

ornaments,and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels!!!

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!!!”

My Dream: As a Rwandan youth I dream of a country where all the population has access to proper infrastructure such as telecommunication, electricity, roads just to mention but a few.

Recently the consumption of energy grew compared to the energy supply available in the country so the energy sector of our country needs more attention because in the next 2 to 3 years we will fall into energy sources but fortunately this problem can be resolved in a short period it is just a matter of finding more investors who are willing to invest in the sector and skilled labor.

I dream of a Rwanda where proper or good customer care is made part of our culture. This sector needs a lot of work because it has been preached to

I dream of a country where we can make our culture more marketable.

It has been realized that all developed countries made their culture the key to their development. And as we know our culture is fundamental to us it shows us who we are, what we can do and what are the changes we can make in order to develop ourselves and the world at large.

I dream of a country were learners are equipped with technical skills.

I dream of a country where everyone is self-reliant, a country where people have a culture of working hard and being very time conscious.

I dream of a country were 100% of the population are educated. Education is the key to success and for all the above cited areas to reach where we want to be we need our people to be educated, we need more technically skilled labor.

If we work hand in hand with our leaders ALL my dreams can be achievedâ&#x20AC;Ś. All in all we are on the right track and every day we are getting closer to the realization of my dreams.

GABY KAMANZI

20 years after the Genocide, Rwanda is today a peaceful and a developing country, beckon of light to all. Our country has achieved a lot but we still have a lot to accomplish so as to reach our vision for the country in all development aspects. Our country is full of dreamers whose dreams are slowly coming into reality.

people for a long time but we still do not see much of a change.

Rise up and be strong, beautiful Rwanda!The rain of blessings is upon you now!For God has clothed you with the garments of salvation,he has covered you with the robe of righteousness,as the bridegroom decks himself with ornaments,and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels!!!

My dream country

by Mugabo inkingi lauren

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why we are proudly

RWANDAN

Our Hopes a PATRICK MUSONI 22yrs Kigali Institute of Management I am proud to be Rwandan because of our political stability and the general cleanliness of our country. We have good governance and an environment that is conducive to business, different incentives to new business ideas and projects are also readily available.

MELISSA UWASE 17 I study in king David academy in S.6 HEL and I’m a proud Rwandan and I love my country and very proud of it Because it has developed a lot and my dream is to become an international lawyer because I love justice and I want justice to be observed all over the world starting from my country. I want Rwanda to achieve development by 2020 and be an example of equality of law and justice.

“I am proud to be a Rwandan because it makes me happy to be in an amazing country where there is peace, where people’s ideas are heard, and shared. These are among many reasons why I’m glad to be in this country.”

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KAYISIRE SOSTAIRE I am a proud Rwandan. My dreams for my nation is one which will enable us to develop a positive and a good attitude thus influencing others to live a life with purpose and determination and to build both individual and Rwanda as a state.

MELISSA UWASE 17, KING DAVID ACADEMY IN S.6 HEL I love my country and very proud of it because over the years it has developed a lot and my dream is to become an international lawyer because I love justice and I want justice to be observed all over the world starting from my country. I want Rwanda to achieve development by 2020 and be an example of equality of law and justice.

MUKASINE CHRISTINE “I love Rwanda because in these twenty years we have made unity, people share and understand each other. We celebrate and support each other and we all feel Rwandan.”

MUKASINE CHRISTINE “I love Rwanda because in these twenty years we have been able to achieve unity amongst our people, people share and understand each other. We celebrate and support each other and we all feel Rwandan.”

INGABIRE JULIENNE I am proud to be Rwandan because the leaders of our country are nothing short of visionaries who will lead us to greatness and eradicate any form of divisionism in the nation thus making Rwanda a small African paradise.

NDAYIZIGIYE CLEMENTINE I love being Rwandan. My dreams are to push Rwandans to stay together and look for what develops them. My wish is for people to love our country and strive for development, to be able to bring up our children as one. We should love work. To the Rwandans

and Dreams I say; let us stay close with love without forgetting what happened, love God and pray.”

UMUTONI DIVINE I’m Rwandan and I love it has a vision and I believe that in 2020 Rwanda will reach a level that no one will believe that Rwanda would reach because Rwanda has a leader that we all believe in who will help us reach somewhere we want to be. All we have to do is utilize our strengths to the maximum.

NSHUTI REMEZO THIERRY 20 I am proud to be a Rwandan because there is respect in being Rwandan.

I see my country achieving great goals of improvement in the future with no discrimination. A country characterized by happiness and prosperity for both the young and the old, where milk and honey flows.

AKIMANA PACIFIQUE 21 “I am proud to be a Rwanda because I was born in this country and gladly grew up here. I am happy to be in this country because putting where it is coming from and where it is now makes me happy to be here.

TETA NINA SANDRA 19 “I am proud to be a Rwandan because it makes me happy to be in an amazing country where there is peace, where people’s ideas are heard, and shared. These are among many

reasons why I’m glad to be in this country.

In few years I see my country becoming an unstoppable African economic hub. Lets continue moving with improving ourselves and being self-resilient.”

SEBANANI NARCISSE 22 I am proud to be Rwandan and proud of our culture. I am also pleased with the strides we are making from almost being destroyed by the genocide to becoming an economic power house in Africa. There is respect in being Rwandan.

IRADUKUNDA JOSELYNE 21 I am proud to be a Rwandan for we have a unique culture that stands out from the crowd.

TUYISENGE PIERRE CELINSTIN 20 I am proud to be a Rwandan because I can freely interact and share with anyone in my society as a brethren who share a common culture.

ATHAN TASHOBYA 26: “I am proud to be a Rwandan because first Rwanda as a nation is unique in nature and beauty. As Rwandans we pride ourselves in the strength to bounce back and engage in steadfast development accompanied by complete unity, reconciliation and self-reliance.

The message I always give to my colleagues and fellow Rwandans is to

believe we can make it, after all we have made it this far. With total love pride and reconciliation nothing can stop Rwanda from being the light of Africa and of the world in general.

MUREKATETE RACHEL 19 : I am glad to be Rwandan, and proud of the values our cultural values the we uphold up todate that ensure that we are respect wherever we are. Our integrity and coming together as we share our experiences and mostly importantly our attentive leadership that are leading us in building a great nation and a forced to reckon with.

KAMPIRE AMELIE 19yrs Being called a Rwandan for me is an honor because it is a country with values and our leaders instil self-worth in the nation and promote peaceful; coexistence amongst the citizens.

NTWALI DERRICK 15yrs I am Rwandan, I love it and I am proud of my country. My dream is to become an inventor because I think the world still needs some more machines to help them in production.

KAMALI GRACE 23yrs I am very proud to be Rwandan because it’s where I belong and a place I confidently call home.

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wespeak Walk to progress

By Blaise Jabo As we walk to remember, so should we also walk to progress, if one thinks openly, it would be of naiveté to remember without measuring our progress; Progress is important because it brings the idea of advancement, it lays a platform that we can us to be more increasingly better in our lives and that we can transform and adapt.

The idea of advancement is more important to our kind, from those who study anthropology and other studies on humankind, their studies tells us that we are a kind that love advancement, we seek new things and always want to move a step further; it is in this thinking that progress is vital in people who want to remember and become a people of change because only progress will ensure that we are remembering. For example if we hadn’t made progress in ideology, we wouldn’t be making this walk to remember, we would still be caught up by those dark days.

From the 60’s, had the past governments partaken measuring their progress as a nation and also teach the people how to measure their progress as a society or individuals, as a serious concern that needed constant review then probably all the dark nights of horror that befell our nation wouldn’t have existed at all.

Because by measuring progress, one understands where he/she is coming from, what he has been doing and this gives an almost clear picture of where one is expecting himself/herself in the coming future.

A quite good look at that would be re-viewing at the value and the progress of national identity cards that called for segregation and printed someone as Hutu or Tutsi, and turn to a terrible progress in all aspects of our society from universities, employment and business opportunities to love-family relations where almost of all those aspects and many others were now based on the printed word in the cards. Am not saying that the national identity cards were the only cause of the evil that shattered Rwanda but they also played

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their role, we know that in the early 1993, ethnic categories on ID cards facilitated the identification of victims of killings and torture nor can we denial the fact that as some génocidaires weren’t able to distinguish Hutu or Tutsi by physical features but were lucky to have attended some Christian school and given the knowledge to read the outlawed word of the time ‘Tutsi’ inside the card. Have the government measured the progress of these cards probably they would have been abolished in the early years before it came to madness.

Many sociologist argue that progress is the principle idea towards any human development, some sociologist like Robert Nisbet argue more that ‘No single idea has been more important than the Idea of Progress in Western civilization for three thousand years’ As Rwanda now marks its 20th commemoration against the Tutsi genocide, remarkable progress can be witnessed in various institutions and individuals.

As the noble prize winner Bernard Shaw puts it ‘Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything’, We as Rwandese if we want change to happen and see the progress we have worked for 20 years so far prosper, we have

to change our mind sets, change our way of thinking because our thoughts are everything. They form your mindset, moods, attitudes and habits.

The hate/genocide ideology should be put in the past, the Hutu, Tutsi and Twa divisions should be changed by one mindset of unity and harmony.

As leaders or local citizens, our success is directly dependent on each other’s mindset. If our government spends thousands of our taxes and hundreds of resources on acquiring us new ways of living better and reach the modern technology, and we still don’t change our expected mindset of tribal disunion, then our money and the government’s efforts will go down the trench, creating a bad morale in our society that leads to terrible outcomes. One of the greatest skills needed today by all leaders and us the people, is the ability to change our mindsets and adapt to new changes, let’s us just not remember but also learn to change starting from our mindsets and this will a big step in the progress process.

If we change our mindset then the journey towards progress has just initiated, I call it a journey, as progress can be defined as a movement towards a goal.

They have been many movements

across the world that were looking at changing things, progress in terms of human rights and universal unity, as there were also movements that were designed to bring chaos and destruction. When we as a nation remember, we should pay attention on remembering the progress of the depressed people, T utsi’s being the majority during the dark years of Rwanda, Yes we have been thought that what’s gone is gone and what past is past but who past was best, Our parents, their parents had it much tougher and persisted.

They went through turmoil and mayhems of endless killings, terrible justice, petrifying discrimination and years of darkness, but one thing kept them moving forward; ‘Progress towards a goal’.

The feeling that they were working for some greater future kept them striving and rising above all sorts of wicked and demanding situations thrown to them by fellow citizens.

We should all work towards a common goal, one big cake that we can all have a share regardless of my background , remembering should help us reflect on our progress towards our desired goals as individuals, especially now 20 years are after, we should start asking ourselves if we have goals, but like

the saying that if you were not born with wings doesn’t mean you can’t grow them, we can set new goals as a nation and individuals, glad the nation has already set one[vs20/20].

Let’s make a vow that while we remember, we also measure our progress; we are all smart and beautiful children regardless of color, sex, beliefs, culture. We have so many capabilities that are natured into us right from our creation.

Knowledge and pursued wisdom are the shields that are given free – As we continue to remember this tragedy that befell us, let’s Distant ourselves from belonging to any ideology that seeks to alienate us from each other but chose to join ideologies that unites us [one for all, all for one], where deception is replaced with the inception of total truth, and hostility with amity; and with this we will stride on with total unison and determination to a complete unification. God gave us the perfect sign in the sky of how we should live with each other; the rainbow; it is comprised with many colors but yet in perfect harmony; we are to use this natural insignia to emancipate ourselves from any constructed machine of discrimination or hate/genocide ideology.

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Celebrating Identity

By Clarisse Iribagiza I once remarked to a group of friends about how I grew up with an identity crisis, and to my surprise, they all admitted to having had the same crisis growing up. We had all wanted to live somewhere outside of Africa for the most part of our lives, endless hours of watching western TV shows had us believing that the grass was greener in Hollywood, London and Paris.

Being the impressionable child that I was, my culture was rock n roll; I dressed like Avril Lavigne, got a guitar when I was 17, wrote a bunch of songs including one called ‘California Dreaming,’ and did all I could to join my siblings who were living and studying in North America.

It was during my second year at the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology that I decided to halt my endeavors to go study abroad. A sermon in church on being faithful in the little things so God can bless us with even bigger things had inspired me make the most of what I had. I started to use the desktop at home instead of constantly begging for a lap-top from my parents and even got together with a few friends to work on a few business ideas that we could do in Rwanda.

Fast forward to today, am living an extraordinary life right here in Rwanda! A few weeks of an entrepreneurship and mobile apps class led to the creation of HeHe Limited, you’ve probably heard of us; we’re the award winning mobile tech company founded by a bunch of college students back in 2010.

Together with Mugarura Amiri, Richard Rusa, Sixbert Uwiringiyimana and Ivan Mujere to mention but a few, we’ve built apps for organizations like Nike, multinationals operating in Africa and the Government of Rwanda.

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We’re a ten-man team and the average age at HeHe is 25! Our mission is to transform Africa into an information society by connecting people to relevant local content and this is summed up in our company hash tag ‘#CelebratingIdentity.’ You can check out some of our apps in the Google Play Store like ‘Soma,’ the literacy app for teaching kids the Kinyarwanda alphabet.

We’re also mentoring over 25 high school students through code clubs to foster a culture of innovation through what we call purpose driven coding. In just six months, this hands-on coding experience will enable these students to launch their first ever mobile applications. Our first batch of mentees has already entered the Motorola Mobiles for Human Development competition as the youngest team; they’re all 18 years old! I can hardly wait to see what else these kids will do!

Re-building the broken walls of our nation and continent gets us up in the morning. It is what motivates us to use the tools and gifts that we have to water the green pastures of our continent so they are always green. We’re not oblivious to the challenges that we have; au contraire, these challenges are the canvas on which we create empowering solutions.

My dream Country

By Mugabo Inkingi Lauren 20 years after the Genocide, Today Rwanda is a peaceful and a developing country. Our country achieved a lot but we still have a lot to accomplish so as to reach our vision for the country in all development aspects. Our country is full of dreamers and our dreams turns out to be “SMART” goals.

As a Rwandan youth I dream of a country where all the population have access to infrastructural development such as sanitation, electricity, roads. Recently the consumption of energy grew compared to the energy supply available in the country so the energy sector of our country needs more emphasis because in the next 2 to 3 years we will fall into energy sources but fortunately this problem can be resolved in a short period it is just a matter of finding more investors who are willing to invest in the sector and skilled labor.

I dream of a Rwanda where services and customer care are made our culture. This needs a lot of work because it has been taught to people for a long time but still it does not make a big change. Like in our medical centers a person maybe dying but because they have no appointment with the doctor, nurses make that person wait for hours and it may even go beyond one day.

I dream of a country where we can make our culture more marketable.

It has been realized that all developed countries made their culture the key to their development.

And as we know our culture is fundamental to us it shows us who we are, what we can do and what are the changes we can make in order to develop ourselves and the world at large.

I dream of a country were learners are equipped with technical skills.

Rwanda is not advanced in terms of technology so as to improve and catch up developed countries we need to have technical skills because most of the areas are still virgin and with no experienced personnel and technical skilled people. It will require more time for the achievement of a technology led country.

I dream of a country were everyone is self-reliant this will be achieved if learners are equipped with more practical entrepreneurship skills.

With these skills one will be able to easily identify business opportunities in their environment and be more self-diligent and self aware of themselves.

Most areas in our country need improvement we have a vision and a vision to achieve.

I dream of a country were 100% of the population are educated. Education is the key to success and for all the above cited areas to reach where we want to be we need our people to be educated, we need more technically skilled labor and above all we need to be good leaders.

And remove from our minds the myth that â&#x20AC;&#x153;Leaders are born not madeâ&#x20AC;? any one is able to be a leader and if we work hand in hand with our leaders to achieve our goals.

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RWANDA, ONE BEAUTIFUL MELODY By:Salma Peter

Jules SENTORE Song Title : Muraho Neza Mwaramutse neza, bavandimwe Ngiyo ntashyo, y’inshuti n’umuryango Mwiriwe n’amahoro muraho, muraho neza aiiiyeeh dore umunsi ukeye, izuba rirashe, umucyo uratashye Irwanda banyarwanda, banyarwandakazi, dushyre hamwe twese, duhuze umugambi twiyubakire igihugu gitemba amata n’ubuki gituwe n’abarukunda.

Abantu mwese, nshuti zanjye Mugire amahoro, muhahe muronge =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Uragire urukundo, imbuto zarwo zikunde zikwihire mu bantu haranira kubaho, intambwe yawe iteze imbere n’abandi imvugo ibe imwe gusa, gahorane imana inyangamugayo mubandi, niryo shema ry’umugabo abantu mwese, nshuti zanjye mugire amahoro, muhahe muronge mutunge, mutunganirwe

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Music gives us relief from the daily trials of life, and the people of this country need that to keep moving. After all is said and done, a happy, content and relaxed mind makes better decisions.

Let us keep singing and dancing for peace and harmony.

Mani Martin

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Rwanda: One beautiful melody.

There are moments in life when words fail us. When our hearts are troubled and we cannot do or say anything to feel better. At times like these, we search for expression.

Things that make us feel less alone and understood. For most human beings, music does that. It could be a melody that expresses exactly what we feel. Or words sang out in a true portrait of our situation.

Most Rwandans went through that period after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. And for brief moments some still do. For twenty years, refuge has been found in music. For those who used it as a tool of expression. And even a medium of sending greetings and love to the loved ones they lost. And for those who found peace and comfort in the music sent by others, the sound and the lyrics all combining to form an enveloping calming influence. For twenty years music has been there for us.

And as we commemorate twenty years after the 1994 Genocide, we take a while to look back at our music.

Twenty years after, Rwanda has come so far having grown so incredibly at an impressive rate. So many aspects of Rwandan development must be appraised, music being among those aspects. For Rwandan music also acts as an ambassador in so many different ways. Combining it with so many other elements makes us the people that we are now. This is our identity as the great Rwandan people.

It is on this regard that we take a peek at few representatives of Rwandan music today. In search of words from a musical figure we met with a few artists who revealed what they think.

We met Jules Sentore, whose lyrics introduce this page. A young man who is younger than his lyrics. Upon hearing his inspiring words, we sought for personal contact with the young artist where we talked music and his country.

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Jules Sentore is a young artist who is now getting recognized for his music. His hits include the wedding anthem, Udatsikira and Muraho Neza.

He believes that Rwandan music has gone a long way. Giving facts that it is now possible to get respectable visualization for a song. The ability of Rwandan artists to collaborate with neighbor countriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; artists. And even international artists proves that exposure across boarders has been achieved. He also is elated by the presence of music awards in the country and the fact that Rwandan artists are finding ways to financially support themselves through music.

He expects even more international growth for Rwandan music having been encouraged by his own personal chances to tour Congo Brazzaville and Germany in 2013.

He believes that Rwandan music has helped in bringing the society together and creates harmony that is necessary for development. And that the neighbors of Rwanda could take the Rwandan example of eliminating of ethnical barriers and build their country as one big family.

As a word of inspiration and greetings to the people of Rwanda, he sends a verse from his song, which we agree, says it all.

Greetings from Jules Sentore, dore umunsi ukeye, izuba rirashe, umucyo uratashye Irwanda banyarwanda, banyarwandakazi, dushyre hamwe twese, duhuze umugambi twiyubakire igihugu gitemba amata nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ubuki gituwe nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;abarukunda.

Abantu mwese, nshuti zanjye Mugire amahoro, muhahe muronge Or another very similar way of saying it, Behold a bright day, the sun has risen The light has come back home to Rwanda Brothers, sisters of Rwanda Together, with one resolution Let us build a country flowing with honey and milk Occupied by those who love it

As we commemorate twenty years after the 1994 Genocide, we take a while to look back at our music. Twenty years after, Rwanda has come so far having grown so incredibly at an impressive rate. So many aspects of Rwandan development must be appraised, music being among those aspects.

For Rwandan music also acts as an ambassador in so many different ways.

Combining it with so many other elements makes us the people that we are now. This is our identity as the great Rwandan people.

It is on this regard that we take a peek at few representatives of Rwandan music today.

In search of words from a musical figure we met with a few artists who revealed what they think.

Mani Martin Everybody, my dear friends Peace be with you, may you find abundance.

He is an Afro-fusion male artist.

Who started singing at the age of six.

Inspired by the story of his country, Mani Martin sings of peace, love and hope. His inspirational work with strong message in his lyrics can be observed in his songs like Amani and intore ya amahoro.In a short interview with the soft spoken artist we asked him a few questions. And using these questions as a story guide we delivered the following short story; “I was only six years old when the Genocide happened. And Rwanda has grown so much in so many ways that still amazes me. It is like watching a fast growing child. And judging on how much has already been achieved tomorrow looks to be a brighter day. All is thanks to the strong determination of the Rwandan people and leaders. After getting inspired by the state of my country after 1994 and watched it grow, I desire to share the

message of peace and healing grew in me. And as an artist I intend to share this inspiration and passion by spreading a message of peace home and abroad.

Rwandan cultural music is unique and fascinating. The Rwandan society still needs to learn the value of its music. This is because I believe music to be the mutualizing agent that brings us together.”

When asked for a word of inspiration and hope or greetings for the Rwandan people, Mani Martin had this to say; “Bavandimwe Banyarwanda imyaka ibaye 20 Urwanda ruhekuwe n’amahano ya Genocide yakorewe abatutsi. Abasaga miliyoni batuvuyemo mu minsi 100 gusa. Mu myaka 20 twakiriye kuba twubatse amahoro ya buriwese. Ndabwira cyane urubyiruko, ntuzagire uwo wanga kubera itandukaniro mufitanye, ubwoko inkomoko, idini, uruhu n’ibindi. ITANDUKANIRO RYACU NIZO MBARAGA ZACU kandi ICYO DUPFANA KIRUTA ICYODUPFA.”

Translated as;

“Daughters and sons of Rwanda, it has been 20 years since Rwanda was shattered by Genocide against the Tutsi. Close to a million people left us in only 100 fateful days.

I 20 years we ought to have built peace in every one of us. I speak pointedly to the youth, never hate anyone based on the differences you have, ethnic origin, religion, race or others. OUR DIVERSITY IS OUR STRENGTH and even more important, OUR BROTHERHOOD PRECEEDS OUR MISUNDERSTANDINGS. Strong lyrics on soothing melodies, these artists together with many others work to entertain and touch people. Common ground is found in music and with it we achieve understanding. Music gives us relief from the daily trials of life, and the people of this country need that to keep moving. After all is said and done, a happy, content and relaxed mind makes better decisions. Let us keep singing and dancing for peace and harmony.

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friends of our E P HO

By Grace Mutavu

YO

W

When a friend of mine asked me to write an article about my hope for the country as a post genocide baby, I quickly accepted the offer. I thought to myself,”Oh, what’s another article; after all writing is my best pass time.”

One week later, that friend reminded me that the article was due. I had thought about writing the article at least three hours each day.

missed the second deadline.

Unfortunately I had only been able to write the “oxford advanced learners dictionary definition of the word hope.

This evening I decided to ask for help.

I asked a very close friend what his hope for the nation was. His answer was,” I don’t think about that a lot.”

His answer was very helpful because I was not the only one who had barely ever imagined a faultless Rwanda.

I called my friend and told her the week had been busy and with that excuse I promised not to miss the following deadline. Unfortunately I

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I missed more deadlines than I had ever missed in my six years of secondary schools. I have always had very strict teachers and missing a deadline is more than a mistake to me, it is a crime. But on this particular article, I could almost not recognize myself.

OUTH I realized I could not write about hope for Rwanda because I had never really dared to truly hope for my country. Growing up in a country destroyed by the genocide, invaded by ardent hatred and most of all deprived of trust taught me that bad things are normal, good things are a bonus from the heavens.

I Ever since I was young, I knew that there is a group of people I should not trust or love. No one told me, I just knew it.

Learning how to hate was part of every post genocide babyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s childhood.

It was almost like any other natural instincts one develops like walking, eating and talking.

Growing up with such an attitude towards life and fellow Rwandans is what blocked my creativity and made me able to miss more than three deadlines despite the fact that I had been taught that missing a deadline is a crime. The crime of missing a deadline was easier to deal with than to open up my heart to hope, to accept that I grew out of hatred and express to the world that I can now hope for the best.

My hope for the nation is that every Rwandan breaks out of fear and hatred in order to be able to hope and dream for their country. I hope that when my children are growing up, they learn to love.

I want to raise my children in a place where genocide is considered as an impossible atavism, comparable to humans having tails again. I hope that genocide and hatred become such a distant idea that every child will worry about their stuffed animals rather than their neighbors.

Above all I hope that every Rwandan dares to hope. If victims as well as perpetrators of the 1994 genocide all dare to hope for a wonderful future, then we shall have a lovely Rwanda.

I hope that no child ever in this country will have to learn how to hate as they learning how to walk. I hope they learn how to love instead.

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THE WALK TO REMEMBER 2014

My experience in Rwanda and my view towards the twentieth commemoration of Tutsi genocide

I am Ambroise JEAN-LOUIS, a fourth year Sociology student, one of the students who was brought to Rwanda through the intervention of His Excellency, President Paul Kagame and the Haiti Rwanda Commission (HRC), after the acute-on-chronic disaster that occurred in Haiti on January 12, 2010, to study at the University of Rwanda (UR-Huye campus).

After almost four years of positive educational experiences in Rwanda and having observed good alteration of patterns of culture, social structure, and social behavior which have been occurring over twenty years after the genocidal cataclysm of 1994 against the Tutsi. This has impressed me by the fact that the complex interaction of environment, technology, cultural innovation, population, personality, politics, economy and religion have been built in a systematic way to bring forth human action that the stand can be taken by individual and collective change in Rwanda. In reality, the effort to positive direction goes on despite the widespread grievance, the rising of individual expectations, the blockage of great social and economic transformation that sometimes comes up; the best tactic and strategy of Rwandan governance has been set over-ambitious on the control of the loss of legitimacy,

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military breakdown or politicization and group coalitions like intention to pull back the country into troubles as well.

This struggle presents a significant example not only for do-or-die Rwandans but for all people who are living in Rwanda, for all Africans as citizens of one troubled continent and for the whole world. Rwanda tends to show a ‘sociability conscience development’ with some of the central concerns motivating studies of measures that can encourage dynamic nation solution. This view comes from the perspective of understanding the real problems and discern important historical shifts in the strategic thinking that is momentous for the various activities that can generate the concrete internal solidarity. This experience pulls me towards the most untrue number of threads within ‘global stereotype´ that Africans cannot stand on their own feet.

The heart of my point of view is leaning on how this stereotype was created and is sustained, and believe it is important to understand how the political and academic discourse compare in relation to the ideal of a fully rooted and contextual understanding of childish or non-capacity of Africans to find their local solutions for their crucial internal growth problems. My experience in Rwanda has been proving contrary by the fact that the optical prism of war, disease, poverty, childishness, dependence, starvation, corruption and other insane imaginations; and a community of problems, that are only images embedded in westerners’ minds are differently portrayed. Therefore, “black-on-black violence,” “black factionalism,” and “tribalism” which are symbols of degradation, primitivism, and dehumanization (Hawk 1992: 9) has proved obsolete perception through that significant effort that Rwandans have made by themselves to overcome the nightmare of 1994, which motivates them to take positive actions like: Community Justice (Gacaca), Mediation Committees (Abunzi), Credit Scheme (Ubudehe), Commu-

nity Service (Umuganda), Performance Contracts (Imihigo), One cow per poor Family (Girinka), Patriotic Education (Itorero & Ingando), National Dialogue (Umushyikirano), and National Leadership Retreat (Umwiherero). That great move has made it possible for the Rwandan institution to believe in an upward directional movement for social and economic transformation of the Rwandan society from lesser to greater levels of energy, efficiency, quality, productivity, complexity, comprehension, creativity, choice, mastery, enjoyment and accomplishment for determining the destiny of the country.

This effort, according to me, is apparent as it proves how gripping Rwanda is in its course of making things concerning even reconciliation, love, unity and belongingness more pragmatically useful and transparent. The most part of my comforting experience in Rwanda has been the firm stand taken by President Paul Kagame in the 19th October 2012 youth conference when he stated that: <<Africans should take responsibility to shape their own destiny and to resist living by the dictates of Westerners. He said: “Why should Africans wait for somebody else to tell them what is good for them?” According to him, the African self-reliance that he is promoting must be accompanied by concrete actions; Africans, he repeated this parable several times:¨we have been horse for too long; we must change that and be the riders of horses,” he concluded by that:“We must have that determination, we must make a choice, and be able to do it and we are capable of doing it, because we are talented as much as any other person on this earth”>>.

That was significantly the most interesting idea that I ever agree with concerning African´s success because Kagame, as a strong President, encouraged young Africans to use their potential to improve their well-being by themselves.

I am very optimistic that Rwandans are about to walk in a new degree of transformation because I do think

the past hurt Rwanda has suffered cannot block it from the bright future awaiting to remove that tiredness of these cyclical turn of events where all citizens of Rwanda were left at a disadvantage in the end.

They are running a new and improved flow of increase and favor through themselves. Within twenty years of successful struggles of Rwanda by Rwandans, I would say 3 instrumental lessons have been put into application for this important step: 1- the mindset of most Rwandans regarding inferior people that contributes to their failing choices has been radically changing; because this negative mentality could only lessen their positive productivity. 2- most of them have removed the self-limitation that is actually destroying their development. 3- they measure their success by leaning on their own material capacity which has hitherto not misled them at all.

I am truly convinced that Kagameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s government is an excellent and ablaze inspiration for young Rwandans who wish to better understand the dynamics of hope to take a step further to undo damages that history did to the Rwandan society and to hold their future or their fate towards their success.

My last viewpoint on the Rwandan shift is that: However this Rwandan generation of post-genocide intellectuals come into the Walk to Remember legacy, the plea must be, that Rwandan experience lead to a new different view of the drive to the cultural, economic political loss by the genocide perpetrators; which means that either considering their capacity to release, organize and express their energies and capacities to achieve the goals they aspire for; regardless of whether those goals are economic well-being, political independence, social recognition, cultural understanding or spiritual enlightenment, the assent of other powerful expert prophets or false predictors that is disseminating both in Rwandansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; mindset and in their

dire need of being better by crashing down everything that has been built by the previous former governments should not be held. It should be born in the new generation mind that an arduous and protracted path along which emphasis may be shifted from the cursed results to the enabling conditions, strategies and public policies for achieving those results for peace, democracy, social freedoms, equal access to laws and justice, markets, education, technology and rebuking genocidal ideology that they are actually enjoying is unique, if they think about the past miserable influences.

As I am still living with them, for most of those blessed people non-moving little attention has been placed on their underlying vision of the world in terms of the social process of development that determines how they formulate, adopt, initiate, and organize to meet the needs and interests of their country with a view of fetching the most positive social tactics of one devoted individual and having such a critical capacity to understand that the imperfection of someone can instead help them build a better positive forthcoming. In fact, because of the colonialist shape most African scholars and citizens often feel that advancement to a positive direction for Africa is beyond their control because the decisions are and should be made outside their countries by unknown or even foreign-accredited bureaucrats and technocrats (Westerners). They do not realize that they possess the tacit and automated knowledge that is their own human potential.

According to me, the bad influences had held sidelong conception in Africa had been well captured by the government of Rwanda in the sense that it has understood that they have a real human potential and that discovery is leading the population to acquire the optimum wellness.

The government works hard towards the feeling of an overflowing inner strength and vigor from within which makes the winds of change

to blow and move upon the country and hence advocates legitimately for any negative feature that might have longtime been borne upon the Rwandan well-being. That is why I consider the 20th celebration as a great step being achieved and a lesson to the further, greater post-genocide step for the Rwandan history.

My Take

I am Femke Bekius Two months ago I arrived in Kigali. For me, it is the first time to be in Rwanda. I am from the Netherlands and work now at the King David Academy (KDA) as a teacher in Mathematics.

Last September I finished my studies in Mathematics and afterwards I wanted to leave the Netherlands and live abroad for some time. Because of my background in Mathematics and my experience with teaching in a high school and at the university I decided that I wanted to teach for some time. The decision for going to Rwanda came because the Dutch foundation Rwanda Solidair pointed it out to me. They have done, and are still doing, different projects at KDA and sponsor some students at the King David Academy and at universities in Kigali and Butare.

Besides teaching at KDA, I try to develop the education at KDA, especially in the science department. This is done in several ways. I explain and show different methods of teaching

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to teachers. Within the boundaries of the system and possibilities here I think there is room for improvement.

For example, the use of practical things in class and more participation of students in class are ways to develop the education. In order to show teachers these methods of teaching I let them visit my classes and I visit theirs such that I can give feedback on how they can improve their lessons. However, this is not the only way of how teaching at school can develop. The most important part is that, and this is what is now actually happening, new and different methods of teaching are part of the discussion among the teachers at KDA. In addition, I like to discover what the most important material needs in school are such that the students can learn more easily.

My first impression of Rwanda in general is that the people are friendly and always willing to help. For example, when I was lost because of missing the right bus stop someone brought me back home. Also the city Kigali is clean and I feel very safe. At school I felt very welcome from the first moment and this is still the case after two months. The ambience is good; staff members are laughing and make jokes with each other. This is something which is happening much more here than in the Netherlands.

That the genocide is a big part of the history of Rwanda is something you also notice these days. In my first days in Rwanda I met a lady at my place who told me her story. Also my auntie (the woman I stay with) told me she lost her daughters when I asked her whether she has children.

But, she told me that now the daughters of her brother are also hers. And I told her, during the months of my stay I will be her daughter too.

One day, the mayor of the district visited the school and explained the students about the genocide. The program, he was talking about, is called “I am Rwandese”. The teachers explained to me what he was telling the students since he was speaking in Kinyarwanda. The aim of the meet-

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ing was to let the students remember the history since they are all younger than 20 years old and did not experience the genocide themselves. But, of course their parents and older family members did. The meeting was organized all in order to prevent that this will happen again.

Students of my age who I meet in school or in town sometimes tell me their stories. Few or no family left and difficulties with getting a job after finishing high school or university are the most common stories. The problem of young people not being able to find a job is a big problem these days.

Something I realized when people talk about the genocide is that they do not tell details or specific things about that period. They explain what impact it has on their life now: no parents, no brothers or sisters, no money for going to school, difficulties with finding a job, but they do not talk about the experience they had around 1994.

How Rwanda developed in these 20 years is hard to say for me since this is my first time here and I am only here for a short period. However, I can see that the government is doing a lot of effort to make Kigali a big and modern city. Since I am working in a school I see that, compared to the Netherlands, the system, level of education, methods of teaching, materials available and discipline in school are different.

The most striking is that the subjects here are taught in a much more theoretical way. We are used to teach the students in a more practical way, by explaining applications of the theory and let the students practice themselves, such that it is easier for them to understand the theory. Also, the level of education in mathematics in Senior 6 is higher than in the Netherlands. Some topics which in the Netherlands are studied in university are here already covered in high school.

A good educational system is the basis for a developed country. I hope that I can contribute a little to the development of the education at KDA during the time I am here.

The toddler Theory: My Rwandan Experience

By Jan Willem Andriessen

The people who don’t know Rwanda, only remember the country from what happened in 1994. That is what I notice many times here in the Netherlands. People here don’t know what has happened in Rwanda after 1994.

They don’t know anything about the new generation of young people working hard for a better future.

They don’t know about reconciliation, about gacaca, about vision 2020.

Some have seen movies like “Hotel Rwanda” or “Shooting dogs”. Movies made to remember and not forget.

Only few really know about the modern Rwanda.

But once when you have stepped on Rwandan ground nowadays, the lovely smell of Africa fills your nostrils, the friendliness of the people (although a bit reserved) embraces you, the ambition to build a new and better future astonishes.

A special country This is a special country, small like the Netherlands, but full of potential, full of strong people who want to live in peace and make their lives better.

Someone who has not been here in Rwanda will not know the feeling; you cannot explain how it gets under your skin when you stay here for a few days, weeks or months. It is an experience, something you have to sense.

I feel privileged to experience Rwanda during my annual visits and be able to taste, smell and feel what is going on in this beautiful country and its lovely people.

Every year I come back and I notice how my Rwandan friends have changed, how their standards of living are slowly improving and how quality gradually enters their lives. Of course there are still many poor people in Rwanda and many problem to solve. But I refer to the improvement that can be seen every year, the small and big steps that will lift Rwanda out of the past.

It is amazing how a country can change in 20 years. With the killing in 1994 the whole country was destroyed, the lowest point humanity can reach. What strikes me is that a country that has sank so deeply, is able to climb up again and create a new future in just 20 years. That is an incredible achievement. It needs will to live en determination to build the country again. After the death and destruction of 1994 there was only one way: the way up. And the people of Rwanda found the spirit and strength to climb that road.

Past and future This year there will be the 20th commemoration of the genocide. Also in The Netherlands some groups of people will come together to memorise what has happened in Rwanda in 1994. Young people can learn about what has happened. People who were there in 1994 can remember the loved ones that died.

I just read an article in a news magazine here in the Netherlands that since January a flame (Kwibuka flame) is traveling through Rwanda bringing the message of remember, reunite and renew.

It symbolises in a beautiful way the

light that goes from the past (remember), to the now (reunite) and into the future (renew).

Young people own the future. So they need to bring the light of tomorrow and lead the renewal of their country and society. This is the reason why the foundation that I started with two friends in the Netherlands focuses on direct contact between young people from the Netherlands and Rwanda. If we want to create a better world we have to understand and experience that young people from the same age but living in another part of the world, share the same ideas and interests, love to listen to the same music, want to talk in the same way about their secret boyfriend or girlfriend and have the same dreams for their future. Once they know each other, the differences that seem so big in the beginning fade away. What remains is mutual understanding, friendship and shared love.

The secret Ever noticed why it is so lovely to look at a toddler that is playing in the sand?

Young children have a secret that we all forget once we grow up. They live in the moment, don’t care about the past, don’t care about the future.

They just are where they are and enjoy the moment of now. That is lovely to look at, no worries, no disturbing thoughts, just being in the moment.

It reminds us of a state that we have lost, unconditional love for the moment of now.

When we grow up we start thinking and with the thinking we start to make analyses, comparisons, worries.

And we are leaving the uncomplicated world of the toddler.

Of course it is good learning to use our brains, to read, do algebra and learn about penguins on the South Pole. We need those skills to build a better world, to support ourselves and our families.

But we can also gain a lot by bringing back to life the toddler that is still somewhere in us and learn to live in the moment again. This is something

I have learned again in my life, and funny enough I learned it from my Rwandan friends! Not that any of them told me anything about that.

No, I just noticed that they are not so occupied with time and the future as we are in the Netherlands. That really feels as a gift of my Rwandan friends to me, because they taught me to relax more and not make worries for things that are not even there yet.

Appreciating the now I practiced that new insight and started to appreciate the current moment more and more. That may sound weird. But one simple exercise can make it more clearly. Every evening you go to sleep with the knowledge that you will wake up the next morning again. How would it be when you would wake up in the morning and were not able to see anymore? That would be frightening! Or how would it be if you could not hear anymore?

Or move anymore? Scary….

Seeing, hearing and moving are so normal to us that we forget how special and how important they are in our lives. If you recognise that, you can appreciate, celebrate and love that you can see, can hear, can move, can breathe, can sing, can smell, can dance….

Practice this appreciation every morning when you wake up. It will change your life! You will discover that all these things are not normal but special! And by appreciating them you celebrate life itself. You will celebrate that you are living now, in this very moment.

That doesn’t mean that you will forget to remember. No it means that you will add a new skill: appreciating and loving just what you are here and now. Like a toddler playing in the sand…

Commemoration I have friends in Rwanda that fear every April because of the commemoration period. Some of them end up in hospital every year, as the old memories of what has happened in 1994 are too overwhelming. What would happen to them if they were used to appreciate and celebrate the

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moment of now? Would that change anything?

I never asked them to practice this.

But I can imagine that when living in the moment, like a toddler in the sand, is part of the tools that you have available in life, this darkness in April caused by memories can be lighted by the flame of the appreciation of what is now and here.

As an outsider I can feel the heaviness of the commemoration period in April. I realise then that looking back is good, but only if you are also able to look forward.

To be able to look back, to look forward and to switch between them, you have to live consciously in the moment of now. You have to master your awareness of the present moment so you can switch between past, present and future whenever you want.

And when you can do that, your life will not be destined by the past or predestined by the future. You will be really free.

Maybe I should talk with my Rwandan friends about toddlers playing in the sand….

The Rwanda Genocide – What the World Should Learn From It

By Kate Kelly

The world has so much to learn from the Rwandan Genocide. The obvious lessons in my mind would be that 1)

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hate leads to destruction for both the hater and the hated - hatred can become contagious if the haters create an environment of fear; 2) when we stop seeing each other has humans, we are capable of the most gruesome crimes ever imagined; 3) If we don’t stand up and speak out against hatred and injustice in the beginning, ultimately, we will all lose, and 4) every person, whether he or she realizes it or not, is capable of being a monster or a hero, it is a choice.

Aside from the obvious, I believe the four lessons I have learned that I would like to share are: It Happened Some people within the international community still call the Rwandan Genocide a war. It was not a war. It was a Genocide. It was the mass killing of millions of innocent people based on their ethnic label. It was women. It was children. It was grandmothers and grandfathers. One million innocent people lost their lives. Millions of people lost their most beloved family and friends.

Hundreds of thousands more had their dignity stripped from them through rape, beatings, and unimaginable cruelty. Others lost all of their earthly possessions. Yes, there was a war after the Genocide, and like any war there were casualties - casualties that should not be forgotten. However, for 100 days from April to July 1994, there was a Genocide.

Rwanda Rose From the ashes, Rwanda rose. The international community pronounced her dead. No one would have predicted Rwanda would rise as she has in only 20 years. Rwanda rose on the back of her people. Yes, international aid and manpower has played a pivotal role in the development of Rwanda, but Rwandans are responsible for the progress. Rwandans never gave up.

If the aid never came, Rwanda still would have risen. Arguably not at the same pace, but it would have risen nonetheless. Rwanda’s spirit never died.

Heroes Among Us Rwanda is a country full of heros.

A country full of mothers and fathers with pasts that haunt them yet they get up every day and go to work.

They choose to raise their families in homes without hate and they give their children the childhoods they deserve. They have chosen to battle with forgiveness for the sake of their children and country rather than succumb to hate. That is heroism.

Rwanda is a country full of young people ready to pick up their cross and build a country free of divisionism. Young people who are creative, brilliant, and passionate about developing a new Rwanda. Young people who have chosen not to get caught up in the hatred of past generations but to create a new path of peace and prosperity. That is heroism.

Purposeful Pain Rwanda’s pain must be learned from, not repeated. The western world, the United States in particular, must take time to study the Rwandan Genocide and others. Our culture has become tolerant of divisionism. A few of the stages of genocide are present in our communities and in our schools.

Hatred is consuming our youth. We do not have identity cards, or yellow stars, but we classification through cliques based on wealth, skin color, religion, etc. We have young people growing up fearing others because they are different. We are not taking the time to appreciate our differences and learn from each other. Instead, we are judgmental due to ignorance, and, in some cases, just mean. We forget we are all humans. We all share the same emotions and fears and insecurities. We are a long way from Genocide, but hatred is seed that we keep watering. We must learn from Rwanda’s pain. Hatred leads to destruction.

Walk to progress

By Kate Kelly

from, what he has been doing and this gives an almost clear picture of where one is expecting himself/herself in the coming future.

A quite good look at that would be re-viewing at the value and the progress of national identity cards that called for segregation and printed someone as Hutu or Tutsi, and turn to a terrible progress in all aspects of our society from universities, employment and business opportunities to love-family relations where almost of all those aspects and many others were now based on the printed word in the cards.

As we walk to remember, so should we also walk to progress, if one thinks openly, it would be of naiveté to remember without measuring our progress; Progress is important because it brings the idea of advancement, it lays a platform that we can us to be more increasingly better in our lives and that we can transform and adapt.

The idea of advancement is more important to our kind, from those who study anthropology and other studies on humankind, their studies tells us that we are a kind that love advancement, we seek new things and always want to move a step further; it is in this thinking that progress is vital in people who want to remember and become a people of change because only progress will ensure that we are remembering. For example if we hadn’t made progress in ideology, we wouldn’t be making this walk to remember, we would still be caught up by those dark days.

From the 60’s, had the past governments partaken measuring their progress as a nation and also teach the people how to measure their progress as a society or individuals, as a serious concern that needed constant review then probably all the dark nights of horror that befell our nation wouldn’t have existed at all.

Because by measuring progress, one understands where he/she is coming

Am not saying that the national identity cards were the only cause of the evil that shattered Rwanda but they also played their role, we know that in the early 1993, ethnic categories on ID cards facilitated the identification of victims of killings and torture nor can we denial the fact that as some génocidaires weren’t able to distinguish Hutu or Tutsi by physical features but were lucky to have attended some Christian school and given the knowledge to read the outlawed word of the time ‘Tutsi’ inside the card.

Have the government measured the progress of these cards probably they would have been abolished in the early years before it came to madness.

Many sociologist argue that progress is the principle idea towards any human development, some sociologist like Robert Nisbet argue more that ‘No single idea has been more important than the Idea of Progress in Western civilization for three thousand years’ As Rwanda now marks its 20th commemoration against the Tutsi genocide, remarkable progress can be witnessed in various institutions and individuals.

As the noble prize winner Bernard Shaw puts it ‘Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything’, We as Rwandese

if we want change to happen and see the progress we have worked for 20 years so far prosper, we have to change our mind sets, change our way of thinking because our thoughts are everything. They form your mindset, moods, attitudes and habits.

The hate/genocide ideology should be put in the past, the Hutu, Tutsi and Twa divisions should be changed by one mindset of unity and harmony. As leaders or local citizens, our success is directly dependent on each other’s mindset. If our government spends thousands of our taxes and hundreds of resources on acquiring us new ways of living better and reach the modern technology, and we still don’t change our expected mindset of tribal disunion, then our money and the government’s efforts will go down the trench, creating a bad morale in our society that leads to terrible outcomes. One of the greatest skills needed today by all leaders and us the people, is the ability to change our mindsets and adapt to new changes, let’s us just not remember but also learn to change starting from our mindsets and this will a big step in the progress process.

If we change our mindset then the journey towards progress has just initiated, I call it a journey, as progress can be defined as a movement towards a goal. They have been many movements across the world that were looking at changing things, progress in terms of human rights and universal unity, as there were also movements that were designed to bring chaos and destruction.

When we as a nation remember, we should pay attention on remembering the progress of the depressed people, Tutsi’s being the majority during the dark years of Rwanda, Yes we have been thought that what’s gone is gone and what past is past but who past was best, Our parents, their parents had it much tougher and persisted. They went through turmoil and mayhems of endless killings, terrible justice, petrifying discrimination

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and years of darkness, but one thing kept them moving forward; ‘Progress towards a goal’. The feeling that they were working for some greater future kept them striving and rising above all sorts of wicked and demanding situations thrown to them by fellow citizens.

We should all work towards a common goal, one big cake that we can all have a share regardless of my background , remembering should help us reflect on our progress towards our desired goals as individuals, especially now 20 years are after, we should start asking ourselves if we have goals, but like the saying that if you were not born with wings doesn’t mean you can’t grow them, we can set new goals as a nation and individuals, glad the nation has already set one[vs20/20].

Let’s make a vow that while we remember, we also measure our progress; we are all smart and beautiful children regardless of color, sex, beliefs, culture. We have so many capabilities that are natured into us right from our creation.

Knowledge and pursued wisdom are the shields that are given free – As we continue to remember this tragedy that befell us, let’s Distant ourselves from belonging to any ideology that seeks to alienate us from each other but chose to join ideologies that unites us [one for all, all for one], where deception is replaced with the inception of total truth, and hostility with amity; and with this we will stride on with total unison and determination to a complete unification.

God gave us the perfect sign in the sky of how we should live with each other; the rainbow; it is comprised with many colors but yet in perfect harmony; we are to use this natural insignia to emancipate ourselves from any constructed machine of discrimination or hate/genocide ideology.

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Rwanda: a country moving forward with a dream, a mission, and a vision.

I am Nicolenstia Bateau, one of the Haitian students that the Rwandan government received here in 2010 after the earthquake that touched Haiti on 12/01/2010.I heard about Rwanda in 2010,while I was preparing myself to come here, I read and got scared but took the journey to explore and meet new people. On arriving here on January 2011 I fell in love with Rwanda the land of a thousand hills. A country that feels like a sister to my country (Ayiti, Quisqueya and Bohio , land of high mountains).

I got the chance to hear from Rwandans and see how the sense of patriotism is important for every child here. So since then I kept on learning. I should say that the reason I came here was for my studies which I thought would be just school, but arriving here to the biggest university, most of the lecturers I had were Rwandan. And they gave me so many crucial lessons.

I learned from each and everyone here,” yon sel dwet pa manje kalalou” which is a Haitian saying that means one finger can do the work of eating alone so all the fingers should do it together. I experience that this country is being rebuilt by Rwandan. People who desire to see their country beautiful and clean. I learn that the progress of a country mostly comes from the country’s desire to

move forward no matter what. And if Rwanda loses assistance from others it creates instead of complaining.

The Agaciro development fund which aims to help Rwanda support themselves. In Haiti we would say, “se gres kochon an kap kwit kochon an”.

Which means this it is the oil of the pig that cooks the pig. This is what Rwanda is practically doing. They are progressing with their own resources not depending on what others have to give. It’s so amazing how everyone believes in the participation of today for the Rwanda of tomorrow. So as a Haitian I thank Rwanda on Haiti’s behalf for teaching me respect for hierarchy, principle, authority. Thank you for allowing me to learn from your progress. I would go far to say Rwanda are Haitian Material and vice versa.

Thus to say, “Chapo ba pou gouvenman Rwande a ak chak gren sytwayen rwande” honor and respect to the Rwandan government and to each Rwandan that are putting hands together to continue rebuilding this country. Thank you may God bless you all.

Sandra Mukesha is the East African Youth representative for Rwanda.

At a young age she works to strive and represent her country. Being among exposed and well educated young people gives her priceless experience.

And with that she hopes to develop her country with her contributions.

This is what she has to say for the 20 years commemoration of the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda.

“It’s the 20th anniversary of genocide in Rwanda and the theme is “Remember, Unite, Renew,” which is a reminder that as we remember, we must also look forward with hope and promise for a better future.

The Commemoration is designed to remember the victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and through remembering, we not only honor the past, but we are able to learn, grow and pass on important lessons.

Remembering our lost ones perpetuate their memories, give us strength and motivation of working hard.

They are no longer physically with us but spiritually they are alive.

Their eternal flame will continue to enlighten our way forever and will be reminding us and the rest of the world that hatred, divisionism and bad leadership lead to atrocities and culminate into genocide.”

And this is her message to the youth, “It is imperative to remember and to honor the lives of our loved ones but We need to look back and realize how far we have come to be able to draw lessons from the past while standing together to chart a new narrative.

The experience acquired over time should be championed to meet the challenges of our current situation.

We are the leaders of today and tomorrow and what we engage ourselves in affects our country directly, let’s together renew the commitment of “Never Again” We know that United we stand, divided we fall We decided to be united. We consider ourselves as Rwandans; we set up all the mechanisms of promoting our unity because what we have in common is greater than what separates us: Same language, same culture and same land.

We can’t change the past, but we can learn from it to avoid the same mistakes and shape a brighter future.

In the end, the EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY to which Rwanda is a partner state and which continues to experience direct consequences of the genocide, resolved to join the government and people of Rwanda to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the genocide against Tutsi with the theme “united for solidarity and peaceful co-existence’’ It is to that effect that I urge the youth to be conscious of the fact that there is no future in the past and when the past conflicts with the present, the future gets lost. We as young promising people should focus on the development of our country and community because we have the power within us to lead us to a future with a big market for our goods and with plenty of opportunities than looking at what separates us.

So let’s keep hope alive, united and look beyond the cramped ideals and limited ambitions of the past-- to recapture the spirit of energy, confidence and idealism that inspires--

One People One Destiny.

<<Africans should take responsibility to shape their own destiny and to resist living by the dictates of Westerners. He said: “Why should Africans wait for somebody else to tell them what is good for them?” According to him, the African self-reliance that he is promoting must be accompanied by concrete actions; Africans, he repeated this parable several times:¨we have been horse for too long; we must change that and be the riders of horses,” he concluded by that:“We must have that determination, we must make a choice, and be able to do it and we are capable of doing it, because we are talented as much as any other person on this earth”>>.

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Vision of Hope – Rwanda 20 years on

By Daniel Taylor Shaut

I first came to Rwanda in the fall of 2010. Having lived as a volunteer in a rural farming village without electricity or running water, to now socializing with some of the wealthy elite in Kigali I have seen most, if not all, of the country. In that time also coming to call Rwanda something of a second home. I have also became fluent in Kinyarwanda and the Rwandan customs and culture. I mention this as I feel it is of relevance as young foreigner who both lives in Rwanda and who was asked to comment on how far they feel Rwanda has come and how far they feel it has to go since facing utter devastation in 1994.

My perspective is by no means flawless nor is it wholly representative of the many other foreigners’ who also live and work here, but I do feel that given the extremes of my living environments in Rwanda I have come to understand much of the country that many may not.

As is frequently commented on, Rwanda’s rapid turnaround from the genocide twenty years ago is rather unbelievable for anyone who is not here to witness it in action or who has never visited. The city is clean, spotless; a simple muraho? Amakuru? elicitis smiles and mountains of praise from otherwise stoic passersby.

The recovery of Rwanda has been discussed and documented aplenty, so to not belabor that narrative, I’d rath-

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er point out some things that have stood out to me in my time here.

The liberating of costs from Rwanda’s twelve-year national education was a brilliant move that gives something back that for many was robbed from them. I know from where I lived, that for many an education is the golden ticket out of cyclical lifestyle of subsistence farming. Although, seeing an adult in an S1 class is a bit unexpected, at first, the fact that someone could show such determination to try and achieve is beyond commendable and highlights the spirit in Rwanda of progress and upward mobility that is alive in many. That education can bring about so much hope and joy to someone while costing little in the grand scheme of things is a tremendous achievement, and there are many such stories that attest to this.

As I often hear again and again, Rwanda is one of the best places wherein to do or to start a business.

The rate at which business in Rwanda is expanding, exploring and extending its reach is also note-worthy. For a landlocked country that has dealt with what Rwanda has both within and surrounding its borders is exceptional. In just my brief time in Kigali, I’ve noticed a vast influx of interest from airlines, international schools (both at the University and primary levels), PR companies, fitness brands, cuisine, telecommunications and ICT, and banking amongst others. It’s impressive to me to see such tangible changes take place in a city the size of Kigali over such a short period of time. I don’t know about others but seeing minute changes brings a sense of excitement about the changing scenario. I mean, I can buy Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and frozen bacon now. Amazing.

Lastly, one of the more awe-striking things I have come to appreciate is Rwanda’s rooted sense of infrastructure. I recently saw a photo of what the Rubangura-KCT intersection looked like ten years ago compared with today and it was awestruck.

There were no multi-floored buildings in the area, the roads were unpaved and riddled with twegera-

nyes calling for passengers. That Kigali and Rwanda have jumped into the 21st century so quickly and assuredly is astounding, and I’m sure a bit jarring for some who grew up in the old Kigali and have seen all the vast changes firsthand. While living in a village, the once 3 meter wide path from Butare was leveled, widened and smoothed out, taking an initial two hour moto ride down to forty-five minutes. I say all of this because for a country to so rapidly undergo what Rwanda has with such sweeping acceptance is noteworthy. In the countryside you can see shoeless farmers herding cattle while they chat on their cellphone, yet in the US, where technological advances have been taking place gradually, relative advances leave some of those who I’m closest to baffled (Siri can send iMessages, say what?). But back to my point, I’ve seen Kigali add streetlights, pave roads, boost its “3G” connectivity and add a 3-D movie theater to its roster since I moved here three and a half years ago. That’s a lot to take in for anyone, anywhere.

These three sectors: education, economics and infrastructure have seen astronomical advance, and in a very tangible way, in the last twenty years.

That to me is a very good thing. For Rwanda to be where it needs to and to realize its 2020 Vision, however, there are some strides that I personally think should and need to be taken for the overhaul to really become full circle.

As a rural and now urban teacher, teaching modalities of some of my colleagues have left me wishing I could do more for them and my students. The gross presence of rote memorization needs to be thrown away; forgotten; abolished. I understand that there are many other internal pedagogical issues being faced that may take precedence, one of many being the drastic switch from French to English for the thousands of teachers never taught in English and its detriment to learning, but if this style of teaching isn’t addressed it will only worsen the education gap that have yet to be solved. The focus

for education and thought provocation needs to center in on critical thinking, problem-solving and logic, not on penmanship, the correct use of blue or red ink pens nor repercussions for being wrong. What comes as a result of this is homegrown intelligent, problem solving individuals who can think for themselves and think freely about how to improve their Rwanda. This is something that is vast in scope but in practice is not impossible. Such changes don’t even need to be an English-based approach, they could be done mu Kinyarwanda or even dans Français. If for no other reason, this ‘learner-centered’ teaching allows the teacher to do less quantifiable work while also challenging and stimulating students more (when applied effectively) but it needs to start when they’re in preschool.

On a similar note, Rwanda’s uniform promotion of ICT is quite unique, from the OLPC (One Laptop per Child) program or the recent Miss Geek competition to even the kLab in Kacyiru, it gives educators a tingly feeling that greater things are this way coming. Sadly, though, the best stimulant for boosting ICT prowess is two-fold: through artistic development and creativity, and –surprise— access to ICT. Outside of Kigali, the presence of these two is intermittent at best. Where I used to live, students learned ICT on a chalkboard. Let me be restate that. They learned how to turn on a computer, to type, format and edit documents, as well as, use the internet, from the words that were written on a chalkboard. Now, I’m no genius but if ICT is too have a broader reach and greater success, one would conclude that the infrastructure and span of infrastructure needs to expand to the regional capitals and their surrounding areas.

The reason being is that the regional capitals all pale in comparison to Kigali’s size, development and expanse of infrastructure. If someone wants to succeed or improve their knowledge they are at an immediate and immeasurable disadvantage by not being in the capital.

This grossly skews the future of Rwanda’s development if only 10% have access to such capacities. Lastly, regarding artistic development and creativity, the ability to think abstractly and outside the box is often founded in one’s artistic approach.

Yes, skills in Math and the Sciences have direct, correlated and tabulated links to success in Economics and ICT, but what is less computable is one’s ability to think abstractly and creatively about how to solve a problem or create its solutions.

Problem-solving and creativity, though go hand-in-hand: painting, drawing, drama, singing and dancing all promote this. I need not quote the studies or numerous authors who make these statements but one brief google search shows enough in favor.

Anyway, enough on the educational front. Two more pressing areas of concern that I would say are a bit less on the radar of government action, but are no less important to the health and vitality of Rwanda’s well-being are the emphasis on health and leisure. As Rwanda’s middle-class continues to boom, shortcomings in their valuation continue to fall short.

Clearly, Rwanda still faces many economic overhauls before such minutiae can be properly addressed, but as Rwanda does develop there are viable debates to have that should be considered. Case in point, the Service Mag’s Annual Service Award was just announced recently and in many of the categories the nominees were not Rwandan or strictly Rwandan owned businesses. Similarly, none of the nominees were outside of Kigali. Save for perhaps the luxurious Lodge at Nyungwe. This issue has been raised before, but in order for Rwanda’s booming economy to continue booming, the obvious need is in its customers’ satisfaction. Their satisfaction should be paramount but in many situations it isn’t. Along those same lines, viable options for the middle class to enjoy leisure are also sparse, unless you aren’t in the middle class.

Money and prestige seem to very much be the paramount, from the excess of luxury hotels or wildlife/game safari companies to even housing

options. Where is the consideration for the middle-class homeowners or weekend getaways? There is but one hostel in the entire country that is up to code. As for pastimes, the beautiful thousand hills are marked off either for agriculture, logically, or for costly safari trekking. But there is no in-between. Another option is simply to imbibe at local bars, but again the previous issue of service comes back up. Ah, then there’s the bastion of athletics, for those disciplined enough to endure being stared on a run or with the wherewithal to dole out the exorbitant prices for mediocre gym environments and equipment.

Yet, despite all of this there are no public parks neither for socializing, exercising, nor lounging with friends.

Where there are parks one knows better than to dare and step foot on the grass. That is not the most welcoming of settings. New York City has Central Park, Munich has the Englischer Garten, Cape Town has the V&A Waterfront. By no means the end all, be all but a park would go a long way towards improving Kigali’s ambience and bringing the city’s varying communities together. Taking on such an initiative nation-wide would be a worthy effort, as well.

Now these are just some of my musings. Rwanda is very much on the path to achieving all of these things, but a final thought, one which draws on every major international city’s path to prestige, is time. What Rwanda needs more than anything is time.

Time for the scars of the past to fully heal over, allowing for what once tore a nation apart bringing it to ruin, and what is still whispered and gossiped about in bars across the country to this day, to become as much a part of its national memory and moved away from as is the Holocaust in Germany.

Time for the many advances to set in; time for Rwanda’s infrastructure to expand and appreciate its ever-increasing demand (I’m looking at you, MTN); time for people’s mindsets and sensibilities to incorporate the changed fast-pace of what is Rwanda today—a bastion for ICT, for business and rebirth.

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Kate Kelly, 29yrs University: Bentley University Hometown: Huel, Massachusetts Work: Ubumwe sports initiative, player/coach/director Favorite quote: “go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” Henry David Thoreau Message to Rwandan youth: “failure is a step to success. Quitting is failure.

Don’t be afraid to fail and fail and fail……success is around the corner.”

Kato Paul, 24yrs University of Rwanda. College of business and economics Work : Tigo Rwanda as Project Manager Hometown: Kigali-Rwanda Favorite quote: sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. You can be that generation.

Message to Rwandan youth: let us rise as the hope of Rwanda and build a better future for Rwanda.

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Umwali Ines kevine, 18yrs Graduate of Lycee notre dame de citeaux Hometown: Kigali- rwanda Favorite quote: “surround yourself with those you want to be like.”

Message for the Rwandan youth: on ne perd pas quand on a echoue, on perd quand on a abandonne We do not lose when we fail, we lose when give up.

Uwera Clarisse Kiara, 18yrs Graduate from Lycee Notre Dame de Citeaux Favorite quote: “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” Chinese proverb Message to the Rwandan youth: we have already made half the way, let’s continue making rwanda a dream country. Hands together.

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Umwiza Delice, 18yrs Graduate from Fawe Girls’ school Kibagabaga, Kigali-Rwanda Favorite quote: “my candle burns on both ends, it will never last the night, but oh my friends! And ah my foes! It gives a lovely light” – Roald Dahl Message to the Rwandan youth: we need to remember our past and the causes and teach it to the younger generation to prevent such bad things from recurring again anywhere in our region of east Africa, Africa at large and the whole world.

Mugisha Aaron, 25yrs Graduate from Bangalore University Kacyiru - Kigali Favorite quote: join hands as we remember and also as we rebuild our nation to make it a better place for our future generation.

Principles: Respect, Discipline

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Mukaze Jessica, 18yrs Lycee Notre Dame de Citeaux Kigali-Rwanda Favorite quote: “you only live once but if you do it right, once is enough.”Unknown Message to the Rwandan youth: live to make a positive impact.

Salma Peter, 24yrs National University of Rwanda, 2013 Kigali-Rwanda Favorite quote: “Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”

– Joshua J. Marine Message to the youth: The task of building Rwanda is entrusted to us and all the bricks lay in our hands.

Let us Learn, Listen, Believe, Teach and Take action to make it happen.

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We are the future of our nation, the future is today, the future is right now… lets embrace it.. and let’s keep our great nation moving,moving in the direction of political, economic and social development. Our future has never been this bright.

The future is US!

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MaryAnn Roki University of Witwatersrand (M.A) Home town: Kigali, Rwanda Work: Design Today Limited Favorite quote: “People often see things that are and ask why, I think of things that never were and ask why not” Hellen Keller Message to the youth: We are the future of our nation, the future is today, the future is right now… lets embrace it.. and let’s keep our great nation moving,moving in the direction of political, economic and social development. Our future has never been this bright. The future is US!

Rwanda Today

By Angel Uwamahoro

20 years have passed…

And yes, we can still see the scars, But they have been sealed with promising skin.

Skin that promises NEVER to return were we have been.

Today we stand tall As we keep you in our memoryAs your spirits guide us To be a nation that is exemplary Today we have hopeToday we can copeToday we are resilient Today we are brilliant Today we are the light, and the promise …

The promise of a future that is bright.

Rwanda today, is the heart beating life of AfricaThe world’s example and definition of hope, resilience and ambition If you haven’t yet heard listen, Grab a pen and learnRwanda is a lesson.

Rwanda is where the great Kivu lake Rests inWhere the birds of the Nyungwe forest Nest in and the foreign investors fly all the way to Invest in What’s happening right now in Rwanda Is interestin’ And its amazin’ To be a part of and watch...

Watch...

Rwanda Rwanda today is

Tens of growing cities Hundreds of opportunities The land of a thousand hillsThe faces of a million smilesAnd just one peopleWe are united back homeWhere I come from...

In Rwanda there is freedom Where we live in peace And live as we please Yemwe simvuga amahanga Ndavuga iwacu murwanda Ahari kubera ibitangazaRwanda Is birds and lakes Lights and city streets, Volcanoes and silver backs, Restaurants, Cinemas and coffee beans, tea, industries, electricity and honey bees...

I come from the earth’s last piece of paradise A big hearted land Where my people Chose forgiveness over the atrocities they witnessed A land Where we are not afraid to speak the truth A land Where there is room for the youth A land Where a doomed generation is now The driving force behind the nation A land Where one people work hard hand in hand To demand, Justice and dignity-

We come from a land Where will forever carry The memory of our fallen stars in 94 A land Where the only fight we fight Is the fight for unity A land where we chose to renew or ways For a better and brighter days We come from a landThat has risen from the ashes of sorrow To the rose blossom of tomorrow A land of agaciroWe come from that land Rwanda today is the land of prideThe home to dreamers, believers and achievers, Learners and teachers Humans and creatures the heart beating life of AfricaThe worlds example and definition of hope, reliance and ambition If you haven’t yet heard I hope you listened because Rwanda is a lesson.

Yes, 20 years have passed…

And yes, we can still see the scars, but they have been sealed with promising skin.

Skin that promises NEVER to return were we have been.

Today we stand tall As we keep you in our memoryAs your spirits guide us To be a nation that is exemplary Today we have hopeToday we can copeToday we are resilient Today we are brilliant Today we are the promise, and the light.

Rwanda Today IS the promise of a future that is bright.

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OUR CITY

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Poems Rwanda:

Chant d’espoir

By Marina Kamikazi

By Janecie Umutoni & Kamaliza

Rwanda, pays des milles collines Tu as été réduite en ruines Rwanda, mon beau pays, t’as perdu Beaucoup de vies.

Arusha Raissa Dans une nuit noire, Brille l’étoile du désespoir, Reflétée sur une mer de larmes, Rappelant le jour où les âmes tombèrent sous les armes.

En des jours comme celui-ci, Nous souffrons tous en chœur, En se souvenant de ces mois maudits Ou il Ya eu tant de Malheur.

N’oublions pas le passé, Sinon l’histoire se répétera, Mais retenons le comme lesson, Si nous voulons la guérison.

Un jour on les reverra Tous souriant aux paradis Et ce jour la on tetera Car on sera a jamais unis.

Tous séparés par la mort, A cause de leur futile tort, Les collines décimées, Seuls témoins d’une tragédie.

Où trouver le pardon?

Pour continuer dans la cohabitation, Après les atrocités, Qui nous ont divisées?

Dieu, seul compagnon en amont, Pour un jour rêver de pardon, Nos voisins si semblables, Seuls rappels de la réconciliation vitale.

Le fruit de la haine profondément enracinée, Jadis, étant la rancœur, mis de coté ; Par les fruits de l’indépendance apprise, Nourrissant notre avenir de maitrise.

La nuit auparavant éteinte scintille, Les étoiles dans les yeux des garçons et filles, La route vers un monde renouvelé, Longue, mais déjà entamée.

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Creativity is Imagination

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