East or west, home is best. That is one statement that rolls of tongues without hesitation thanks to the truth embedded in it. It is part of human nature to develop a deep attachment to one’s home to a point that even years away from home may not erode this sense of belonging. 

These feelings can be hard to understand if one has never really left their home. It is after stepping away from home that many start to appreciate the unique qualities and values related to their homes. A good reminder of all this is the recently held Rwanda Day that was held in Atlanta Georgia in USA.

This event has happened before in Chicago, Boston and Toronto in Canada. It is still confusing to those who have never attended it or bothered to understand what it is all about. Rwanda Day is basically an event where Rwandans in the Diaspora converge in one place where they get to meet with each other but more importantly, with very important people from Rwanda led by the president himself.

Due to the country’s troubled history Rwanda has a huge Diaspora population but to who home remains best even if they are not there or even have no plans to go back home. A few weeks before this year’s Rwanda Day event, I was lucky to listen to a detailed explanation of what the day is all about from someone who had been at the Toronto event last year.

Of all the things she said, emphasis was on the fact that it is a very good initiative and feeling, to have people from your country listening and answering any question you may have about home. During these Rwanda Day events, a team of Rwandan government bureaucrats fly in to explain what is going on in Rwanda and how those in the Diaspora can be a part of it. The event is not just about clichéd patriotism but developmental realism.

I followed the Atlanta event as it was broadcast live on Rwanda television and realised that other East African Countries need to copy the idea immediately. I know that EAC leaders occasionally make time to see their citizens when on foreign trips but this cannot compare to the holistic nature of the Rwanda Day event.

Many a time people in the Diaspora are fed on a daily dose of negative news from back home and some start to believe that nothing meaningful is possible back home. They feel no attachment apart from the sentimental. They do not see how they can get involved besides sending some dollars, Euros or British Pounds to their parents back home or to a relative at the local university.

What Rwanda is doing should be copied by Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi. Each should have a day that is held in different foreign cities a few key government people and some from the private sector travel to the venue to sell them their home in a more serious way. Tell them that it is possible to send money back home, to buy shares on the stock exchange, find jobs back home (many have good academic qualifications after all) or establish a private business.

The whole purpose of such a venture is to help the people in the Diaspora to always think about home or face the East (East Africa). We have all seen reports showing how much the different EAC economies are benefiting from remittances from people in the Diaspora. This is a good thing but not the only thing that can be done.

Efforts like changing the constitution to allow dual citizenship can go a long way in making people think and appreciate home (East Africa) better. Other small incentives can be provided to get the attention of these people. For example it is commendable that Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta recently assured Kenyans in the Diaspora that it will soon be acceptable for them to return with their cars even if they are left hand drive cars and at a minimal cost (not sure if tax free or just a tax reduction).

All EAC countries have embassies out there but sometimes it takes an event like Rwanda Day for the people out there to feel a deeper sense of belonging. After all east or west, home is best and East Africa is a worthy home for them to invest or return to. Maybe we can eventually have an EAC Day in the Diaspora to sell the region as a whole.