More than 50 students from 14 secondary schools from Huye, Gisagara and Nyanza Districts in Southern Province at the weekend participated in Never Again Rwanda’s 2016 public speaking and exchange competition.

The competition, which was hosted at Groupe Scolaire Gatagara in Huye, was held under the theme, "Breaking a Culture of Silence: The Role of the Youth in Promoting Tolerance and Constructive Dialogue in the Great Lakes Region.”

Three students, including two girls, emerged the best speakers. Nadia Akabibi took the day in French presentation unit, while Lionel Ndizeye and Wivine Uwera shared the podium in English presentation unit.

These are supposed to represent Rwanda in a regional public speaking and exchange competition due in May and it will also attract youths from Burundi, DR Congo, and Uganda.

Dr Joseph Nkurunziza, the president and co-founder of Never Again Rwanda, said the public speaking and exchange activity that was initiated in 2011 aims at engaging the young people in gaining the skills in public speaking.

"There is a saying that ‘if you don’t understand what your opponent thinks, you will never be able to understand what you think yourself. Besides debating, there is also an opportunity for the youth to understand what their peers think,” he said.

He said other young people who will come from DR Congo, Burundi and Uganda, will be able to interact and appreciate the culture of tolerance.

"Hopefully when they return to their respective countries they will be able to break the silence that has been hindering tolerance and the respect of human rights,” Nkurunziza added.

Uwera, a senior five student at Ecole Notre Dame de la Providence (ENDP) Karubanda in Huye District, in her essay entitled, "Through the Youth Rises the Culture of Tolerance,” argued that to solve a problem, one should not create another.

"When you want to solve a problem, you do not need to cause another problem. Rather, you seek and use peaceful ways,” she said, citing constructive dialogue where people have to listen to one another’s views as one of the appropriate means.

Uwera said she and a group of like-minded students have an idea to set up a network to fight human trafficking in Great Lakes region.

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