In Kinyarwanda there is a saying ‘inzira ntibwira umugenzi’, which loosely translates to "the road does not tell the traveller what lies ahead”, to mean that where we go determines what happens next.
Such is the case for Rev. LaDonna Sanders Nkosi, an American citizen who first came to Rwanda to write her doctoral thesis and build partnerships for her peace and leadership initiatives, but today she considers making the country her first home.
The Chicago native is now looking to set up shop in Rwanda and live here for good, nearly a year after the trip she made to reconnect with friends, family and community. The one year has been an opportunity to de-stress, decompress, heal, renew, restore and most of all, make important life decisions.
After her initial visit, Sanders returned to Rwanda partly to follow up on her initiatives but also to organise a retreat which would allow more Americans and other nationalities to come to see and experience what she experienced in Rwanda.
Sanders said she was in Rwanda to organise the Africa Exhale Retreats because, "I want to open the door and the space for more people, African American descent and people from other backgrounds, to come and experience what I have experienced here in Rwanda.
"The wonderfulness of Rwanda, to come and refresh, be energised to learn and also to connect with others,” said Sanders, who is the founder of Ubuntu Global Village Communications, Africa Exhale and Ubuntu Global Retreats.
Sanders, who considers herself a global traveller, cultural bridge-builder and community connector, believes it is a calling to her and she is realigning her life to do exactly that.
Through her retreats and coaching initiatives, she hopes to create a bridge between Americans, Africans and other people from across the globe to be bright about healing, restoration and great transformation in many ways.
She derives joy in bringing people together across cultures, sectors, boundaries and barriers to collaborate and share their gifts to reach common goals for the good.
Through her work, she helps organisations, businesses, leaders and teams to grow and empower their cultural intelligence and actions for greater growth and impact. However, it is her love for Rwanda that is reshaping whatever she dreams and plans to do.
"I’ve been here four times. I never want to go home though. I love my home and my assignment is to build bridges across the water,” she said, reiterating that even as she goes back, the idea is to go and mobilise funding so that she can fully establish her activities here.
Sanders said that it is unfortunate that sometimes people don’t understand how wonderful their countries or cities are, the history and everything attached to them, which is why her mission is to remind people.
"I’m from Chicago, the third largest city in the United States, we have so many wonderful things, but Chicagoans don’t know how wonderful their city is, and that’s what I would say to Rwanda.
"That is what I would say to ‘Kigalians’. People are coming from all over the world to experience you and what you have to offer, right? All day, I connect with people, and in the evening, I come and see the arts,” she said, pointing out that these are things people don’t attach value to yet they mean a lot.
Sanders, who was also here as part of the "Move Afrika Dance camp, said there are a lot of amazing things across countries, including dance and art, which are common uniting factors for people from across the globe.
The dance enthusiast believes that Africa is where most dances originated, given how rich they are, and it is in Africa that she was reminded that art, music and dance are a way of life.
"The dances are just so energetic and energising. So, I was happy to come here to meet some of the other instructors and just be challenged,” she said, adding that at her age, these experiences haven’t just been educational but she is also able to keep in shape and brush off stress.
In Rwanda, she has also been able to connect with new friends, new people and new cultures, all of which make her feel like she is just beginning to live.
"I did my doctoral thesis here. There’s some kind of peace here that allows creativity. I don’t know where that comes from but I’m going to be inviting others because I think people are stressed out these days and just need to step out of their comfort zones and find life elsewhere.”
A welcoming nation
Sanders said naturally, Rwandans are not just welcoming but also loving. "I listened to a lot of the videos and people talking about purposely welcoming visitors, and as a global traveller, many countries don’t purposely welcome you. They make you feel like an outsider and I don’t see that here.
"It feels like home. I remember the first time I was supposed to go back home and I cried. The thing is, I’m a global traveller. South Africa is the first place I ever travelled and that’s where many of my people are,” she said, adding that it was in South Africa that she was ordained an apostle.
"I never cried when I left,” the published poet and author said. Sanders was also previously married to a South African, explaining her third name, ‘Nkosi’. They have since divorced.
It was quite strange that she had to ask her pastor why she cried when she was about to leave Rwanda, yet it has never happened to her in any other country she has travelled to, and the pastor said maybe it is because Rwanda is her home.
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For Sanders, Rwanda being the heart of Africa is not just a catchphrase but a powerful statement with meaning, given how God placed the heart at the centre of everything. Going forward, her focus will be fundraising for her activities and returning to Rwanda ahead of the festive season.
"I really want to experience the holidays in Rwanda because I feel that we’re supposed to host the African Exhale Retreat during the New Year’s time, but I&039;ve never experienced that, so I am working on that now,” Sanders said.
"After that, I hope to come back in February and start the New Year here and remain here and just set up home here. That is my hope and my prayer,” she added.
Ordained and commissioned for international bridge building in 2003 in Durban, South Africa, Sanders has travelled to different countries coaching people on leadership and building cultural bridges.
Her mission is to empower leaders and organisations to live to their fullest potential and to move from vision, declarations and mission statements to lived realities.
From early in her career, launching diversity and multicultural programmes and policy at DePaul, Loyola University Chicago and Syracuse University to leading programme departments for Chicago’s top non-profit organisations including Chicago Cares and Women Employed, she demonstrates great gratitude for her journey.
She assists clients and partners to discover the significance of their journeys and callings as individuals and organisations, as well as collaborate to impact the world.
Sanders is a Seeds Fellow, a Do Good X Fellow, and Wright Scholar. She is a recent doctoral graduate who utilises scholarship and research to empower communities and current and future leaders to grow, develop, and bring about change.
She is an award-winning speaker, transformation agent and executive leaders’ advisor. In 2021, she developed and launched the Healing Racism Journaling Experience Virtual Retreats and is now scheduling dates for corporations, organisations and schools for 2023.