Rwandans, diplomats and friends of Rwanda celebrated Liberation this weekend in Canada, taking the opportunity to reflect on the country's vision
Liberation is more than a celebration but a time to reflect on Rwanda’s progress so far; re-assess strategies to fulfill the country’s vision to become a knowledge-based, service-oriented and middle-income economy by the year 2020, according to the Chargee d'Affaires of Rwanda to Canada, Shakilla K. Umutoni.
Umutoni was speaking at the reception to celebrate Kwibohira24 in Ottawa, over the weekend.
The event was attended by over 300 people from the Rwandan community in Ottawa and neighboring cities, friends of Rwanda and officials from the Canadian government among others.
According to Umutoni, Rwanda’s has achieved "a lot in the past two decades or so” but equally a lot more could be achieved resulting into socio-economic liberation of the country and its citizens.
She reminded the audience about the meaning of Kwibohora, touching on the country's dark history that led to the 1994 genocide against Tutsi.
"As a nation, we own that dark past and all its mistakes, but most importantly, we remain committed to continue the journey of positive transformation of our country for a brighter future for its people and for generations to come,” Umutoni said.
Marc Andre Fredette, the Director General for Eastern and Southern Africa at Global Affairs Canada, who represented the Canadian government, congratulated Rwanda on the many milestones, including a successful presidency of the African Union promotion of gender equality and healthcare, and it's role in peacekeeping around the world, the management of the environment.
In June 2018, President Paul Kagame, who is also the Chairperson of the African Union, was invited by the Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, to attend the outreach session of the G7 Summit in Quebec.
Together with other leaders and policymakers, they reflected on the theme for the Outreach Session which focused on how to build healthy, productive and resilient oceans, coasts, and communities.
Fredette also expressed satisfaction on the cooperation between the two countries and the need to deepen bilateral relations.