President Paul Kagame yesterday welcomed participants at the nine-day Ram Katha spiritual event that kicked off at Kigali Convention Centre where hundreds joined spiritual leader Morari Bapu for his teachings.

The Head of State thanked the event’s organisers and participants for choosing Rwanda as a venue, explaining that it is a great gesture of solidarity with Rwandans.

"I want to thank our special guest, Bapu, who is no stranger to Africa, for choosing Rwanda and being here for the next nine days. I also want to thank all of you, for coming at this particular time. This month, we are commemorating 25 years since the genocide that happened here in 1994,” the president said.

He added: "We truly appreciate this gesture of solidarity, which reflects the principles of truth, love, and compassion that are central to Bapu’s teaching. In Rwanda, we relate very closely to these three human values”.

The president was hailed for leading Rwanda to greater heights from the aftermath of the genocide, by the main event organiser, entrepreneur and founder of Mara Group Ashish Thakkar, thanking the president for guiding the country to its recovery.

"Thanks to his government, we are in a very different Rwanda today,” Thakkar said.

The businessman was living in Rwanda when the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi started during which he fled, only to come back after the slaughter that claimed more than a million Rwandans in 100 days.

He said that the Ram Katha event in Rwanda was dedicated to the victims of the genocide in the country, its survivors, as well as all Rwandans in general.

He described the event taking place in Rwanda as a "dream come true” and thanked the Indian spiritual leader Morari Bapu for coming to Rwanda.

Close to 1000 followers are expected to attend the Ram Katha prayers in Kigali with many flying in from across the globe.

Ramnik Karia, 75, flew in from the United Kingdom to attend the event, which he described as a blessing for Rwanda since it will bring many tourists to the country.

"I am expecting some spiritual awakening from here but I also expect Kigali to benefit from it because money will come through tourism; we will talk about Kigali everywhere we go,” he said.

Many participants at the event described Kigali as a very beautiful and clean city, explaining that they are glad to visit the city.

"Everyone here is talking about how nice people are in Kigali and how clean the city is,” Karia said.

Another follower, Autar Kaur from Kenya, said that coming to Kigali to see Bapu’s preaching is also a good opportunity to visit the country.

President Kagame said that Rwanda was pleased to host Ram Katha as a unique spiritual event and urged participants here to feel at home and get the most out of their time in Rwanda.

"We are pleased to host Ram Katha in Kigali and to have you in our midst. We trust that you will have a chance to get to know our country and our people. And also find a reason to keep coming back, where you are very welcome,” he said.

In his teachings, Morari Bapu emphasises the virtues of truth, love, and compassion. Ram Katha in Kigali will last for four hours every day for the next nine days.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com