French President Emmanuel Macron’s arrival in Rwanda has been received with what a cross-section of people say is hope and optimism.

Macron, who is in the country for a two-day state visit, is the first French President to travel to Rwanda since 2011.

Speaking to The New Times in a telephone interview, French citizen Olivier Beal who runs L’Epicurien restaurant said that the revival of the relations between the two countries is very good news for citizens of both countries.

"We are excited to see the relations get better. This is definitely going to make things better for the French people doing business in Rwanda and those interested in coming over,” he said.

On a lighter note, Beal said that he is honored to be one of the invitees at the cocktail hosted by Macron on Thursday at the inauguration of the French Cultural Center adding that it would be his pleasure to host the French leader at his restaurant.  

The General Manager of Vazquez Tours & Travel Company which specialised in safaris within East Africa, Danny Nshuti said that this visit gives tour operators hope in terms of boosting confidence of potential French tourists wishing to travel to Rwanda.

"We already have French nationals coming for tourism but this visit is definitely going to change attitudes of some who were still looking at Rwanda through the genocidal lenses,” he said.

He said that before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, his company was receiving ten to fifteen upscale tourists but the number was mostly limited due to the diplomatic standoff between the two countries.

"Europeans rely so much on what their governments say. If the relations are not good, there is a huge impact on how they relate to the country in question. But with Macron visiting and also having a Rwandan serving as the Secretary General of the International Francophonie Organisation, there is definitely going to be a positive change,” he said.

Francophonie benefits

Multi-lingual poet Urbain Gilles Sugira whose book of poems ‘Daunting Confessions’, published in French, English and Kinyarwanda is now selling at e-commerce platform Amazon says that the improvement of the relations between the two countries is a win for those in the arts industry.

"Once relations improve, we will see Rwandan arts works gaining more than they have before both on the local and international scene. This is not only because of the increase in the number of platforms but also the support of several French cultural organizations in areas like capacity building,” he said.

The Vice President of the Rwanda Journalists’ Association; Solange Ayanone told The New Times in an interview that the revival of good relations between two countries, each coming with its strengths, is commendable.

She touched on what Macron’s visit means to Rwandans who speak French as their international language of preference.

"French as a language of instruction in schools had taken a back seat and this was a loss because there is so much to gain from speaking and writing many different languages. It gives Rwandans an edge over other East African countries on the job market,” she said.  

She also weighed in on the revival of opportunities offered in the past by French embassy through their international NGOs that dwindled when the relations between the two countries soured.

"The revival of this relationship, the opening of the French Cultural Center and the appointment of the French Ambassador to Rwanda is definitely going to revive many of these opportunities,” she said.

Member of Parliament and former diplomat Zeno called Macron’s visit a step in the right direction.

"President Macron’s decision to commission an investigation and then plan a visit to Rwanda is a good step and it gives us hope that things are getting better. In diplomacy, there is no permanent friend or enemy. The common denominator is mutual political interests,” he said.

The role of France in the Genocide against the Tutsi has always been a thorn in the flesh in the relations between the two countries.

Earlier this year, a commission of experts appointed by President Macron concluded that the European country had "a huge responsibility” in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.