Most people believe that Valentine’s Day is a day for lovers only but this time in Rwanda it is going to go beyond loving couples to all levels of society and the general community.

Several Non government organisations in partnership with the Ministry of Sports and Culture are going to extend the celebration of love and hope from the 1st February to the end of the month with lots of activities that will be geared towards spreading the message of love to one another in the country.

Speaking to The New Times, Saturday, Beatrice Gakuba the CEO of Rwanda Flora S.A.RL and one of the spear headers of the love campaign said that instead of focusing the celebration of love only on February 14, their vision is to extend the celebration of love and hope for the whole month.

"Our target audience for the campaigns is quite broad and includes the Civil society, corporate sector, public sector, Diplomatic missions, UN agencies, international and local NGO’s, youth organisations and all religious denominations,” she said.

She appealed to all Rwandans at all levels and the visitors in the country to commit themselves and show gestures of love during the month of February.

"Our vision is to make the initiative a yearly event and be included in the National calendar of events; the measure of success will be when all levels of society drive their own activities come the month of February,” she noted.

"This is asocial initiative that will promote and cement love among the Rwandan society which was torn apart by the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi 16 years ago, we want to focus on love and hope and ensure that Rwandan youth will build a future based on solid values.”

During the love campaign, the entertainment will be varied; entertainers will serenade the audience through the night with a range of music from dancing with love songs, South African jazz, blues, funk, soul, salsa and African music. The band will feature Mutsali, Kim Thuita and Mighty people Black Diamonds from Kenya and special guests.

The Valentines Day gala event on February 14 will be targeted at everyone who wants to be counted or seen, endorse the campaign and as well the spirits of sharing love and hope. The ceremony is set to be a premier glittering gala event that will highlight the festivities.

The total number of people expected to attend the event which is at Lemigo hotel is 300 and the tickets of the event go for Rwf 50000 per couple and Rwf 30000 for a single person.

Tickets to the Valentines Day event are available on several outlets such as Bourbon coffee, Rwanda Flora boutique, Nakumatt, Chez Robert, among others.
Gakuba explained that they have already kicked off the love campaign in the media with a teaser campaign on Contact FM with a talk show where the concept of sharing love was introduced and listeners concurred with the idea that they need to show more love to one another.

The love campaign will be concluded by a free charity concert where the proceeds from the concert will go to one of the orphanages that will be chosen by the stakeholders.

The love campaign is spear headed by among others Contact FM, Ministry of Sports and Culture, Rwanda Flora S.A.RL, Rwanda Events Management, Brand Smart. St Valentine’s Day has roots in several different legends that have found their way to us through the ages.

One of the earliest popular symbols of the Valentine’s Day is Cupid, the Roman god of love, who is represented by the image of a young boy with a bow and arrow.

Several theories surround the history of Valentine’s Day.
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