President Paul Kagame yesterday appeared on the international music channel MTV Base, in a show dubbed "MTV meets MTN” during which the Head of State took questions from a group of young people from various African countries.

During the show recorded in May, President Kagame answered a range of questions mainly regarding the progress the country has made, unity and reconciliation and his journey from childhood as a refugee to where he is today.

The Head of State advised African youth to "think big” and venture beyond small things and instead focus on becoming responsible citizens, though it should not be a reason for them to deprive themselves of the right to have fun.

"The youth of Rwanda and of Africa should think big. They should think beyond small things of happiness of a moment. They need to think about responsibilities because you are young today and old tomorrow,” President Kagame said.

"This does not conflict with the youth having fun as they want it. They talk about having fun but you can have fun with a sense of responsibility.”

The Head of State said that young people need to take seriously their health and education because it empowers and equips them with the skills and responsibilities to build themselves, their capacity and later on their countries.

"When time comes for the youth to take one responsibility or the other, they should step in without hesitation. As of today, the youth have so many possibilities, so many opportunities, you can be the only ones to mess that up,” he said.

President Kagame also told the youth about his daily schedule and how he finds time off to personally update his Tweeter account.

"I do a lot on Tweeter than on Facebook. I find a moment, almost on a daily basis to read through and look at what has been happening on my account,”

President Kagame told the youth about his life growing up a refugee, which later became a source of motivation for him and the people who felt they had been deprived of a right to a "home.”

Answering a question on whether Genocide would happen in Rwanda again, President Kagame said that the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi happened because of bad leadership at the time and the leadership of today would never let it happen again.

MTN and MTV Networks are working together in a Pan-African multimedia campaign designed to inspire the youth by connecting them with some of the world's most influential personalities

President Kagame appeared in one of an eight-series show to be aired on MTV Base this month.
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Other prominent people featuring in the series include, Liberian President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, and prominent businessman, James Branson.

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