Celebrated Dutch personalities Lieke van Lexmond, a model, actress and TV presenter, and Mark van Eeuwen, an actor, dancer and producer, were last week in the country for the Gorilla naming ceremony, Kwita Izina, and were among the ‘namers’ of the baby gorillas. In an exclusive interview, the duo tell Edwin Musoni about their intentions to woo investors from their country to Rwanda.  Below are the excerpts;TNT: Having been part of the naming entourage, how can you describe your experience for giving a name to a mountain gorilla? Lexmond: Of course, we felt honoured to name the baby gorilla. The gorilla is one of the most special animals in the world so when they asked us to come and name one, we felt really blessed and we agreed that we have to think about a name. We love nature so much. We opted for ‘Rising Star’ (Icyamamare) and we believe Rwanda is a rising star. Eeuwen: … and what was funny actually is that, when we left Holland, it was all over the news and one of the national newspapers had a headline ‘A baby for Lieke and Mark.’ TNT: This is your first time visiting the country, how did you find it compared to what you had heard before? Eeuwen: I have great respect for the people here because they really tried to improve the country and their zeal to move their country towards a brighter future. It really inspired me so much. We loved that you see the opportunities where they are. I also like the spirit of resilience that I found in Rwandans.TNT: Lexmond you are a very famous person back in Holland, you are in acting, a model and a presenter on TV, what has been your secret to success? Lexmond: I really don’t know the secret because it’s very difficult to say things about yourself but what I can say is, in life, the most important thing is to be true to yourself and to discover what you are really passionate about. I don’t think there is anything impossible in this world. The opportunities are there, if you really believe in yourself and visualize your own self then you can make it. For the young Rwandan girls, I would encourage them to work collectively, that’s how they will prosper. They need each other more. TNT: Eeuwen, you surprised the world when you won the TV show, ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, you are a producer and an actor; how have you maintained progress in all that? Eeuwen: I am a dreamer and honestly for someone to succeed, you have to dream and work really hard to accomplish your goals. Nothing comes by itself you have to really work hard. When I emerged the winner of Strictly Come Dancing, I had spent many days training for eight hours a day nonstop. I had a dream to win and I worked hard toward realising my dream. This is just an example, and this is the spirit everyone should have. TNT: In the interest of the upcoming Rwandan celebrities, how can you advise them on managing their personal lives as well as retain the celebrity status? Eeuwen: It’s all about passion. To be a celebrity, you need to have a croft and if you are good at that then you will be respected for that, but mainly you need to strike a balance and ensure you live the life your society expects of you. That’s the best advice to upcoming celebrities in Rwanda. TNT: Tell us about your personal livesLexmond: We are both single, but we have been in a relationship for a long time and we still love each other so much.Eeuwen: You don’t know what the future holds… may be next year we could be one. TNT: How would you describe Rwanda in one word and what is that one thing that you liked most about the country?Lexmond: Sparkle. That’s the word; I say sparkle because the people in Rwanda are so sparkling. They are very open-minded. They were so caring and kind to us. And sparkle because everything is here. You are blessed, you have it all, you have the nature and everything is amazing. It’s wonderful to see how a city is growing here and for me it’s a sparkle. Eeuwen: I can describe Rwanda as a believing country. People here believe in themselves, they believe nothing is impossible for them and the world out there believes in Rwanda because the country has proved they can achieve anything. It’s a determined country. A country determined to grow. TNT: Do you intend to come back to Rwanda and if yes, what would bring you back most? Eeuwen: Absolutely! We fell in love with this country, we definitely have to come back and we will come back to see how this country grows. We will do publicity for this country; it’s a beautiful place and trust people from Holland would love it here so much. Lexmond: When it comes to Rwanda being famous is not that important to us, what is important is what we can do for a place that we fell in love with. TNT: You have hinted at doing something for Rwanda, what do you have in mind?Eeuwen: Ever since we got here we have been working on a project about the possibilities of the Dutch people investing in Rwanda. We are looking at entrepreneurs in real estate, of which we think the investors would help in creating employment as well as building this great city. There are many opportunities here in Rwanda. There is much potential in the tourism sector that the Dutch can invest in and the coffee sector. Lexmond: We also thought of encouraging Western banks to extend their services here. When we are travelling, we normally use Visa cards, but when you get here, you realise the need to have hard cash. This is something that would benefit the investors and tourists.