Our differences should be our strength, Kagame tells leaders

President Paul Kagame has urged the country’s top leaders to build strong institutions and uphold the spirit of unity among Rwandans for the country to be a bright home in the future. The Head of State yesterday addressed more than 300 top leaders of the country who convened at the 7th Unity Club forum, a reunion that brought together current and former Cabinet ministers and their spouses, legislators, as well as army and police top commanders. Governors, mayors, researchers, commissioners in the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission, and representatives of the civil society were also participants at the forum whose discussions centred on assessing Ndi Umunyarwanda’s achievements and advising the way forward for the campaign. “Building a strong foundation and leaving a legacy for the next generation has to be part of who we are and what we do every day. We must build a lasting foundation; we should be thinking of our children and their children. What will be our legacy?” Kagame challenged the officials. For the entire day yesterday, participants at the forum shared ideas on how they see the achievements of Ndi Umunyarwanda, which is an initiative whereby Rwandans in their communities openly talk about their history in order to heal through telling the truth, repenting, and forgiving. One year after the campaign started in the country, leaders, researchers, and analysts gathered at the 7th Unity Club forum said it has helped build the Rwandan spirit among many Rwandans and healed their wounds. Dr Jean-Baptiste Habyarimana, the Executive Secretary of the Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC), said that one of the campaign’s biggest achievements has been the provision of a forum where Rwandans talk about their history and identity. Habyarimana argues that the campaign should stay on to keep building the Rwandan spirit and provide the youth with a good foundation for healing and building their country President Kagame urged the leaders to build on the achievements gained through working with the spirit of unity in mind to achieve a lot more and build a stronger Rwanda for future generations. “Individuals come and go—however long you may live, you will eventually go—but our nation must outlive us,” he said, urging the officials to “look forward, not backward and build a foundation that cannot easily be undone”. Research by the NURC indicates that 99 per cent of Rwandans want their children to see themselves as just Rwandans instead of Hutu, Tutsi, or Twa identities. Some 25 per cent of Rwandans still see themselves as Hutu, Tutsi, or Twa, instead of being just Rwandans, the commission says. For the Head of State, differences between Rwandans shouldn’t be a problem but an answer for their survival and strength. “Our differences should be our strength. Let us put our different strengths together to build a stronger nation,” Kagame said. Participants at the 7th Unity Club forum recommended that Ndi Umunyarwanda campaigns stay on so they can help the young to understand their history and grow up with the Rwandan spirit. First Lady, Jeannette Kagame, who chairs Unity Club, a group that brings together current and former Cabinet ministers and their spouses, spoke highly in favour of the campaigns. “There is a lot that Ndi Umunyarwanda has achieved even if it’s not easy to measure our change as leaders and among Rwandans in general. There is a lot that the program has achieved even if it is a continuing journey that everyone joins as they wish,” she told participants at the launch of the forum. Under the Chairmanship of the First Lady of Rwanda, Unity Club gives its members an opportunity to promote social cohesion and work together towards the country’s development.

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Our differences should be our strength, Kagame tells leaders