Residents of Kigali are now used to Car Free Day, a street workout routine introduced in May 2016 and has since become a by-monthly exercise. Twice every month the city’s main artery is closed off for motorists for a half day to allow for sports enthusiasts to jog or ride bikes in a physical exercise that has increasingly become popular across Rwanda with more and more cities and towns embracing the idea. The Car Free Day is a noble idea as it gives people more than enough space to stretch their muscles and fill their lungs with fresh air, away from the toxic fumes from motor vehicles. And, for the first time, the City of Kigali, apparently inspired by the success of the Car Free Day, yesterday, held an all-female sports event, drawing hundreds – if not thousands – of women from around the capital. Car Free Day has also become a popular platform for participants to undergo checkups for particularly non-communicable diseases, which gives many a chance to seek early treatment in case results return positive. Environmentalists also hail the idea for helping check car emissions – at least for several hours – the country as many people park their cars and either walk or ride sports bicycles during the exercise. More Rwandans should embrace this exercise as it does not only promote healthy and green living but it also enhances social interactions. Most importantly, everyone should deliberately incorporate sports into their everyday life.
