Over 30,000 attend Kigali Hope celebrations

This year’s Kigali festival came to a close yesterday at the Amahoro Stadium after a two day fun-filled celebration. The event that is in its fourth year attracted an estimated 30,000 locals in addition to over 300 international guests.The annual festival ends a hundred days season of service organised by Hope Rwanda in Collaboration with the Luis Palau Association. Speaking at the festival, Kigali City Vice Mayor, Jeanne d’Arc Gakuba, commended the collaboration of churches in organising the hundred days of service. “This festival is a celebration of the excellent collaboration between churches and businesses throughout the hundred days of service and the projects that have been achieved through this,” Gakuba said. The vice mayor who is in charge of social affairs in the city noted that the season of service should serve as an indication that similar partnerships can yield further development targets. Gakuba revealed that in addition to festival support, the Louis Palau Association will be undertaking further development projects in the country for the next three years. The festival also provided health services at RWF 500 which will be donated to the One Dollar campaign. Andrew Palau, chief speaker at the event, called for Rwandans to serve each other while embracing healing that can only come from God. “We all need to look to God for the rebuilding of our hearts. Only God can deliver us from our pain and help us overcome the challenges that we now face,” Palau said. Palau called on Rwandans to continue the spirit of service to each other as demonstrated during the season of service. The festival crowds were drawn by the performance of world renowned action sports athletes who demonstrated their cycling and skating skills. Thousands of people swarmed around the stadium to witness the climax performance of local bands such as Kigali Praise and Worship Choir and internationally recognised Nicole C. Mullen, Enric Sifa and Building 429. Speaking after her performance, gospel singer Nicole C. Mullen hailed the country’s determination to rise from the ashes. “Rwanda is an example to the world that there is possibility of hope and a future even after a difficult past,” Mullen said “The suffering experienced here has potential of sprouting into an even better future.” Mullen noted that Rwandans’ spirit of hope should be an example to other country’s faced by similar difficulties. Over 350 churches in partnership with business people saw to the organisation and funding of the festival and completion of several developmental projects. Ends