Paris, 11 September 2011
On Septmeber 11, over 3500 Rwandans and friends of Rwanda welcomed President Kagame in Paris. Amidst cheers of visible joy and Rwandan songs, President Kagame entered a room filled with an atmosphere of unmistakable pride. As the President went around the room to greet the participants the cheers grew louder and louder as comedian Atome called on Diaspora member from every corner of Europe to show their presence.
Ambassador Kabale welcomed the Rwandan community and was followed by a representative of the Rwandan Diaspora in Belgium, and young Rwandan professional. Their message was unanimous: Rwanda today is a dignified nation with a generation committed to making Rwanda a prosperous nation.
Welcomed on stage by Minister Louise Mushikiwabo who thanked Rwandans for the rain this morning, President Kagame began his speech with his customary “Muraho.” President Kagame emphasized his appreciation for Rwandans, friends of Rwanda and fellow participants from all over Africa who were part of the meeting. He told the crowd that one of the reasons of this meeting was to share news on what Rwanda is today and learn of different roles in rebuilding our country. Explaining that good Politics is about reminding people that they have more in common than they have differences,” Present Kagame reminded the participants that the politics of Rwanda today were based on valuing the strength of similarities rather than any differences.
“Today’s Rwanda and tomorrow’s Rwanda is this Rwanda of equal opportunity that ensures that those less fortunate are not left behind but are part of our development”,” President Kagame said.
President Kagame welcomed all Rwandans and Friends of Rwanda to be part of Rwanda’s journey to development and challenged participants to find solutions to challenges rather than simply pointing them out. He ended his address by welcoming questions while reiterating that he looked forward to hearing solutions from the crowd.