No nation or group of people is condemned. Either you resign yourselves and you "leave it to God" and desert your responsibilities, or you get up and continue. History will record that a tiny country in East Africa (by area) has chosen the second option. Best! This former German colony before becoming Belgian had a tumultuous history, and indeed most countries of the Great Lakes, but in another way, a way which led to cracks and deep wounds.
When someone finds the opportunity to travel in Rwanda and especially in its capital, Kigali, he will say in his/her heart: ah, yes, they're right! What this country has become and the actual appearance of Kigali prove perfectly that there is no "foreclosed destiny"
By RwandAIR flight, after a short stop in Nairobi, one arrives in Kigali in the morning, when the first lights of the day eventually drive out the vast darkness of the night, when activities resume timidly but surely in the city of countless hills. The first impression is the availability of the airport staff and the cleanliness.
Kigali airport is amazing. The formalities are settled quickly and bags quickly recovered, here they don’t lose time for trivialities and each agent welcomes you with a smile. With listening and caring, they direct you, speak with courtesy, and best of all, wish you a pleasant stay.
Then the usual available and courteous driver comes to welcome you, and then you will have many answers, without having to ask many questions. On the road to the hotel or to your destination, you will have a treat: well-made roads, lovely green route-borders, beautiful well-pruned trees slap the eyes when passing; no excessive horn sounds and the roundabouts are designed with arts.
At the Kigali Convention Center, you are greeted like a King regardless of your status. Here the safety is a priority and the smallest agent is professional from feet to hair. What a beautiful city you will have more to tell about! Certainly. Yet this is only the beginning.
In Kigali, everyone is in mood, everything is tidy. On the arteries, walkers cross the roads through the crosswalks. Naturally! Motorcyclists have both mandatory helmets, the other is for passengers: be prudent and orderly has become a daily duty, ingrained in the collective consciousness. Here, the plastic bags are banned, since 2006, they were replaced by biodegradable paper bags, as in the rest of the country.
It is therefore easy to see that the authorities have a clear vision of what they want to achieve: a structural transformation of society, a harmonious and integrated development.
If you walk through the city the last Saturday of the month, you would be impressed by the emptiness and silence: it is the ‘’UMUGANDA’’: Community work for all. Citizens over 16 are expected to participate in collective work. What a beautiful formula! The works are organized at Umudugudu, the smaller level of Territorial Administration.
The visitor is probably amazed by all these projects which are emerging. Multitudes of new and growing buildings, shopping centers norms and paved roads without hens nest. This panoramic view is not only for Kigali, but you will also certify. Go to Butare, Musanze, Gisenyi, Karongi or elsewhere, it is the same improvement and spectacle to you.
The bank officer, administration agent, the cleaners at the City Tower, the tellers at Nakumatt will tell you that they are neither H ... nor T ... but Rwandans (and no more ) and that they are all Kinyarwanda speakers. What a wonderful and beautiful country! At the reception of the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the young man or young lady guides welcomes you and directs you; he or she gives you handkerchiefs to wipe away your tears, but he or she refuses to cry. He/she Looks with dignity and thanks to you in style. You will be proud of what Rwanda has been able to accomplish, what Rwanda became, only two decades after the painful event in 1994.
This is the path of wisdom. Endurance in the effort trains us to the blessed destiny and trace wide roundabouts for us. It is through these broad roundabouts that Rwanda, this "small country" has become "a new great country."
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