Rwandans, members of the African diaspora, and supporters from around the nation and world flocked to Washington, D.C., for the 11th Rwanda Day, held Feb. 2-3. After a pandemic pause, this year’s Rwanda Day included a very special guest: His Excellency Paul Kagame, president of the Republic of Rwanda.
First lady Jeannette Kagame accompanied the president on his visit to the District.
The two-day event took place at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center and more than 4,000 Rwandans were in attendance. The theme of this year’s commemoration was “Rwanda: A Legacy of Inclusiveness within and beyond Our Borders.”
Rwanda Day, first established in 2010, was created to foster unity among Rwandans across the globe. With the primary objective of advancing Rwanda’s development agenda, the event provides a forum for insightful discussions, updates on current progress, and avenues for networking and attracting foreign investments.
The last Rwanda Day took place in Bonn, Germany, in 2019. In addition to Washington and Bonn, other celebrations have taken place in several other American cities, including Chicago, Boston, Atlanta and San Francisco. Other countries that have celebrated Rwanda Day include Brussels, France, Great Britain, Canada and Amsterdam.
Kagame also delivered remarks at the U.S. National Prayer Breakfast, an annual gathering of representatives from different religious denominations, senior officials from the White House, members of Congress and the African Diplomatic Corps, diplomats from the United Nations, and American and foreign business leaders.
In his remarks, the president said he is often asked of how one repairs a country after it loses a million people in a genocide.
“We lost 10% of our population over the course of three months in 1994. Today, against all odds, our country is peaceful, flourishing, entrepreneurial, and most importantly, united,” Kagame said. “But Rwanda’s experience is more than a story. It is also a warning — a warning about what happens when we allow hatred to triumph over humanity.”