Kigali, 15 January 2012
President Kagame has asked Rwandans in particular and Africans in general, to take charge of their own destiny and stop feeling inferior. President Kagame was speaking today at Serena Hotel during the National Leaders Prayer Breakfast organized annually by the Rwanda Leaders’ Fellowship.
“We, Africans should refuse to be defined by outsiders. We should do good because of our conviction that it’s the right thing to do and not because someone from somewhere else has told us to do so. You all heard recently that a French Judge released a report on the truth about who shot Habyarimana’s plane and many Rwandans were excited. It is a good thing that this report brought forth the truth but I don’t think we should wait for people from outside to tell us the truth about ourselves.”
On the frequent question concerning whether he would hand over power in 2017, President Kagame said:
“People keep asking me whether I would quit at the end of my mandate and I keep wondering why they think they are the only ones who should know that it is not a good idea to overstay in power. Actually, what many use as a pretext to stay in power id the very reason that should make me leave. I would consider it a failure on my part if I find that at the end of my tenure there is no one to take over from me.”
President Kagame said that all humanity share one God, and that Africans have the same access to God as anyone else;
“There is no reason why we should not achieve what others have achieved. God gave us everything we need and it is upon us to use what we have to make our lives and those of others better. The knot that we need to untie is to translate theory into practice and all opportunities others enjoy will open to us too. We have all the knowledge we need to transform our continent but if we don’t put this knowledge to practice, we will remain a continent always synonymous with problems.”
President Kagame thanked the organizers of the National Leaders’ Prayer Breakfast, saying it was a good thing to always give thanks to God for what Rwandans have achieved and for the many challenges they have survived. President Kagame said the event is a good opportunity for Rwandans to meet and discuss life on earth and after because the two are related.