Kigali, 9 April 2016
President Kagame has asked Rwandans not to be distracted by anything, but continue to work hard towards transformation of Rwanda. As part of the 22nd commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsi, President Kagame joined thousands of youth for the walk to remember, which kicked off from Parliament to Amahoro National Stadium where he addressed thousands of Rwandans, friends of Rwanda who were gathered for the commemoration night.
“I thank our youth for their demonstration of enthusiasm to move the country forward. This gives a lot of hope that as they grow, they will take their responsibilities seriously and our country will continue to be secure. I also thank friends of Rwanda who are with us along our journey of reconstruction. It is always not easy to express the grief in the hearts of Rwandans but the most important thing is to work hard and change our lives for the better. When we talk about one million people who lost lives due to bad ideology, we don’t just mean numbers; we talk about families, friends and relatives who made our society.”
President Kagame called on Rwandans to continue working together in unity and improve their lives and their country and also protect their security.
“We have come a long way in the past 20 years together, with aim of building a better country that we all desire. Those who destroyed our country and killed our people, who are composed of Rwandans and foreigners, still have intentions to repeat and destroy what we have built. However, it will remain in words because whoever attempts will get a lesson of their life. On the foundation of tragedy, our life as a new nation begins. For the past 22 years we have been on a journey towards a common goal: building the dignified nation our people deserve. Those who attempt to destroy our nation, including those doing it using our neighboring countries, will never succeed. We may not have many resources but we have the willpower and determination to rebuild and protect our nation.”
President Kagame assured that Rwandans will endeavour to deal with problems caused by their history and also deal with others that they will encounter along the way as they strengthen their unity as the pillar of development.
President Kagame said Rwandans are people who understand the world they live in and aim to live in dignity.
“Let us not lose hope, we should stay strong and deal with our problems with resolve. When I look at how far we have come and the unity and hard work that has defined us, there is nothing that we cannot overcome.”
President Kagame later held a press conference where he addressed different issues concerning the 22nd commemoration of the genocide, regional cooperation among others.