Amahoro Stadium, 7 April 2011
President Kagame today said that Rwandans suffered for a long time, their bodies were assaulted, tortured and killed but their spirit never died. Speaking at the 17th Commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi, President Kagame said:
“We must never succumb to those who want to break our spirit. We have to resist them with all means possible. Let us strive for development in collaboration with friends of Rwanda, our brothers and sisters from the region and the whole continent, earning our respect and dignity”.
President Kagame pointed out that Rwandans had in the past failed to resist those who were determined to deny erase their value but this has changed;
There are those who distort our history and deny the genocide and we sometimes have no control over this, as some come from rich, powerful nations. However, we are in full control in our own country and can do something about it here. Here in Rwanda, we are able to resist those forces no matter what
direction they come from.
Condemning the failure of international justice, President Kagame said that some known genocide criminals like Col. Bagosora have been on trial for 17 years, shielded by those who fear that if convicted, the genocide mastermind may reveal their complicity.
President Kagame asked Rwandans draw strength from their grief in order to build their future;
“We are on the right track, we have come from far and we are going very far – this calls for a lot of strength. Let us come together, face our challenges and triumph. Let us face off with those who look down upon us. Let us fight with the consequences of our history and build a better country”.
Click to read Speech transcript: http://www.paulkagame.com/2010/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=34&Itemid=56&lang=en