From Genocide to the Building of a Country: The Rwanda Experience

My trip to Rwanda was the last of a four weeks tour which started in Europe with the visits of several religious freedom sites and an invitation to speak during a graduation ceremony. The Rwandan trip was something I did not anticipate. Rwanda has just commemorated the 20 anniversary of the Genocide which left more than 800,000 victims.

This could have also been the celebration of the building of a new Rwanda. I was impressed by the cleanliness of the streets and of the roads. I traveled from Kigali four hours to Ruhengueri. The roads are well paved and smooth.  Rwandans keep their country clean, and they build everywhere according to a master plan which could be a model for many countries.  Rwanda used to be called the Switzerland of Africa because it's mountains. When it comes to cleanliness, Switzerland may be called the Rwanda of Europe. 

On Saturday June 14, I had the privilege of speaking about religious freedom before 5,000 people in Kigali. It was the first time we were involved in a direct promotion of religious freedom in the country. It is just the beginning - larger meetings have to follow. Rwanda is located in the heart of East Africa, a region where religious tensions and violence are now spreading. It is time to show that people of different religions can live and work together for the good of all. The news from Sudan, Pakistan and Nigeria should encourage those who believe we can have different faiths and beliefs but live together in peace to take initiatives. One of those initiatives is large gatherings we call Festivals of Religious Freedom.

My colleague Pastor Eljhana Kerosi, with religious freedom leaders in Rwanda, has proposed Kigali as hosting the 3rd All African Religious Liberty Congress. It should be followed by a large meeting in the stadium here more than 40,000 people will be expected. What a great way to make people aware that religious freedom is a gift that should not only be protected but promoted too.

--Dr. John Graz, Secretary General, International Religious Liberty Association

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