H.E. Jean Pierre Karabaranga, Ambassador of Rwanda.
Kwibohora23: Rwandans in the Netherlands celebrate 23rd anniversary of liberation of Rwanda
The 23rd anniversary of the liberation was held under the theme “Together we prosper”. On Saturday 22 July evening, the Embassy of the Republic Rwanda in the Netherlands hosted the Kwibohora23 celebration in Partycentrum Zichtenburg in The Hague.
H.E. Ambassador Jean Pierre Karabaranga, his family, the Embassy team and the Rwanda diaspora committee welcomed more than 200 guests, including Rwandan nationals living in the Netherlands, Friends of Rwanda and others. The program was graced by artists De Gaulle and Chouchou Mihigo and included furthermore a wide variety of entertainment, like a Rwandan live band, traditional dance performances by Inganzo Dance group and a Rwandan culinary experience.
In his speech H.E. ambassador Jean Pierre Karabaranga said that in the last 23 years freedom, peace, security and unity have been the backbone of Rwanda’s political and social economic transformation. “The liberation of Rwanda was not a gift handed over to us. It was not handed to us on a golden plate: it required enormous sacrifice”, said the ambassador.
“On this date we pay tribute to Rwandan men and women who in different ways contributed to our country’s liberation. The fallen heroes paid the ultimate price during the liberation struggle. Armed with unbreakable determination to build a new Rwanda for all Rwandans, these ordinary men and women were able to do unprecedented and extraordinary acts. Today we pay a special tribute to them.”
Ambassador Karabaranga continued to say that while we celebrate the liberation of our country in 1994, we also acknowledge and remind each other that under the leadership of President Paul Kagame, Rwanda has made tremendous strides in all aspects and Rwanda has been repeatedly broke records and recognized as the safest, peaceful, cleanest and among the most fast growing economy not just in Africa but also in the world.
“Rwanda is no longer a case study for conflict but a model of stability, real progress and good governance. Although, there is a lot to be proud of, we have no luxury for complacency. The journey ahead to where we want to be and where we deserve to be, is still long and demands that we work harder, double the momentum in all we do”, ambassador told the audience, “and as we celebrate the Liberation Day, we challenge ourselves to safeguard the successes recorded while thriving to achieve more. We’ll do so by participating in big number to the upcoming Presidential election next Thursday August 3rd, 2017 in The Hague. With no doubt we’ll confirm the choice we made during the 2015 referendum. We decided to stay united. We made our choice for stability and continuity.”
