“I hear what is popular among young people these days: vibes. I have nothing against good vibes. Vibes are not just for young people. Even those of us who are older can enjoy them. But if we are going to enjoy the vibes, we must have something solid to stand on, please. Don’t invest in vibes, invest in the foundation where you can now vibe. Because if there is no foundation, it won’t last. We want things that are sustainable. We want to build a society that is resilient. You can’t built a society that is resilient on vibes. But a resilient society can vibe.” President Kagame, Chairman of the RPF | RPF Bureau Politique.

President Kagame also met with a Mastercard Foundation delegation led by Zein Abdalla, Chairman of the Board, accompanied by former President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and other Board and leadership members. They discussed the Foundation’s partnership with Rwanda and ways to further expand opportunities for young people through skills development, entrepreneurship, job creation, and innovation.

This afternoon at Urugwiro Village, President Kagame received Daniel Libeskind, Founder and Principal Architect of Studio Libeskind; Nina Libeskind, Co-founder of Studio Libeskind; Stefan Blach, Partner at Studio Libeskind; and Holm Keller, Chairman of the kENUP Foundation. They discussed plans for the new National Genocide Monument at the current Kigali Genocide Memorial, envisioned as a powerful space for remembrance, education and reflection through cutting-edge technology and a deeply immersive, personal experience.

“Confronting historical responsibilities requires real courage, because it generates fierce opposition by those with a case to answer. You need a strong sense of humanity to see it through. President Macron, I want to commend you on both counts: courage and humanity. You acknowledged that France could have stopped the genocide, but did not. In response, I described your words as something more valuable than an apology: namely, the truth. This door was first opened by President Nicolas Sarkozy, and I wish to commend him today. The Genocide against the Tutsi was foreseeable, and in fact foreseen, and France was in a unique position to observe and to act. It took too long for France to come to terms with its role, causing additional pain. And on some points, we still have not found consensus. I fully understand the feelings of those survivors and advocates, who remain dissatisfied with the official record. But I believe that our common work has initiated a journey towards truth, which is irreversible. And France was not alone in falling short, far from it. Many other countries did so as well, but none has gone as far as France in setting the record straight and accepting its part in the tragedy.” President Kagame | Inauguration of Monument in Paris honouring the victims of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi.