There are no saints left in heaven-they are all in Kigali, Rwanda (1)

The Western Press widely reported the story of the Rwanda genocide. On May 16, 1994, Time Magazine published an article about the massive killings of the Tutsi and moderate Hutus in Rwanda. The collating headline reads, “There are No Devils Left in Hell,” the missionary said. “They are all in Rwanda.”

Twenty years after the genocide, I was privileged to visit Kigali on a study tour with one of my clients. I can invert the word of the missionary and say, There are No Saints Left in Heaven—They are all in Kigali. As much as false or negative news gets more readership mileage than good news, we should not overlook the rare turnaround of Rwanda’s experience and what the Rwandans have done with their horrible experience, producing what I would describe as the most remarkable comebacks of all time, especially in the African continent. Rwandans have successfully turned the lemons of genocide into the lemonade of a working society where peace, security, and progress are tranquillized above the past hatred and memories of horrors.

“The Rwandans, however, did not lament beyond a reasonable mourning period; instead, they took their destinies into their hands and rewrote a story that was never publicly told as the story of their horrors.”

I have followed and written about Paul Kagame and the exploits of the Rwandans since 2019. However, visiting Rwanda from October 13 to 18 gave me a fresh insight into the massive achievements of the people post-genocide. In Rwanda, people took the lessons of the genocide, leveraging on the horrors and trauma of the experience, which had shaped the people and the new history they are writing for others to follow. I am sure the story of the genocide was published enough, resulting in the United Nations and some superpowers agreeing to their failures to intervene and for letting the people of Rwanda down. The Rwandans, however, did not lament beyond a reasonable mourning period; instead, they took their destinies into their hands and rewrote a story that was never publicly told as the story of their horrors.

I am sure you are aware that in less than fifteen years of the genocide, Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, was declared the cleanest city in Africa. Solange Muhirwa, Rwanda’s chief urban planner, says Kigali chose to be the cleanest city in Africa. They made decisions to move beyond their pasts and follow through. My visit was made possible by the Rwandan government’s visa-free policy for Africans, which was declared on November 2, 2023, following the same decision by Kenya’s government.

Read also: I saw the light in Rwanda – a leadership question for African political leaders

At the airport, I saw an organised environment that matched the status of the cleanest city in Africa. I was asked by the immigration officer what my mission was in Kigali. Within five minutes, my passport was stamped. The officer never asked for tips by voice request or body language. I am an international visitor, and I could be coming with USD or GBP, which is more valuable than the local currency, the Rwandan Franc. There is no eye service but genuine, unbelievable attention to duty. Who says there are saints in heaven? They are now living in Kigali. The long wait to retrieve my luggage was not in attendance, nor was the checking of my bag’s tags to ensure I did not carry someone’s bags in error or deliberately steal someone’s bags. It was a smooth experience out of the Kigali International Airport.

Outside the airport was a man waiting with the display of Babs Olugbemi, Mentoras Limited. I signalled to him. In return, it was a smile that wasn’t cosmetic, unlike those from the ‘Oyinbos’. He was genuine as he greeted me in English. One could tell Paul is multilingual. His accents were tantalising to me as he helped me with my luggage. He confirms he can speak English, Swahili, and Kinyarwanda, the official local languages in Rwanda. Habimana Jean Paul later on proved to be a rare saint among saints in Rwanda. He was available to support me for six days, delegating his role on one occasion. He was more than a driver; instead, he was an ambassador of the Rwandans. He exposed me to the country’s history, recommended places to visit, and discovered something in me that could be good enough for the Rwandans. He encourages me to see and support the government’s nation-building efforts with constant reminders of my proposed visit to the Ministry of Education. A few days after my departure, Paul was online sending the suggested office locations for Mentoras Limited when I had not taken the thought beyond a mere idea or one of the radical suggestions from my mind.

The waiters at the hotel did their best to make our visit homely to us. The hotel’s reservation manager, Caroline M, was at her best, portraying her emotional intelligence skill in resolving bottlenecks amicably in the interest of future patronages. The motorcycle riders in Kigali were excellent, driving carefully with helmets for both the riders and the drivers.

The commonwealth everyone had in Kigali was a good road network, constant electricity, security, and peace. There are no generating sets whose sizes can identify the poor or rich fellows, nor were noises from religious houses. Though predominantly a Christian society, other religions are free to be practised. Every religious house must be noise-proofed, and the call of one worshipper for prayers need not disturb the peace of a man whose mission is to sleep. The same is true for nightclubs. President Paul Kigali had built a country with everyone in mind where diversity, equality, and inclusion preside.

I will write more about my visit to the Genocide Museum, my feelings, and the turning points for Rwandans.

Through Paul, my number one saint in Kigali, I was made to know of the Jollof Kigali, a Nigerian food restaurant, by my ‘Igbo Kwe nu’ brother, who was so welcoming. He is an ambassador for Nigeria on the streets of Kigali, spreading the good entrepreneurial and never-die attitudes Nigerians are known for. Manny manages Jollof Kigali with his wife, Grace, the hospitable daughter of the soil. The contact with them gave me more personal insights into why and how a people’s decision had shaped their reality from an ugly experience masterminded unconsciously by the colonial masters.

Until you read part two of this article, Saints live in Kigali, waiting to replicate their mission in Africa. Would you allow them?

To be continued…

Babs Olugbemi FCCA, the Chief Vision Officer at Mentoras Leadership Limited and Founder of Positive Growth Africa. He can be reached on [email protected] or 07064176953 or on Twitter @Successbabs.