Among the photos that trended last week during the action-packed Giants of Africa Festival, is one of two little girls who appeared in a photo of President Paul Kagame, First Lady Jeannette Kagame and Sherrie Silver, a British-Rwandan choreographer.
The same set of twins have dominated the social media platforms of the famous dancer over the past few years.
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The twin sisters Precious and Sapphire were adopted by Silver in 2019 after their biological mother died giving birth to them, but how did they warm their way to her heart?
Silver first heard of the twins when she was shooting a documentary in Rwanda and participating in a Kwita Izina (gorilla naming) ceremony in 2019, through a discerning phone call.
They are now four years old.
Her mother called to inform her that one of the women they attended church with had passed on giving birth to twins, and Silver immediately felt compelled to meet them and find a way to help.
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"When I was on my way to the gorillas I received a call from my mother about a certain lady we went to church with who had passed away giving birth to twins. As soon as I heard I wanted to meet the twins and help in any possible way.”
She had originally planned to help them find standing and make sure one of her charities, "Children of Destiny” would cater to their needs, but the personal connection that compelled her to take them under her wing was more spontaneous than anything else.
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Their biological father bestowed her the honor of naming them because they hadn’t planned on any names, and the way she bonded with them at the time sealed their fates.
"When I met the twins, I fell in love straight away. Their mother hadn’t had an opportunity to name them and when their father asked me to name them I called them Precious and Sapphire Gihozo. I promised to look after them until they were 18 at least and they’ve actually started calling me mommy,” Silver said joyously.
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Silver has been committed to giving them the best possible life she can, and tagging along with her to Giants of Africa and meeting the tiny glimpses of that.
"They’ve been to Giants of Africa rehearsals and they are learning how to dance and they were having fun. They were also at the opening ceremony (of the festival) and they met the President and First Lady. These girls are having the time of their lives,” she added.
The 29-year-old choreographer expressed that nurturing and taking care of the twins for the last four years has impacted her in the sense that’s it not only made her a more mature responsible person, but also a kinder being, which has been a great addition to her life, especially because she’s taken a liking to their personalities.
"Contributing to their upbringing has impacted me massively. I was looking after kids before but taking them from being babies has made me grow up even more and my heart has become bigger. They bring me a lot of joy,” said Silver.