What’s the fuss about Rwanda? Six Haitian friends wondered to themselves.
Romuald Blanchard, his wife Evelyne Bital, and their four other friends affirm that their decision to come to Rwanda was motivated by a desire to satisfy a curiosity sparked by all the 'Visit Rwanda' posts they had seen almost everywhere.
The six friends, who have diverse backgrounds in technology investment, hospitality management, art, and travel, among other things, visited the country in April 2022. After a pleasant visit to and tour of Rwanda, they were determined to forge more connection with Rwandans, by starting a project dubbed the ‘Haiti-Rwanda' Initiative.
The Haiti-Rwanda Initiative is a project that brings together Haitian and Haitian-American entrepreneurs and leaders to explore opportunities for collaboration, cooperation, partnership, and exchange with Rwanda.
The fifth Edition of the initiative is the Open House Art Exhibition, featuring Haitian designer Phelicia Dell and Rwandan artist Dony Nkotanyi at La Maison d'Haïti à Kigali, for three days, November 11-13.
La Maison d’Haiti a Kigali is a hub designed to provide space for the Haitian-Rwandan exchanges. A similar house, La Maison de Rwanda à Haïti, is set to open in Haiti to serve the same purpose.
The initiative's fifth edition includes an exclusive evening of art, fashion, and Caribbean cocktail, as well as a cultural exchange brunch. It was presided over by four editions that took place earlier this year, all with the goal of finding more ground for exchange between the two countries.
"As soon as I arrived in this country, I knew we had to do more than just visit and satisfy our travel curiosity. There's a lot our two countries can learn from each other, and this house is a perfect space for it," said Bital, co-founder of Lobey Art and Travel, a network of artists and entrepreneurs involved in arts and culture promotion and artist advocacy.
Rwanda and Haiti share a number of similarities, including demographic, economic, and population similarities, among other things, she added.
As we exchange, Haiti should not try to be the same as Rwanda, or vice versa, because our experiences are so different. Rather, people can learn from one another and collaborate as we find local solutions to our problems,' said Blanchard, co-founder of Lobey Art and Travel and Bital's husband.
"Haiti was the first nation to formally and permanently overturn slavery, while Rwanda remains a champion in good leadership. This is a great opportunity to share extraordinary facts about our history and cultures and learn from each other," said Abigail Pierre-Louis, Miss Heritage Global 2022 from Haiti, who is in Rwanda for the occasion of the inter-country exhibition.