Rwanda hosted the 26th meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) from June 20 to 26. It was held two years late and postponed twice due to the Covid-19 pandemic. By all accounts, the meeting was a resounding success and will be talked about for a long time to come and become a reference point for future meetings. The long wait and postponements, although obviously upsetting, appear not to have affected its preparations. And by the close of the meeting, the Commonwealth had grown by two new members, Gabon and Togo. The organisation must be meaningful contrary to what critics say. Rwandans did what they are very good at: organise a flawless event, efficiently, without fuss or noise. They managed to make a huge and important global event look like it takes place here every day. Of course, behind the scenes, there must have been sleepless nights, anxious moments and frantic efforts to put right and back on track what wasn’t going as it should. That is normal. But we on the outside do not get to see it. We only see the result of all that behind the scenes chaos. A completely different outcome: orderly and seamless flow of events, focussed and relevant content, and solutions-oriented. The organisers deserve credit for going through all those nerve-wracking moments and yet produce an impeccable event. President Paul Kagame said it for all Rwandans when, in a tweet, he thanked them for a well-run event and for doing the country proud. CHOGM was here. The heads of government and their delegations are back in their countries. We can already look back on it and talk about how it was, lessons learnt from it and what Rwanda gained. Many of us did not attend the meeting but followed it radio and television, thanks to Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA). And so we are able to talk about it as if we were actually there. CHOGM proper started on June 24, but other meetings connected to it started a little earlier. The first, and appropriately too, was the Commonwealth Youth Forum (CYF) that opened on June 19. As would be expected the atmosphere was typically youthful: pulsating, full of optimism, urgency and even impatience, but also plenty of ideas. They want to be fully engaged and have solutions to offer. The language, too, reflected this. They spoke about doing things, bringing about change and innovation. The word ‘future’ appeared prominently and frequently in the conversation. Not surprisingly since they have a long life ahead to focus on. The last day of CHOGM had a symbolic but also practical event that brought together the youth and commonwealth leaders in what was called the inter-generational dialogue. It was many things: a bridging of the gap between generations, creating better understanding between them, constructive engagement by both, and in many ways a readiness to pass on and to accept the baton. If anybody had fears about the direction of our countries in the years ahead, they can now rest assured. The future is in good hands. The youth set the tone. Their enthusiasm and action-oriented approach were infectious and the other groups associated to CHOGM –women, civil society and business leaders gladly caught the contagion. The women talked about the usual issues of gender equality, empowerment, and health. We heard less lamenting but more about actions that have been taken and produced results and therefore worth replicating. Like the young people, the focus was on action, solutions and the future. From the business people it was not the boring stuff of numbers, profit and loss, risks and deals. There was more about opportunities for investment, cooperation and benefits for all involved. But you cannot escape the deal as they insisted there is a deal in it for everyone. The business forum must have been successful in terms of results as one attendee enthused: people are scrambling to invest. It was the same with the civil society people and other side events like the campaign against malaria and neglected tropical diseases and climate change. The leaders had their sessions behind closed doors and so we cannot tell how they went about their business. But it must have been in the same spirit, judging from their pronouncements and general appearance. All- politicians, youth, women, civil society and businesses – were solutions-oriented. They agreed that these will come from cooperation and partnerships, even from those usually competitive. They talked about narrowing the various gaps - between and within countries, the financial and economic, gender, and even the digital divide. They committed to pulling everybody along; no one left behind. It all sounded like Rwanda’s vision and practice: focus on the future, a leading role for youth and women, businesses as drivers of change, and civil society as partners, not rivals. It is perhaps an indication of the country’s imprint on how the meeting went about its business and an indication of the direction President Kagame will take the Commonwealth in his two years as Chair-in-Office. There was a lot of story-telling, too. Many had a story to tell, human stories about real people. That made us see another side about people that we rarely see. And so business people are not the ruthless profit-only driven exploiters of others. They are also caring solution-seekers. Women and gender activists are not the angry crusading type denouncing everybody and everything. They are genuinely concerned about problems in society and want to rectify them. Politicians, too, are not the simply deceitful manipulators of situations and a credulous, adoring or ignorant public. They can also be passionately caring about people. What has Rwanda gained from this CHOGM? The country has been under the spotlight and came out shining. There should be no more ignorance, real or wilful, about this country, no more falsehoods peddled from newsrooms and boardrooms outside Rwanda, or from individuals and groups with their own agenda. Rwanda has been seen as it is, for what it is. There cannot be any more ambiguity or ambivalence. As they say, seeing is believing. Leaders and people came from across the Commonwealth, one third of humanity, and saw for themselves and believed what they saw. Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave voice to this when he said people misunderstand Rwanda and only have a stereotype image of the country. It is a lot more he said; it has “gone through an absolute transformation”. The Prince of Wales said he had been overwhelmed by the experience. “Coming to Rwanda for the first time,” he said “visiting the genocide memorial and speaking to survivors, I have been overwhelmed by the resilience, grace and determination of the Rwandan people” He added: “Today Rwanda upholds so much that is extraordinary, as a centre for innovation, a world leader in women’s empowerment, a growing hub for the green economy and a commitment to a united future.” The Commonwealth also stands to gain from President Kagame’s leadership and those qualities of Rwandans that so overwhelmed Prince Charles. The future of the Commonwealth looks good.
