This week was packed with events around the grand Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. A lot happened, from the arrival of top government leaders to hosting engaging events such as Rwanda Fashion Week runway show. Enjoy a resume of quotes from some of our CHOGM top stories that cut across sections, in case you missed any. 1. “Ours is a country that was torn apart by Genocide and divisions just a generation ago, today we are a nation transformed in heart, mind and body,” President Paul Kagame telling thousands of delegates at the official opening of the Commonwealth meeting, highlighting everything the country had to go through to become a new and transformed nation. 2. “Coming to Rwanda for the first time, visiting the Genocide Memorial and speaking to survivors, Ive been overwhelmed by the resilience, grace and determination of the Rwandan people,” The Prince of Wales alongside his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, expressed how Rwanda is an example of achieving various extraordinary milestones. 3. “It gives me great pleasure to see you all here and the reason is that after planning this dinner for more than four years, I was starting to wonder if you would ever come,” President Paul Kagame said, as he addressed guests who had attended the state banquet, expressing what it means for CHOGM to finally take place. 4. “There is no health without mental health. There is no development, without mental health. There is no brightness in our shared future, without mental health. And, ladies and gentlemen, there is no Commonwealth without Common Mental Health,” First Lady Jeannette Kagame made this statement, at a dinner event held under the theme “Rethinking mental health: A Commonwealth call to support, care and transform,” on Wednesday, June 22 in Kigali. 5. “I really love what I do, modelling is my passion. So I went on the runway without thinking of what people will think of me, but with a thought of having fun,” Arielle Nkusi, said this when she appeared at the Rwanda Fashion Week runway show, which took place on June 23, at BK Arena, wearing clothes that only covered her back, arms and chest. 6. “Today we love it even more. Usually, it’s a little bit quieter, you can enjoy the food and have a nice talk but today, and its just amazing. It’s perfect, it’s wonderful,” Sonia, a reveller at Biryogo car free zone said on Monday, June 20, marvelling at how the place was brilliant and how they enjoyed it. 7. “It was amazing to be in the same room with Sherrie because she’s more than a dancer, she has an incredible work ethic and is good at managing the audience inside the venue,” Malaika Uwamahoro on what it was, working with Sherrie Silver in a performance that took place at Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village. It was a combination of poetry and dance that saw the two performers combining their talent on the same stage, with Uwamahoro performing a poem while Silver and her dancers produced choreography on the other side. 8. “It has been utterly shocking to see these images, and so many physical memorials, of the appalling and inexplicable genocide against the Tutsis, we must do everything we can to ensure that human hearts never again are allowed to breed such hatred.” Reads a message wrote by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, on the day he visited Kigali Genocide Memorial to pay tribute to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi Victims. 9. “In the strength of our unity, we, the women and men of the Commonwealth, stand with victims and survivors, who, despite the temptation to hide away in silence, speak up so that others know they aren’t alone, whether in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Pacific or the Caribbean and Americas,” “In doing so, we have the opportunity to end gender-based violence and laws and practices that discriminate against women. Each one of us must take personal responsibility not to let this opportunity be lost,” The Duchess of Cornwall said, expressing the strength in unity, in an event that discussed guidelines that can help reduce violence against women and girls in the 54 Commonwealth member countries. 10. “My key takeaway revolves around the importance of including young people at every decision-making level. The level of expertise that we have heard from young people today has just proved that, without a doubt, the youth are capable of making big decisions,” Elif True, from the United Kingdom, said as she shared his major takeaway from Day one of the three-day Commonwealth Youth Forum that took place under the theme, ‘Taking Charge of our Future.’
