Canadian Member of Parliament Arielle Kayabaga has been in Rwanda for an official visit since August 30, and has met different officials who include Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Vincent Biruta, and Usta Kaitesi, the CEO of Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), among others. She has also visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Gisozi, the Museum for the Campaign against the Genocide, the Dallaire Institute, and Isange One Stop Centre. Kayabaga, who has been to Rwanda several times before – but not in her official capacity, was born in Bujumbura but moved with her family to Canada as refugees when she was only 11. The 31-year-old was elected to the London City Council at age 27, becoming the first black woman to do so in the city's history. She is now a Liberal MP for London West. Kayabaga had an exclusive interview with The New Times’s Glory Iribagiza on her tour in Rwanda and other important subjects. Tell us about your tour in Rwanda. How has it been so far? So far, everything has been going well. The biggest thing that really brought me here is to strengthen the relationship between Canada and Rwanda for a lot of reasons, and to also talk about the stories that are happening here; the successful stories that we are seeing out of Rwanda, and to continue to promote the bilateral relationship between Canada and Rwanda. Ahead of the just-concluded CHOGM, the Canadian government announced they would be opening a high commission office in Rwanda. Is this related to your tour? Well, that has been announced, and it’s just a matter of time of when we are going to get the full office running. I think it is important to note that that was an effort within the government that was also led by the Rwandan community in Canada. It just shows how much we can do when we work together. You met Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs Minister on your first day. What did you discuss about? We talked about a lot of things; how the state is, we discussed the impact of Covid-19 on Rwanda and Canada, and to find ways that we can learn from each other and cooperate. We talked about the war on Ukraine and the impact it has had on both countries, and different things that Rwanda is doing right now. There is no resolutions, the conversation had a purpose of understanding one another and figuring out ways to the need that are between the two countries and how we can meet those gaps. Is this your first time in Rwanda? No, it’s not my first time. I have been here before, a couple of times. They were not official visits. I was born in Burundi, and Burundi is not too far from Rwanda. I think it is about a couple of hours away. As a Burundian, I have visited Rwanda in the past. We are so close in proximity that we have friends and family members who live in both countries, so that is one of the reasons why I have been here before. Has much changed since your last visit? Of course! Lots have changed; development, Rwanda is beautiful, and given the history of the country, I can say that the impact and the development is very impactful across the world. You have been vocal about the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi. Now that you have visited the memorial as part of your tour, what message would you give to the world? There is a reason why we commemorate the Genocide against Tutsi, and the reason really is to make sure that it never happens again. It is so easy to say ‘never again’, it is actually much harder to walk through the path of never again. Kigali, Rwanda I had an opportunity to pay respects to the victims of the 1994 Tutsi Genocide at the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Rwanda. This tragedy should be a lesson for all of us to tolerate one another no matter our differences. pic.twitter.com/asrXm0lBtg — Arielle Kayabaga (@KayabagaArielle) August 30, 2022 As you can see the state of the world right now, there is a lot of wars happening. There is lots of refugees across the world, people who are displaced from their homes because of conflict and violence. The message is to really promote the success story of Rwanda, where they were 28 years ago and where we are now 28 years later, and to sort of use that same path, to replicate and to be able to see communities move forward from such tragic conflicts, but also never forgetting what happened, and never forgetting the voices of the people who are not able to speak for themselves today. I think it is important. You are only 31 years old and have been a refugee once. What can the young people learn from you today? I don’t want to teach lessons, but first of all, 31 is not young. I think I would say it is just a matter of believing in yourself, it’s a matter of having a passion about the things that you want to do. I was displaced as a young child and it is part of who I am and it is part of what motivates me to do the work that I do, and also to do work that is community based and to do it out of your own heart ; and to never limit yourself, to believe in yourself. And I think that is the motto that I have found in this country. People truly believe in themselves and they give themselves value, so being able to value yourself and being able to not be confined by the labels or by the things that have happened to you in the past, and being able to rise above that. Is that the same message you would give to the Rwandan youth? Yes, absolutely! I think Rwandan youth is in a really good place where a lot of them who are much younger didn’t even experience the Genocide. But they have to continue to learn what happened to make sure that it never happens again. So the people who are experiencing the Rwanda of today and didn’t get to experience the Rwanda before, it can serve them as a lesson to never want to go back, and to really maintain and protect the development and the reconciliation and the path that they have really walked through and the work that is being done here. Which visit (in Rwanda) was the most interesting for you so far? All of them! They are all very impactful, they are all doing great things in the community. I enjoyed going to RIB’s Isange One Stop Centre which is a one-stop shop for women and children experiencing violence and the concept of the one-stop shop is quite amazing. I enjoyed seeing lots of women in leadership, which is quite powerful- speaks high volume, I have enjoyed the conversations that I have had with many different people.
