In the past few weeks, a number of activities have been carried out in the country involving many Banyarwanda living outside the geographical boundaries of the country-Rwanda. The Banyarwanda spread all over the world constitute among others a group of highly skilled and educated people, who can play a great role alongside those in the country towards the common national development project. The realization of the fact that all Rwandans in the Diaspora have got a great role to play should serve as a uniting factor since transformation of the country is a common objective to all Rwandans, both at home and abroad. It has been realized in the recent past that remittances of people especially Africans abroad is more than all the foreign aid received. This is an important indicator of the importance of the Diaspora community. However other studies have at the same time indicated that African countries, Rwanda included lose a lot in terms of brain drain of highly skilled experts to the west. This is a situation that has in part contributed to poor service delivery in most of Africa, as most of its skilled people go abroad to find greener pastures. This brain drain plays a great role in slowing down African countries’ development which contributes to national stagnation. The presence of many foreign expatriates in our midst is in part due to this phenomenon of nationals leaving for greener pastures to foreign lands. Although, Rwanda and other African countries in the same predicament lose a lot when most of its highly skilled man power go to live and work abroad, there is still something very positive as earlier articulated that can be gained from the many people out there. To this end therefore, it is apparent that the Rwandan government plays a great and leading role in galvanizing the Banyarwanda in the Diaspora into a formidable component of and in the national development process. What remains to be done therefore, are the different Diaspora communities in different countries and regions of the world to organize themselves to contribute to the countries development as a big bloc and a team. Rwanda and its Diaspora community can be said to have a common history to that of the Jews if juxtaposed to the realities and history of Israel and its Jewish people. Due to a lot of political occurrences and successive Genocides, many Rwandans like Jews have found themselves living for so long outside the boundaries of the geo-political entity-Rwanda.The role Jewish lobby groups in the Diaspora have been active in influencing. international events that have a lasting impact on the history of many countries like the United States of America not to mention their own homeland Israel. Whenever there is a national cause to champion, many of them mobilize their ilk and head home to play a role in safe guarding the destiny of their motherland. In the same respect, many Rwandans out there with guidance from their progressive government should at all time be ready to mobilize themselves for national service, which is a prerequisite and major component of national progress of their homeland.Despite the fact that some harbor the negative Genocide ideology, the positive ones there can play a part in creating a situation whereby those who are still bent on that ideology, realise the futility of taking such a course. In sum total, the role of the Diaspora cannot be underestimated and the current government’s efforts must be complimented by the individual initiatives of different groups out there, in bringing about conditions that can help the Diaspora to play a positive and constructive role, in as far as the future and progress of the country is concerned. When all is said, the unity and reconciliation of the Rwandan people be it at home or abroad, has a great bearing on whatever development projects are embarked upon by the country. fkagabo@gmail.com
