On Friday Rwandan President Paul Kagame delivered the keynote address at the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) Global Leadership summit in Denver. Below is video and transcript of his speech, along with a question and answer session that followed.

Transcript:

Good afternoon and thank you for inviting me to speak about our experience of leadership in Rwanda.

Members of the Young Presidents’ Organisation understand the relationship between leadership, business innovation, and self-determination in a complex and rapidly changing world. You all appreciate that poverty is not just low incomes; it is the exclusion from global networks of learning, trade, and investment. It is the loss of hope, the lack of aspiration.

CEO of the Young Presidents’ Organisation, Scott Mordell;

Members of the Young Presidents’ Organisation;

Fellow panellist, John MacCall MacBain;

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen:

Good afternoon and thank you for inviting me to speak about our experience of leadership in Rwanda.

Members of the Young Presidents’ Organisation understand the relationship between leadership, business innovation, and self-determination in a complex and rapidly changing world.

You all appreciate that poverty is not just low incomes; it is the exclusion from global networks of learning, trade, and investment. It is the loss of hope, the lack of aspiration.

We have laboured over the last sixteen years to emerge from such a place. We invested in the difficult process of post-conflict institution building, and we are achieving positive results.

Our goal is to become a nation that fosters innovation and spurs human initiative, where each citizen aspires to rising incomes, which in turn provides the possibility of good shelter, nutrition and medical care for their children.

In 1994, Rwanda was a fragile state, a failed enterprise. Over a million people lost their lives, and the economy was in ruins.

We can now look back and reflect on three distinct phases: the Emergency when we found ourselves alone; the Reconstructionwhere faith-based groups, NGOs, and bilateral aid organizations invested in the fragile miracle of peace; and the third stage, theGrowth phase, that is characterized by policy reform, sound management of remittances, and increasing rate of business investment.

Distinguished audience;

We in Rwanda understand that economic growth is important for creating a strong society. Growth supports optimism for the future, tolerance, and civic engagement.

Philanthropic organizations play a role that the private sector and others may be unprepared to do. Bilateral and multilateral aid, where it supports strategies that we work together to develop, has proven to be effective. International businesses find profitable activities with local entrepreneurs because Rwandans enjoy learning and want to compete.

Partnerships are at the core of our strategy. We do appreciate the efforts of a diverse group of organizations to be part of that strategy. There is space for all who seek to work with us, but a partnership with the YPO, with its breadth of capabilities and its focus on the long term, holds the possibility of infinite returns.

Distinguished young leaders;

Over the last sixteen years, the Rwandan people, have learned to live and work together again. Peace and security have been restored, and refugees and former combatants have reintegrated into our society. Those who committed genocide and have asked for forgiveness are now doing community service, as part of the process of reconciliation. We are facing the future, together, with hope and enthusiasm.

But we have also had to be steadfast and remain focused on the job at hand. We are building modern institutions on top of traditional values and a rich cultural heritage. Our leaders are required to embody values consistent with a strong society, and to lead by example. And, they expect to be evaluated on their performance.

We understand and believe that the private sector is the prime engine of our economy; that investment creates prosperity and opportunity for our people, as a basis of the society to which we aspire.

For this reason, in our vision 2020, the private sector occupies centre stage. This is where our country is prepared to work with you, the members of the Young Presidents’ Organisation.

The areas that we are focusing on include infrastructure, especially in the energy sector, and high quality agricultural products, targeting attractive market segments. We will continue to grow our unique tourism cluster, and invest in a banking and financial sector that is increasingly recognized in the region.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Rwandans understand that business enterprises have an important role to grow our nation. Our goal is to effectively integrate ourselves into the worldwide marketplace.

I am here today because we value the Young Presidents’ Organization for the role it plays in linking Rwanda to global networks of learning, trade and investment.

I am pleased to have been associated with the YPO for the last ten years, and thank you for giving me the opportunity to share our experience.

For what was half religious service and half political rally, members of Denver's Sudanese community gathered on Sunday to celebrate and give thanks for the US results of referendum voting. Of the 8791 Sudanese who registered to vote in the US, 8504 made it to one of eight polling centers to vote. 8412 voted for succession while 75 voted for unity. 7 votes were invalid and another 10 were unmarked.

The 98.9% vote in favor of succession mirrors referendum results in Australia, Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and the UK, where Sudanese also voted. No country returned less than 96%in favor of separation.  Back in Sudan votes are still being tabulated, though the results so far point toward a decisive victory for the succession camp. Of the  3,779,110 valid ballots that have been counted, 98.81% have been for separation.

At the Sudanese Community Church on Sunday the tone was one of jubilation. The promise of a new country gives new hope to Sudanese refugees who hope to return and rebuild their homeland. The liturgy made it clear that these congregants identified with the exiled Israelites. A reading from Isaiah:

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined. You have multiplied the nation and increased its joy..

Gatwec Gatkek Dengpathot who worked at the polling center in Omaha, Nebraska, served as host for the celebration service on Sunday. He exhorted his fellow Sudanese to work for their country. "They need your education, your expertise," he said. In response to those that only want to do work for which they will be paid Gatwec invoked John F. Kennedy's famous line, saying "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."

The Rev. Dr. Oja Gafour led the liturgy and reminded those gathered to not look down upon those who voted for unity. "Right now in Sudan they are being ostracized," he said. He emphasized that this new country must be a place where people can disagree in a civil manner.

If you want to learn more about what this historic vote will mean for Sudan, and what challenges lie ahead there will be a public forum on Sudan this Sunday, January 30th. A rally is being organized for the second week of February after the final referendum results are announced.

By Isabella Muturi Sauve

When Valerie Kalala immigrated to the US she had no idea how being a woman in her new country would differ from the notion of womanhood in her native Congo. She quickly learned that while in her homeland a confident woman might be perceived as condescending to men, in the US that same confidence can be important to her success.

Many things are different for African women immigrating to the U.S. They not only contend with major cultural, language and environmental changes, but also with more subtle and often invisible challenges. The expectations of their employers, friends, and even their own children may be different than the norm back home.

Valerie’s first and most important lessons centered around a change in mindset that allowed her to embrace both her femininity and confidence, while examining what it meant to be an African woman in the U.S. Unfortunately, there were few places that she could find the inspiration she needed to start her life over in the U.S. and integrate into her new community.

However, for African women relocating to Denver, a newly founded organization aims at meeting the challenge of assisting African women integrate into their local communities here in Denver and promote the leadership roles of women in the U.S. and Africa. According to Francine Kanyinda, President of Africa Hope Community, 45% of all African immigrants are women. Only by being integrated and actively engaged in their new communities can women, who are by tradition bearers of culture, build stronger families and communities.

Africa Hope Community hopes to be the bridge between Africa and Denver in coaching and mentoring women on life in the Denver metro area, locating resources, establishing social and professional networks and assuring their successful integration into life in a U.S. society.

For more information on Africa Hope Organization visit their website or contact Francine Kanyinda at francinekanyinda@africahopecommunity.org.

It has been almost two years since we first interviewed Mangar Amerdid, the founder of the Leadership Institute of New Sudan (LIONS). And almost a year since we met the inaugural LIONS class. A lot has happened since then.

In February Amerdid left Denver to return to Sudan to serve in a temporary position as the IT Director in the Presidential Campaign Team during the Sudanese general elections which took place this past April. Amerdid was then appointed as the Secretary of International Treaties and Agreements (a subcommittee on Post-referendum Arrangement Negotiations). Mr. Amerdid has been busy traveling between Khartoum and Juba, but found time to answer a few questions for us.

It has been almost a year since the LIONS 2009 Leadership Institute. What has LIONS been up to during this time?

Again, I would like to say thank you to metroAfrican for its wonderful work to the African communities in Denver as well as its attention to issues to do with the Sudanese community in Denver and Southern Sudanese in particular.

Since LIONS 2009 development course, we as a group of LIONS leadership have been working very hard to receive funding for our 2010 LIONS course. It’s not easy to receive funding especially if the organization is still “young”, however, I would like to say thank you to Humanity United which have provided second funding for LIONS for its 2010 leadership course.

Is there going to be a 2010 Lions Leadership Institute?

Yes, this year LIONS will provide a leadership course in Juba – South Sudan; however, the course will only focus on one module which is leadership. This is due to the amount of funding we have received and also, how expensive Juba is.

There is a new LIONS office in Juba, southern Sudan. What activities are you engaging in to further your mission of developing leaders in southern Sudan?

LIONS have a new coordinator in Juba south Sudan; our previous coordinator has been appointed as a minister in western Equatoria state. This new coordinator has just started the work, however, I am certain there’s going to be a lot of activities for LIONS in south Sudan after the referendum.

What can you tell us about leadership needs currently in southern Sudan?

South Sudan needs, not just need, but it demands strong leadership at this age of technology. Yes, we have good leaders, but development of leadership is very essential right now. We are an emerging nation and our generation needs able leaders to lead us.

What are your thoughts on the 2011 referendum vote?

If you come to South Sudan today, you will find over 95% who demand separation. Some will say we are fed up with the system in Khartoum, and some say let the southern Sudanese rule themselves if for once to see if it can work. The people of South Sudan are ready to make their choice; it’s just matter of time (January 11th, 2011).

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In August LIONS announced that Amerdid was stepping down as Executive Director, naming Dr. Ballard Pritchett as his replacement. Pritchett will serve as Acting Executive Director for the remainder of 2010 focusing on evaluating LIONS administrative structure and planning the upcoming November course in Juba.

You can learn more about the Leadership Institute of New Sudan from their website.

Live Show Review by Andrew Britton
Photos by Daniel Sauve

Just in case you hadn’t heard, Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars (SLRAS) were in Boulder in early August and did they come to show Colorado a good time once again. For those of you living under a rock for last decade, SLRAS is Sierra Leone's group of musicians brought together by strife and tragedy. During the civil war, conflict refugees were forced to take shelter in adjacent nations, either Guinea or Liberia. Most individuals emigrating out of Sierra Leone emerged in United Nations refugee camps, a place where folks in need of some spirit and entertainment came together to form the now renowned SLRAS.

I admit, since their last appearance in Denver in 2008 I was completely oblivious of SLRAS’s whereabouts beside the occasional announcement of the band playing in a North American music festival. So needless to say I was surprised, yet extremely excited, to hear they had a new album out in stores. But I was completely ecstatic to be able to attend their latest show in Boulder. Boulder is known for attracting spectacular African talent, and this was no exception. However, when we first arrived to the venue, Daniel Sauvé and I couldn’t help notice the lack of interest in such a great show. We asked the bartender if they expected a big crowd and his response was simply “people in Boulder arrive late.” Whether or not that was the case, we didn’t hesitate to post ourselves front and center, Daniel with his camera and me with, well, my beer and rug-cutting shoes on.

As the crowd began to trickle in just like the bartender predicted, SLRAS led a procession of drummers through the audience like a meandering snake looking for its prey. In this case, we were prey to their trance-like ceremonial drumhead pounding. All members of the band joined the orchestra on the dance floor and slowly made their way across to the other side of the stage where they quickly dropped one instrument and picked up their stage instrument. We didn’t have a moment to absorb their presence before they began playing an awfully familiar sound, particularly for the Boulder Reggae-heads. You can’t confuse the deep basslines of Reggae with any other genre of music. Of course, the crowd starts swaying to the rhythm showing their love to the band, making sure they knew that despite the audience being light in numbers, the ones that showed up came to have a great time.

Apparently, SLRA’s new album, Rise and Shine, is a reggae/West African classic. Once I allowed my ears to be completely awed by their sound the entire evening, it was a no brainer - I had to go and buy the album. You’ll be glad to know SLRAS continues to embody the refugee spirit but now speaks to a life post-refugee status. Now as international superstars, SLRAS has fused an internationally recognized and beloved sound with their authentic West African jive to rise and shine once again as one of the most prominent bands in West Africa at the moment.

My biggest complaint, and this will always be something I report on in my reviews of African concerts in Denver, is the fact that hardly any Africans attend the shows, if any at all. We need to figure out how we can begin getting the African community out to these shows. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know at metroafrican@gmail.com. Always open to suggestions.

Much love from Rwanda,

Andrew

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About the Author: Andrew Britton is the World Water Corps Manager for Water for People, a Denver-based nonprofit organization that helps people in developing countries improve quality of life by supporting the development of locally sustainable drinking water resources, sanitation facilities, and hygiene education programs. Andrew submitted this review from Rwanda where he travelled soon after the SLRAS show to survey Water for People programs in that country.

Axum Mayor Ato Hagos Gebrewahid and Denver Mayor Hickenlooper were on hand to break ground on more than $620,000 in improvements to Denver’s City of Axum Park, funded through the Better Denver Bond Program, Capital Improvement Funding and a Park Hill Thriving Communities Grant. The renovations include a new playground, picnic shelter, new basketball court, benches, a concrete promenade and a new irrigation system for the park.

City of Axum Park is named for the Ethiopian city that became Denver’s ninth Sister City in 1993. In 1995 then Mayor Wellington Webb headed a delegation to Axum resulting in a street in that city being named “Denver Street.”

Mayors Hickenlooper and Gebrewahid exchanged gifts and enjoyed an Ethiopian meal with members of the community who came to celebrate the park’s upgrade.

Axum Park is located at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Cherry Street in Denver. Visit Denver Sister Cities International for more information about all of Denver’s sister cities.

A week after performing at the World Cup Kick-off concert in Johannesburg, Angelique Kidjo visited Boulder Theater for the first of only four US shows on her current tour. Kidjo has a history with Boulder, having performed there several times in recent years.

“Boulder is one of my five favorite cities in America,” Kidjo told Colorado Daily’s Wendy Kale. “I want everyone who comes out to forget their worries and celebrate being alive.”

“This moment will be very special in Boulder.”

And the show was indeed filled with special moments. Kidjo opened with a song she said was the first song she ever performed to an audience at the age of 6. Later, before performing “Petite Fleur” she explained that her late father used to sing the song to her when she was upset or frustrated.

She also performed covers of some of her favorite artists including Miriam Makeba and James Brown. She added her own flavor to each song, describing the process as akin to making a smoothie. She puts all these various influences in a blender and comes out with something wonderful. She sang a Santana cover translated into Yoruba amidst songs sung in French, English, Fon, Swahili, and even Hindi.

While she played hits from her numerous past albums Kidjo gave the crowd some new music from her latest album “Oyo”. The audience went wild to Oyo’s first hit single “Move on Up”, and Angelique herself seemed to have limitless energy.

She interacted with the audience throughout, leaving the stage to sing ‘Afirika’ while moving through the crowd. Toward the end of the show she invited on stage anyone who wanted to come, and ended up with a stage full of people taking turns showing off their dance skills.

When the music stopped the doors opened to release sweaty and satisfied concert-goers singing their versions of Kidjo’s songs into the cool night air. We’re glad Angelique feels so strongly toward Boulder because Boulder certainly loves her.

www.kidjo.com

I am often inspired when I hear of African women pursuing development initiatives in Africa because I know that women uniquely perceive the challenges encountered when a people lack access to basic necessities, education, and health amongst other challenges. So when I heard that Dr. Karambu Ringera was going to be in town, I contacted her and asked for an opportunity to talk to her about International Peace Initiatives (IPI), which she founded in 2002.

We met on a rainy Friday afternoon in May, and I asked her about IPI. Her face lit up as she told me about the Amani Children’s Home, a community based response to the ‘orphan crisis’, currently plaguing many African communities. Karambu does not call the children’s home an orphanage, noting that in her native tongue of Kimeru there is not a word for ‘orphan’. Children have always been a community's responsibility.

The origins of International Peace Initiatives are humble. It grew out of a class assignment at the University of Denver, where Dr. Ringera earned her PhD in Intercultural Communication. Realizing that coursework should interact with the world outside the classroom, Karambu brought 40 college students to her home in Meru, Kenya in 2002. In November of that year, she held a Kenyan cultural event in Denver as a fundraiser and raised $400. She used that money to send 7 children in Meru to school.

The first children’s home, Kithoka Amani Children’s Home (KAC), opened its doors in 2009. It was built with a capacity to serve 60 children between the ages of 6-18 years. For Karambu KAC is just the first in a network of Amani homes which will serve children in Meru.

At KAC Karambu is determined to eliminate what she terms as the ‘welfare mentality’ prevalent in many institutions that house orphaned and vulnerable children. “Paying school fees is not enough,” Karambu says. “Other contextual elements must be considered because school fees will not materialize into a child graduating high school.”

KAC children learn self-reliance and life skills through projects like vegetable gardening and fish farming. The children earn money when they sell their produce to the KAC kitchen and are encouraged to save in the bank account that is opened for each child. The point in all of this, Karambu says, is to preempt the mentality of hopelessness, while cultivating the holistic well being of the child.

Another significant aspect of the KAC home is its community-based model. The objective is to cultivate the existing networks of family, friends and community, by keeping the children in their own communities. Karambu concludes that KAC and forthcoming Amani homes “are becoming centers of excellence for how orphaned and vulnerable children are cared for in our communities.” By adding value to the lives of the children that society has marginalized the stigma attached to orphaned and HIV-affected children is mitigated and the community is reminded of its responsibility to these children.

Dr. Karambu Ringera speaking at TEDxDU in May 2010.

One of the more remarkable outcomes has been a shift in the community’s perception of those with HIV/AIDS as well as the children's perception of themselves. According to Karambu, the community is coming to the realization that HIV/AIDS is an incurable disease like others, such as cancer, and that everyone deserves a place in the community.

Today, IPI has sponsored 41 high school graduates, 3 middle level college graduates, 4 students currently enrolled in college. Fundraising for a second Amani home is underway, with construction slated to start in 2011.

I asked Karambu how the African community in Denver could become involved. Rather than appealing only for donations to IPI, she answered more broadly, saying “if each person started a project to support vulnerable children in their own communities, we can take charge of our own continent. Let each person think of whom they can partner with and start creating projects like this and other opportunities that can create jobs in their own villages”.

If you would like to learn more about IPI and how you can become involved, please visit IPI’s website www.ipeacei.org/

To listen to Freddy Kaniki, you’d never know how much he has lost and how far he’s come. In 1994, at the age of 18, he saw civil war break out in his homeland of Rwanda. Two years later, his father and three brothers were killed by Hutu militia. Touched by 100 days of mass killings and the aftermath of poverty and misery around him, he vowed to do something to make a difference.

While in pharmacy school in Rwanda he came to the realization that he  didn’t have the power or means to make a significant difference in the suffering of his fellow Rwandans, and resolved to move to America after obtaining his degree. “I couldn’t live there any longer and remain sane,” says Freddy.

In 2002, he moved to Portland, Maine, with his wife and two children and tried to get licensed as a pharmacist. But not knowing any English proved a stumbling block. To pay the bills, he began working in a meat packing plant.

During that time he met Colleen Hoffman,director of pharmacy operations for the Maine Medical Center – a 600-bed teaching hospital – and asked her for a job. “I was willing to  do anything to get into the pharmacy,” says Freddy.  She gave him a job delivering medications to floors  throughout the hospital. Within four months,  Freddy was promoted to pharmacy technician and within three years he was fluent in English. In  flawless English he says, “When you don’t have a  choice, the brain learns faster.”

For 18 months he studied, read books, converted his  pharmacy knowledge from French into English, and  in 2005 took the NAPLEX and passed.

Even though he was a pharmacist, he knew that in order to advance and equip himself sufficiently to make a difference back in Rwanda he’d have to obtain his PharmD. So, in 2006 he applied to the nontraditional program and was accepted. For the last four years, he’s been diligently working and studying and in May he will be Dr. Kaniki. For Freddy that’s only part of his journey. Having never forgotten his painful past, he’s working on becoming an American citizen and finding a job that marries his education with his passion for humanitarianism.

Originally published in the UCD School of Pharmacy newsletter. Reprinted with permission.

Yohannes Gebregeorgis was honored this past Sunday at Regis University where he was presented with an honorary doctorate. Gebregeorgis was recognized for his tireless work promoting literacy and access to books amongst children in Ethiopia through his nonprofit organization, Ethiopia Reads.

Gebregeorgis was previously named one of the Top 10 heroes of the year by CNN in recognition of his work to bring positive global change by empowering children through education. He is also the recipient of the 2008 Presidential Citation for International Innovation from the American Library Association.

Gebregeorgis has given years of his life and a great deal of his own money to spreading the love of reading he acquired as a young man to today's potential young readers in Ethiopia. "Books have changed my life. That is why I want to bring books to Ethiopia's children," said Gebregeorgis addressing the students and spectators at Regis University's May 10th commencement.

Ethiopia Reads believes that education is the key to improving the lives of the next generation of Ethiopians, a country filled with children, and that books are the key to fostering a genuine love of learning. The organization invites all who love children and books to join them in their endeavor. Visit ethiopiareads.org to learn more and get involved.

Gebregeorgis' two sons joined him at the June 10th commencement at Regis University