{"id":56492,"date":"2025-12-08T17:19:06","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T17:19:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/rwanda-will-forever-hold-a-place-in-my-heart-flamini-reflects-on-his\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T17:19:54","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T17:19:54","slug":"rwanda-will-forever-hold-a-place-in-my-heart-flamini-reflects-on-his","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/rwanda-will-forever-hold-a-place-in-my-heart-flamini-reflects-on-his\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Rwanda will forever hold a place in my heart’ \u2013 Flamini reflects on his unforgettable visit"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a social media post shared on Monday, December 8, 2025, Flamini reflected on his recent visit to the country, a journey that blended conservation, culture, and community engagement.<\/p>\n

Flamini, now CEO of GFBiochemicals and widely recognised for championing environmental innovation, was invited by the Government of Rwanda in his capacity as an Arsenal ambassador. His visit highlighted Rwanda\u2019s growing reputation as a global model for sustainability and eco-tourism.<\/p>\n

During his stay, Flamini attended the 20th edition of the Kwita Izina baby gorilla naming ceremony, held on Friday, September 5, 2025, at the foothills of Volcanoes National Park in Kinigi, Musanze District. Thousands of Rwandans, conservation partners, international guests and friends of Rwanda gathered for the annual event, which celebrates the protection and expansion of Rwanda\u2019s mountain gorilla population.<\/p>\n

Flamini had the privilege of naming a baby gorilla Rubuga, a male born on November 30, 2024. The name means \u201cplatform\u201d, symbolising a foundation for growth and progress, values closely tied to Rwanda\u2019s conservation journey.<\/p>\n

Other international stars who joined the ceremony included Argentine and PSG legend Javier Pastore, Grammy-nominated Nigerian Afropop singer Yemi Alade, UNDP Goodwill Ambassador and award-winning actress Michelle Yeoh Todt, and former Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna.<\/p>\n

Flamini said his time in Rwanda left a lasting emotional impact, particularly his close encounter with Rambo\u2019s gorilla family inside Volcanoes National Park.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpending a day with Rambo\u2019s gorilla family, just a meter and a half from a silverback, was a calm, powerful reminder of our place in nature and our responsibility to protect it,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

\n

pic.twitter.com\/DN8sklCTd2<\/a><\/p>\n

— Mathieu flamini (@mathieuflamini) December 8, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He highlighted the extraordinary dedication of Rwandan communities who have transformed tourism into a sustainable, community-driven economy. <\/p>\n

Rwanda\u2019s monthly nationwide community service day, Umuganda, also caught his attention as a powerful cultural practice shaping the country\u2019s environmental leadership.<\/p>\n

Flamini was also received by President Paul Kagame, with whom he discussed Rwanda\u2019s long-term sustainability strategy, environmental protection efforts, and the country\u2019s forward-looking approach to green growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cRwanda\u2019s leadership in addressing climate change left a strong impression on me,\u201d he noted. \u201cIt\u2019s an approach many countries could learn from.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his reflection, Flamini emphasised that what moved him most was the spirit of the Rwandan people, their unity, resilience, and remarkable journey of rebuilding.<\/p>\n

\u201cA nation that has faced immense hardship now stands as a testament to resilience and unity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe warmth and openness of its people left me with a quiet but lasting sense of hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flamini closed his message by thanking President Kagame, Arsenal Football Club and the people of Rwanda for making his experience meaningful.<\/p>\n

\u201cRwanda will forever hold a place in my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

His words add to the growing international voices recognising Rwanda as a leader in conservation, sustainable tourism, and community-centred development and reaffirm the global significance of initiatives like Kwita Izina in shaping a greener future.<\/p>\n

\",<\/figure>\n
\"Flamini<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"Flamini<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Former Arsenal star and sustainability entrepreneur Mathieu Flamini has expressed deep admiration for Rwanda following what he described as one of his \u201cmost unforgettable experiences\u201d of the year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000098877,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[75],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-56492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tourism","tag-homenews","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000098877,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-08-dec-2025-04-28-pm-2184.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-08-dec-2025-04-28-pm-2184.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-08-dec-2025-04-28-pm-2184.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-08-dec-2025-04-28-pm-2184.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-08-dec-2025-04-28-pm-2184.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-08-dec-2025-04-28-pm-2184.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56492"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56492\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000098877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56492"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=56492"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=56492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}