Kagame made the reamrks in New York as he delivered opening remarks at the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit in honour of the centenary of the birth of Mandela ahead of the 73rd session of the United Nations Assembly.
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela died on December 5, 2013 at the age of 95. He is remembered as hero who fought against the system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa from 1948 until the early 1990s known as “appartheid” imposed on South African blacks by the white minority while he strove for unity and equality.
His fight against Appartheid saw him serve 27 years in prison and after being released, Mandela avoided the revenge actions but rather pushed for unity and reconciliation of the South Africans.
In 1994, Mandela was voted President of the South African Republic for a five years term which ended in 1999.
Speaking about Mandela, President Kagame said, “Nelson Mandela’s centenary presents an ideal moment to reflect on the meaning that the legacy of this great African freedom fighter and statesman holds for us today.”
“Nelson Mandela understood that the politics of confrontation and division impedes a nation’s social cohesion and progress,” Kagame said, adding that “Even though the wounds were still fresh, he endeavoured to show that the suffering endured by him and countless other South Africans could be re-directed toward building a more positive future for the country.”
Kagame noted that Mandela did not consider the unpopularity of his [Mandela] message but he did what was right.
“This was not an easy message, but President Mandela was a true leader and an inspiring communicator. He did what was right, even when it was not popular,” Kagame emphasized.
{{Rwanda learnt inclusivity through its tragic history
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Kagame said that the tragic history [of the 1994 genocide against Tutsi] was a lesson for the counrty on the inclusivity, equality and to avoid non-sectarian politics.
President Kagame said: “ In Rwanda, our tragic history has also taught us the importance of unity and inclusivity for reconciliation and nation-building.”
“We work to ensure that all citizens have equal rights and opportunities and are able to participate actively in shaping our country’s direction in meaningful ways. This approach has allowed us to restore trust in public institutions, and also in each other,” Rwanda’s President explained.
Kagame revealed that “Inclusive and non-sectarian politics is not only advantageous in Africa or in post-conflict situations. As the world has been seeing, national unity is a good thing, wherever it takes place.”
“We are fortunate to have Nelson Mandela’s example to keep bringing us back to this fundamental truth,” noted Kagame.
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