{On 26th October 2013, all roads in Pretoria were leading to Union Building where South Africa’s Department of International Relations held its annual “Diplomatic Fair” which saw 46 countries promoting their respective nations and culture. Rwanda was among those represented.}
Rwanda’s representation at the Diplomatic Fair was a success due to the dedication of ladies from the diaspora.
Colours of Rwanda’s flag were all over the stand. The stand was decorated with art crafts. Visitors to the stand were received by ladies in their traditional attire (umushanana), briefed about Rwanda’s history, investment opportunities and the on-going transformational development. It was interesting to note that the young and old had a somewhat knowledge of Rwanda and were very keen to know more on Rwanda and progress made since the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
12 Rwandan dishes were also part of the exhibition. People from China, South Africa, Romania, Senegal were among those were delighted to taste food from this well-known country.
Art crafts were on sale. From hand-made earrings to the well-known coffee brewed from hills of Rwanda, visitors were eager to buy souvenirs of this emerging country which was able to turn its past and focus on the future.
Our own Rwandair was also present to share information on new flights in the African continent as well as competitive prices from the heart of Africa.
The exhibition could not end without performance from Rwandan cultural troop which raised large ovation from the thousands of people gathered at the event. Women dancers accompanied by their male dancers were sending message of a united Rwanda.
The Diplomatic fair was an opportunity from different countries to learn from each other to discover other cultures and some similarities with our own.
The event was concluded with an interview of the High Commissioner of Rwanda in South Africa, H.E Vincent Karega, who highlighted Rwanda’s achievement and its vision for the future.
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