Flying the Rwandan flag: Pan African Festival of dance salutes reconciliation and recovery efforts.

THE NATIONAL FLAG OF RWANDA is no longer a symbol of human betrayal and indifference. Redesigned following the 1994 genocide that took some 1 million lives, the flag is younger and more beautiful today than ever before. Its three horizontal sky blue, yellow and green bands are just five years old; in the upper right-hand corner, a golden sun with 24 rays of light shines, signifying how precious each hour of the day truly is. It is a picturesque image--one that predicts brighter days ahead.

From 5 to 12 August 2006, the people of Rwanda, along with a number of dance troupes, vendors, musicians, humanitarians and healing arts practitioners from 20 African countries, participated in the 5th continental Pan African Festival of Dance (FESPAD) celebration-a biennial event that showcases the rich and diverse cultural legacies of the African continent and diaspora. The event, optimistically themed "the new face of Rwanda: we cannot change the past, but together we can build a brighter future", not only endeavoured to promote the continued healing of Rwandan hearts and minds but also focused on two new innovative concepts: cultural diplomacy and creative economy. Held in the capital of Kigali and sponsored by the Rwandan Ministry of Culture, the African Union and the World Culture Open (WCO), the Festival brought together diplomats, civil society and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to brainstorm prospects for economic development.

The first-ever International Conference on Creative Economy for Development was the centrepiece of the 2006 FESPAD. Built on observations made at the 2005 South-South Global Symposium in Shanghai, China, the meeting represented a historic opportunity to address ways and means of growing the creative economy of Rwanda and other African and developing nations. Only recently has creativity been so widely recognized as a source of wealth and as a way of realizing the Millennium Development Goals of promoting gender equality and developing a global partnership for development. "Creative economy is the effective use of creativity as a source of wealth, the means of generating employment and as a significant factor in poverty reduction", said Yiping Zhou, Director of the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Cultural economy starts with cultural expression that leads to a number of other creative outlets and ends with a healthy profit in the market. Generally, the idea is to turn intangible creativity into tangible wealth. "We know that creativity is not limited to economic development or social status. Even the poorest person has creativity, a handicapped child has creativity, an orphan has creativity and the poor woman living far out in the village has creativity. So how can we, the United Nations, help these people turn their creativity into their income is the question", Mr. Zhou said. Today, creative economy businesses constitute 7 per cent of the world's gross domestic product (GDP) and it is expected to grow 11 per cent each year for the next 10 years. "So who benefits from the 7 and 11 per cent? This is where the UN wanted to play a role. We want to assure that part of that percentage increase and wealth goes to support the poor, because they own it--it's theirs", Mr. Zhou added.

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WCO is an international non-profit organization that encourages multicultural diplomacy in order to enhance understanding, peace and reconciliation among warring peoples, especially in heavy conflict areas. It facilitated a number of seminars, workshops and dialogues on regaining inter-ethnic confidence, mutual understanding and strengthening bonds among civil society-all significant elements of cultural diplomacy. "Globalization has brought interconnectivity and interdependency of just about everything we do daily. Cultural diplomacy is the new diplomacy; what we believe in is culture as a diplomatic vehicle to improve people's lives. This can be done in a number of ways, for example, through art, music and dance", Chung Lee, Director of WCO, said.

To assure international partnership and participation in the festival, the UNDP Special Unit for South-South Cooperation joined WCO and the Rwandan Ministry of Culture in sponsoring two radical community events, which were both dynamic in scope and purpose. The Humanitarian Project, held on 8 August 2006, increased the awareness of how service organizations are helping to rebuild Rwanda. A number of UN agencies, NGOs and humanitarian organizations shared information regarding their work. The event not only connected the locals with civil society but also encouraged their involvement. The Healing Arts Project on 9 August gathered international "healing" artists and practitioners, from whom thousands of participants learned how to reduce stress by cultivating healthy behaviours in mind, body and spirit.

To signal the beginning of FESPAD, the pounding sound of drumbeats was heard in the high mountains of Kigali, and the celebration began. In theatres, stadiums, conference rooms, concert halls, cultural centres and on soccer fields throughout the city, artistic and musical events were held. Rwanda's own traditional International Intore Dance Troupe, along with a hefty roster of Pan-African and international artists, performed. At the forefront of a growing network of African artists who are seeking to contribute to a positive image of the region, Jean-Paul Samputu performed several songs, some with a chorus of children, many of whom have been orphaned, maimed or left to live on the streets as result of the 100-day genocide twelve years ago. He led the chorus in a powerful rendition of the 2006 FESPAD theme song, "We Are Beautiful", and another called "I Dream I Can Fly". Jean-Paul said: "My vision as an artist--since 1994 after the genocide my life changed forever--I started to use my music to reconcile Rwanda, to heal Rwandans, to educate children, because I believe that children are the future. I used my music to empower and encourage, because I believe that music speaks directly to the heart. With all of the events and meetings, I feel encouraged, because my music is also used to promote peace, love and reconciliation."

"We've always heard that the have-nots are in the South and the haves are in the North, but I would challenge that idea", Mr. Zhou said. "Today, let's think about the haves in the South and what they do have-the intangibles, their creativity and innovativeness. It is true they don't have much tangible wealth, like capital and technology. Many other countries are still struggling, some have just come out of conflict, others have just returned to conflict-and so we are looking at Rwanda as a role model", he added. "Our African brothers and sisters are using FESPAD as a platform to demonstrate to the world that we are hopeful, we are beautiful, we are helpful and we are helping ourselves."

The Rwandan people and the current leadership deserve the world's praise. Rwandan Ambassador Joseph Nsengimana said that in order to restore the economy and ethnic relations, the country would need international support and "get creative", emphasizing that bringing long-term peace will take more than adopting a new flag or national anthem. "It's a pleasure to be able to speak of my country in another manner than you have seen on the film 'Hotel Rwanda'. It is no longer about genocide that I speak. Today I am proud to speak of FESPAD and Rwanda's cultural economy. This new concept gives people the hope that they can leave poverty. For instance, in Rwanda we have very good handcrafts, but the problem is that we aren't sure how to market it to reach the international market", Mr. Nsengimana said. He explained that the idea of "creative economy" must be popularized through wide audience participation and media outreach. He also pointed out how the festival proved to be profitable for small vendors and businesses. The fact is that instead of ineffectual sympathy Rwanda needs technical, logistical and economic support. It is time for the world to turn the pages on the "doom and gloom" stories.

As reported by the Rwandan Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Investment Promotion, Tourism and Cooperatives, exports of major agricultural products, such as fruit, coffee and tea, have been facing major constraints due to high airfreight transport rates, lack of cold storage systems and low productivity. But Rwanda is rallying back! This landlocked and resource-poor country's GDP has rebounded and inflation has been curbed. In 2005, Rwanda requested and received substantial aid and obtained a debt relief from the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. In the countryside, where 90 per cent of the population lives, thousands of gacaca "grass" courts are functioning much like South Africa's truth and reconciliation testimonials. Furthermore, the UN General Assembly on 28 June endorsed the Secretary-General's recommendation to extend the term of office for 11 permanent judges of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, from 24 May 2007 to 31 December 2008. This decision will enable the completion of trials currently under way that were likely to continue beyond the expiration of the judges' four-year term; Rwanda has yet to try all of its perpetrators.

Peace and security in Rwanda have also prevailed, allowing high-profile personalities to visit. Former United States President Bill Clinton discussed with Rwandan President Paul Kagame a number of development matters and recently allocated a substantial amount of money for agriculture and health through the Clinton Foundation. In mid-July, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced the creation of a health-care research centre and contributed an initial $900,000. And on 24 July, former UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata, now President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, launched a $50-million water sanitation project, which is expected to benefit 160,000 people.

Created in 1998 by the 16th Council of African Union Ministers, FESPAD continues to serve as a beacon of hope for all of Africa. By drawing social and political attention to the significance of reconciliation, uniting African people around the cultural development of the region and creating a meeting point for dialogue, lasting peace and mutual respect are bound to take root. Mr. Zhou said: "Through culture and arts, Rwandans themselves are making the greatest contribution to their recovery. The people continue to be deserving of an extra strong helping hand from the international community."

RELATED ARTICLE: RWANDA'S ECONOMY AND EXPORTS

* More than 90 per cent of Rwandans, mostly small farmers, live in rural areas.

* The country's overall agricultural exports are suffering due to constraints that reduce competitiveness in the world market and hamper new export development. These include high transport costs resulting from poor-quality rural roads and landlocked location, high-cost and unreliable electricity, and lack of irrigation and water management, including very small farm-holdings.

* Farmers suffer from the absence of cold storage systems and related chain facilities, thus rapidly deteriorating the quality of Rwandan produce and resulting in low productivity.

* In 2004, coffee and tea comprised 58 per cent of total Rwandan exports; the number has risen since. Still the coffee and tea sector faces several constraints, including lack of expertise in maintaining high-quality output, lack of access to finance for potential coffee washing stations and the weak level of marketing Rwandan coffee.

* Tourism will play a significant role in accomplishing the goals of growth and reducing poverty. However, this sector also remains highly vulnerable due to events relating to security and image entirely outside of the government's control, as Rwanda still suffers from negative perceptions of the 1994 genocide and the instability in the Great Lakes.

* The Rwandan Government has signalled its commitment to improving the environment for exporters through the Export Promotion Strategy. In order to reenergize the export sector, it plans to: establish a trade information and documentation centre within the Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Agency to address exporters' needs; establish a regular training facility for the development of export skills aimed at existing or potential exporters; and undertake detailed studies into sectors of great export potential and provide investors with all the information and support they need to start up.