April 4, 2005

Rwandan president to make
appearance at Sacramento State

Watch video
Paul Kagame, president of the Republic of Rwanda, will speak on “Managing Ethnic Relations and National Reconciliation in Post-genocide Rwanda” at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, April 14 in the Alumni Center at Sacramento State. Seating for the event begins at 9:45 a.m.  In the event of an overflow crowd, a closed-circuit broadcast of the event will be available for viewing in the University Library, room 11.

President of the Republic of Rwanda

Kagame leads a country still reeling from the effects of civil war and the 1994 genocide that caused the deaths of more than 800,000 Rwandans. He will discuss steps being taken to improve the economy, heal the ethnic divisions between the Hutu and Tutsi populations and provide national reconciliation. After his talk, Kagame will take questions from the audience.

Kagame, representing the Rwandan Patriotic Front party, won a landmark victory in Rwanda’s 2003 election and became the country’s fifth president. Since the end of the genocide and under the leadership of Kagame, Rwanda has written a constitution that helped put women in office, and he heads the current Government of National Unity which aims for national reconciliation and justice, and hopes for a stable Rwanda. He played a vital role in creating the new Economic Plan for African Development and the new African Union.

Kagame received the 2003 Global Leadership Award from the Young President’s Organization in recognition of his “commitment and tireless work to address crises, to foster understanding, unity and peace to benefit all people.” During his Sacramento State visit, he will be presented with an award from the University’s Center for African Peace and Conflict Resolution by Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez.

Media assistance is available by contacting the Sacramento State Public Affairs office at (916) 278-6156.

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