I bumped into the US Ambassador to Rwanda, Stuart Symington, and his wife on the flight from Brussels to Kigali last Saturday and got reacquainted. Knowing that we were hosting seven Americans in Rwanda, he invited us all to his residency for cocktails. He also asked us to invite several of our Rwandan entrepreneurs to join us.
We all sat on his garden terrace overlooking the downtown hills and talked about our experiences in Rwanda. He was very curious about our US entrepreneurs, and even more interested in the stories of our Rwandan counterparts. It was a rich discussion about the challenges and opportunities and hope that is present today in this unique country.
A topic that one of members was struggling with was the balance between justice and reconciliation. Is justice served by reconciliation? Stuart Symington's reply was clear: the future in more important than the past. This doesn't mean that the tragic events of 1994 should ever be forgotten or minimized. One of the slogans in Rwanda is "never again." But Rwandans have also made clear that they don't want to be defined by the past.
The future of the country and its people is more important than the past.
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