On 04^th August, Rwandans living in China converged at the embassy of Rwanda in Beijing to celebrate the National Harvest Day (Umuganura).

Umuganura is celebrated in a bid to promote the Rwandan culture of expressing value and celebrating achievements symbolized by crop yields. In ancient Rwanda, Umuganura was one of the most important ceremonies feted by Rwandans at the beginning of every harvest season.

Umuganura is a day of Prayer and Thanksgiving to appreciate the year’s achievements. “We all know that Diaspora is part of the country development team. We can’t celebrate this harvest day (Umuganura) without good leadership, we must appreciate what our government has done since 1994, after stopping the Genocide against the Tutsi,” Ambassador Charles Kayonga said while officiating at the event.

“Today, Umuganura has a broader meaning, it has evolved to become a national festival to celebrate the country’s achievements in line with its vision for a more united, peaceful and prosperous future,” Ambassador Kayonga noted.

Ambassador Kayonga continued by urging the audience mainly composed of students to seek knowledge as the main reason of being in China. However without values (indangagaciro), the knowledge gained becomes meaningless. He reiterated to the students always to respect and be guided by important elements of our culture such as hard work, respect and discipline among others.

Earlier in the day before Umuganura celebration, the representatives of diaspora members from different provinces across China elected new leadership at national level.

The new committee was tasked to maintain the image of Rwanda, fighting against indiscipline and focusing the community members, in particular the students to their primary mission that is pursuing their education objectives.

-ENDS-