Rwandan President Paul Kagame, received a standing ovation from parliamentarians on both sides, as he urged Jamaica and his nation to deepen bilateral ties as the two countries share many commonalities.

Kagame, who was addressing a joint sitting of the Houses of Parliament today (April 14), expressed gratitude to the Andrew Holness administration for extending him an invite to the island. 

The 64-year-old former African Union (AU) chairman applauded Jamaica for rightly celebrating its 60th-anniversary as an independent nation, a milestone his own Rwanda will mark a month before the Caribbean island in July. 

President Kagame also spoke highly of pan-African pioneer and Jamaican national hero, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, whose message of African unity reverberated across the continent. 

As he stood in Gordon House, Kamage insisted Jamaica-Rwanda ties be further strengthened with expertise and experience sharing in the areas of trade, investment, national unity and citizen development.

Read Kagame’s address, in full, below: 

“I feel great honour to be standing before you today to address the joint sitting of the houses of Parliament. I thank the Parliament of Jamaica for this distinction. 

Yesterday, I paid tribute to Marcus Garvey at National Heroes Park. More than 100 years ago, he envisioned a united Africa for the Africans of the world. It is no accident that the idea of African unity arose from this very island.

Among those descendants, who had been forcibly separated from their ancestral homeland, the pain of this unit and the continent was deeply felt. 

The ideas championed by Garvey and many others on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean reverberated in Africa as well. From the struggle for independence to the subsequent challenges of nation-building, the pan-African idea has served as a guide for how things should be, even if we do not always live up to it in a practice. 

Celebrating what we share as Africans and the African diaspora helps us confront the harsh realities of this world we live in. Even now, we are constantly reminded that we have to work together and support one another.

Jamaica will celebrate its 60th anniversary of independence on August 6th this year. One will mark the same milestone just a month earlier on July 1st. Jamaica has many achievements, of which it is rightfully proud. 

On behalf of the Government and the people of Rwanda, I wish to congratulate you today. The launch of the Jamaica 60 celebrations last night was a fitting tribute to the enormous progress Jamaica has made. Independence is a date in history but it is also a mindset. The power of an anniversary comes from the opportunity to remind a new generation of the struggles that came before. 

Even more important, is upholding the spirit of self-reliance needed to sustain and deepen what has been accomplished in the time since. Whatever we have managed to do for ourselves, as a people, we can always do more and better. This historical duty is part of what unites us as children of Africa.

We are, therefore, very honoured to be with you at this very moment. I have a simple message to share today: we are not strangers to one another. In our diversity, we share common traits—our peoples are resilient, creative and, as our common history shows, indestructible.

This mutual recognition should have practical, tangible effects. We belong to a number of multilateral bodies, including the Commonwealth and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States. 

As the newest member of Commonwealth, Rwanda is proud to host the next Heads of Government meeting in Kigali, in June this year. And I can’t forget again, as mentioned earlier, to thank Jamaica for supporting Rwanda. 

We hope to see strong representation from the Commonwealth Caribbean, and you’ll be welcomed home. 

Africa and the Caribbean should work together to advance common positions in these bodies, where our interests align, as they often do. Climate change and global health are two urgent examples. But Africa and the Caribbean do not have to relate to each other through intermediaries. Our diplomats tend to meet in New York, London or Geneva—I have no problem with that but we could do it otherwise directly. 

When our young people get to know each other, it is probably at universities in similar places; we could do a lot more. It is high time for Africa and the Caribbean to work together in a direct and sustained manner, both through our representative organisations, CARICOM and the African Union, and bilaterally.

The first Africa-CARICOM Summit last September was long overdue and must be built upon. 

There should also be direct people-to-people exchanges, particularly for the youth and entrepreneurs. In Rwanda, we have already had several Jamaican professionals come to our country and make meaningful contributions, some as representatives of leading international organisations. This has only made us want to see more people from Jamaica and this region in Rwanda.

As Rwanda, we are also keen to cooperate with Jamaica much more closely and share experiences in trade and investment as well as national unity and citizen development. Let’s exchange with each other directly and thereby honour the history that joins us and make a potent force for practical cooperation in the modern world.

Honourable members, madam speaker, I close once again with thanks to you and to the Government and the people of Jamaica for the privilege to visit your country and be received with much warmth and solidarity. I thank you once again, Prime Minister [Holness] for inviting me to come to this beautiful land. 

Thank you for your kind attention.”