The continuous rise of Rwanda’s economic and tourism sector can be likened to the ancient mythical bird, the phoenix, which regenerates and starts another life cycle from its ashes. Rwanda, now referred to as Africa’s Silicon Valley, hosts several festivals that pull in diaspora Rwandans and tourists who travel to the country annually to enjoy these festivities.
Rwanda, just south of the Equator in central Africa, is a mountainous land. This tiny, landlocked country—the continent’s most densely populated—gained independence from Belgium in 1962. In 1994, the genocide of some 800,000 Tutsis by Hutus occurred before Tutsi forces could gain control of Rwanda.
Despite this horrid past, the country has become an inspiration as it continues to rise from ashes to become the envy of other countries on the continent.