A Rwandan poet, singer, and social justice activist opened the AfCFMEI Investment Summit with a powerful rap, urging leaders to take charge of their continent and define their engagement with global markets. She emphasized the size and potential of African economies, calling for leaders to unite forces and seize opportunities for growth and development.
at Kigali Convention Centre, where more than 2,000 heads of state, chief executives and entrepreneurs from 75 countries gathered for two days of discussions on megaprojects, clean energy, intra-African investment and the future of African business.
The Rwandan poet, singer and social justice activist opened the summit with a tightly delivered rap that mirrored the forum's core themes.
"World order reshuffling. Real power shifting. Aid is retreating. Capital fleeing," she began, sketching a global landscape in flux before posing a challenge to leaders in the room,"To future-proof African youth, what are we willing to do?
"she threaded a message of continental change through the performance. "From the Sahara to the Kalahari Desert. East to the west. Key conversations.
Transforming our continent," she said, suggesting the summit belonged to a broader moment of shift. In one of the most shared lines of the morning, Uwamahoro told executives,"You're at the table, not on the menu. You make the house rules.
" The message: African leaders should define the terms of engagement in global markets rather than react to them. She moved from rhetoric to economics, invoking scale and leverage.
"We got the size. We got the masses. To lift the world scale global markets. Africa's massive.
Vast. Huge," she said, urging leaders to"increase our profits" and"generate generational wealth," adding,"No handouts. No begging for help. We're moving forward.
" Infrastructure and integration surfaced in rapid succession. "Beautiful, brilliant African minds. Paving the way for an African railway. Africa opening the border gates.
Plan, build, create. For efficient and fair trade," she said, aligning her message with the forum's focus on trade corridors, regional mobility and industrial expansion. Uwamahoro's call for unity sharpened toward the close.
"We've got the power and all the resources. Let's unite forces. Sign, build, approve endorsements," she said, before returning to the refrain.
"You're in control. Power our cities. And we'll make the globe move. It's a new era.
Rise of the new African CEOs.
" The performance, both rallying cry and economic manifesto, set the tone for a summit focused on continental ownership and global competitiveness, grounding boardroom conversations in a cultural voice that insisted the answers, as she put it,"have always been within. "). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material,, representing a diversity of positions on every topic.
We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public.
We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC.
Afcfmei Investment Summit Rwandan Poet Affirmed With A Capital 'A' Theme African Youths Global Markets Scale And Leverage Infrastructure And Integration
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Rights group says M23, Rwandan army killed and raped in eastern CongoHuman Rights Watch accuses them of shooting fleeing civilians and carrying out 53 summary executions
Read more »
HRW report accuses M23, Rwandan army of rape and executions in eastern DRCHuman Rights Watch accuses them of shooting fleeing civilians and carrying out 53 summary executions
Read more »
Survivor's Story of Rwandan GenocideImmaculee Hedden Uhumuriza shares her personal experiences of living in Rwanda before and during the 1994 genocide, including discrimination, family separation, and survival in a house filled with fear and violence.
Read more »
Rwandan Forces Participate in Regional Military ExerciseRwanda is participating in the East African Community (EAC) armed forces command post exercise currently underway in Nairobi, Kenya.
Read more »