Ambassador Dr Charles Murigande flanked by Rev. Pastor Ndayizeye Isaie, the head of the Pentecostal Church (ADEPR) and other religious leaders who are organizing the 2025 “Rwanda Shima Imana” festival
The annual “Rwanda Shima Imana” religious festival, where tens of thousands traditionally flock to the Amahoro Stadium for days of prayer, is back. But this time, it will be celebrated in a dramatically different format.
Ambassador Dr. Charles Murigande stood alongside senior Christian clergy from various faith groups at a press briefing on Wednesday to announce the latest edition of the annual ‘Rwanda Shima Imana’ (Rwanda Thanks God) festival. He revealed that this year, the event is moving from a centralized gathering to be celebrated simultaneously in places of worship across the entire country over the weekend beginning this Friday August 29-31.
It was in this context of announcing a new national model for thanksgiving that the former Minister provided a powerful justification, detailing an extensive list of the nation’s transformative achievements that all Rwandans can be grateful for.
Ambassador Murigande, who served in various high-level roles in the post-1994 governments, contrasted the Rwanda of then with the Rwanda of today.
“At that time in 1995, over three million Rwandans were still in refugee camps outside Rwanda, but now they have returned home,” he said. “That time, households with telephones did not reach ten thousand. Yet nowadays, almost every household has a phone, and some have more phones than family members. That is something we thank God for.”
The former foreign minister provided statistics to illustrate the dramatic progress. He said that electricity access, which reached less than 3% of households in 1995, now extends to over 83% of homes.
On the economy, the national budget has exploded from Rwf 54 billion in 1996 to a staggering Rwf 7 trillion in 2025.
Dr. Murigande argued that the foundation for this progress is the peace and unity that allowed Rwanda to heal.
He painted a vivid picture of the deep societal wounds that existed when he first joined the government.
“At that time, because of what had happened in Rwanda, the Genocide against the Tutsi, hearts were broken, people were traumatized. There was much grief, much anger,” he recalled.
“No one thought Rwandans could reunite and reconcile. Students fought and even slept in the same beds without talking to each other. The things that divided Rwandans back then have been overcome today; they get along well, collaborate to build Rwanda, and that is why the country is progressing.”
Religious leaders from across faiths are all involved in preparing the annual event
A Vote of Confidence?
The ambassador also pointed to Rwanda’s burgeoning status as a premier international destination for conferences and high-end tourism as a key sign of success and a reason for gratitude.
He shared a telling anecdote about international partners initially criticizing the government’s decision to build the Kigali Serena Hotel, believing it to be a waste of money.
“Our partners like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), European countries,… all told us we were wasting money because there wouldn’t be people to go to the Serena,” Murigande revealed. “None of them believed it would work. But now we have also built others like the Marriott, Radisson Blu, and others are still being built.”
He added: “The result is that today, this Kigali is the second city on the African continent that hosts the most international conferences. The one slightly ahead is Cape Town but we will also catch up soon.”
Explaining the shift away from the stadium, Ambassador Murigande, who is the National Coordinator for the event, said: “The reason it was moved is that when it is held at the stadium, it essentially becomes ‘Kigali Shima Imana’. We said this spirit of thanksgiving should reach everywhere in Rwanda, and the easiest way is to hold it in churches and all places of worship where about 95% of Rwandans gather.”
He emphasized that the core message of the event, now in its 13th year, remains unchanged: “The message is not to forget the good things God has done for us.”
