Rwanda Shima Imana 2014

Rwanda Shima Imana 2014 by Henry Destin:

Our team spent last week worshiping and praising at the Rwanda Shima Imana festival across Kigali and we had a wonderful time!!

“Rwanda Shima Imana!” an annual national festival is prepared and organised by Christian churches in Rwanda, operating in unity and acting as one Body of Christ.

The inspiration to organize Rwanda Shima Imana comes from the Bible, under the text written in the book of Deuteronomy 8:10-18: 

10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forgetthe Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself,“My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth,and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

Members of our team outside the Amahoro National Stadium

In this year 2014, Rwanda Shima Imana was organised for the 3rd time around the theme: "A New Legacy". The leading verse is a biblical text found in the book of Isaiah 61:4:

"They shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations".

This conference happened on two different days; the first was on 15^th August and that was the youth rally where we all praised and worshiped the Lord for all he has done for our country in this year. We also prayed the most dangerous prayer ever, compiled of only three words - “Lord use me”. The youth conference took place in Kicukiro stadium.

Two days later on the 17^th of August in the national stadium there was joyful noise. This was the day everyone had been waiting for and that everybody was anticipating. The national celebration of “Rwanda shima imana”. We were all blessed with a lovely sermon from the fantastic preacher Rick Warren.

One of the amazing choirs that performed on the second day

 A New Legacy:

We might all know the effects of a legacy. There is a Kinyarwanda adage that states: "Uwiba ahetse aba yereka uri mu mugongo". (Literally translating that when you cheat or misappropriate, you are indeed coaching your children to do the same). If by doing bad we influence others, equally true is that by doing good we influence others to do good too. We could then confirm that when you do good; you are also coaching your children to do so. Our actions, good or bad, minor or big, few or many, leave therefore a legacy for the next generations to follow.

This theme was selected as a way of reiterating a covenant and a strong commitment of the current Church in Rwanda; which vows to leave a positive legacy for the following and subsequent generations.

For the people of Rwanda, the concept of a "new legacy" goes beyond proclamation. For us, it means much more than mere words. It entails times to reflect on and analyse our awful history, assess the possible origins of the dreadful situations our country went through and consider generally the responsibilities of different people and institutions, with a specific attention on the role played by the Church in that history.

Amahoro Stadium just after the sun went down - so beautiful!

Uniqueness of Rwanda Shima Imana 2014:

Rwandan church leaders who met in Kigali on the 2nd April 2014 decided that Rwanda Shima Imana this year should serve as a platform to analyse and exchange the plausible role and responsibility of the Church in the history of Rwanda. With the aim of creating a new mindset among church leaders and believers, and to revive the Church’s unique contribution and mandate of fostering a better tomorrow and creating a new and excellent legacy in Rwanda.

To deepen this discussion, the Church leaders went for a retreat in Musanze district, from the 9th to 11th April 2014. The resolution from the retreat was summed up in what was called: “The Musanze Declaration” which took both the good and shocking performance of the Church in the history of Rwanda. From Musanze, Church leaders decided to work hard and create "a new desired legacy".

"Rwanda, Shima Imana!" 2014 was a moment for people to meditate on the past, learn from the history, condemn the dreadful acts committed and repair what is possible to fix. It was also a moment to mobilise Rwandans to thank God for the progress made in the country and in the Church so far, and together envision the legacy we want to leave for our children and the next generations.

Such a beautiful team!!!

It was a great couple of days for all of our team, and we really enjoyed the atmosphere at the stadiums and the preaching and worship!! Would definitely recommend to anybody that is in Kigali around this time next year.