Over 300 guests attended Transform Africa Summit's Cultural Gala where Rwanda last week launched its digital archive of cultural and historical information called Rwandapedia to tell the story of the country from its own perspective. The African Development Bank supported the realisation of the platform.

The online archive is a free, openly accessible platform on Rwanda's post genocide development including Home Grown Solutions, sustainable development programs derived from the ways Rwandans historically dealt with various challenges, modernised to fit the 21 century context.

Launching the platform, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Louise Mushikiwabo, said the documents, statistics, videos, photos and audio would be useful to students, journalists and anyone who wanted accurate information about Rwanda's post genocide journey.

"It is a means by which Rwandans can share the story of ourselves, our country, and especially our reconstruction journey, our development. It is done in a very transparent way, a credible way and it is accessible to all. It solves the problem of inconsistent and patchy record keeping during the post-genocide critical development period," she said.

Speaking on the occasion, the AfDB's Resident Representative in Rwanda, Negatu Makonnen said that the platform would have a positive impact on Rwanda in particular and African in general

"This project has been great for two reasons. The first is that it shows how working with this government is made easy by the leadership and how they get things done. The second is that it gives access to accurate primary information that enables Rwanda to tell its story. The Bank is proud to support this project and we hope it can be replicated throughout the continent."

The launch of Rwandapedia also showcased Rwanda's culture through dance and music. Songs from Gakondo group as well as dancing by Inganzo Ngali concluded the event.

How to use the platform: Explore Rwandapedia, Discover Rwanda