00:00 Honorable dignitaries here present,
00:03 dear brother, Masai and my sister, Ramatu,
00:09 and the kids behind you,
00:11 retired Lieutenant General Romero Dallaire,
00:14 founder of the Dallaire Institute
00:16 for Children, Peace and Security,
00:19 Ahmadou,
00:21 Ismail B., UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
00:25 and Advisor to the Dallaire Institute,
00:28 esteemed guests, African giants,
00:32 our beautiful youth, good afternoon.
00:36 (audience applauding)
00:39 Happy International Youth Day
00:44 and welcome to this youth forum.
00:48 The energy in this room today
00:52 is truly contagious and electrifying.
00:56 Thank you, Giants of Africa, for your incredible work
00:59 these past two decades and for bringing us here today.
01:04 Our youth, we are starting an exciting week
01:09 which I hope to be rich in fun and joyful memories,
01:13 yet we also having today a somewhat loaded conversation.
01:18 But I know this will not be a problem.
01:23 The country we stand on today was built
01:26 by the dreams and sacrifices of youth like yourselves,
01:31 so I would never think any of you too young
01:34 to have the conversations that matter.
01:37 Ladies and gentlemen, hosting you all in Kigali
01:42 is a blessing that seemed almost unimaginable
01:46 three decades ago.
01:49 Safety, the right to exist as an individual
01:54 worthy of respect and deserving of dignity
01:58 was a luxury dangled away from our reach for decades.
02:03 Some said that Rwanda was small and hopeless
02:08 and this seemed to a small, hopeless fate.
02:11 But they didn't realize that greatness
02:15 is in fact in the spirit.
02:17 Greatness is in the ambition, not in size,
02:21 not in origin or past experiences.
02:24 They were blind to the obvious truth
02:30 because they were and perhaps still are classic haters.
02:35 Indeed.
02:38 But haters never win, not when there is almost
02:43 an infinite power to draw from love and solidarity.
02:47 Dear youth, these can be strange times for us all.
02:52 News has made its way into our homes
02:56 suggesting that there is trouble all over.
02:58 Children of our continent, what we want for you
03:03 is quite simple, a steady, maintainable onwards
03:08 and upwards for our continent, Africa.
03:14 Good health, happiness, prosperity and achievement
03:17 are what the youth deserves.
03:21 So good health, happiness and prosperity
03:23 are what you must all pursue.
03:25 I don't doubt one moment that you can claim
03:29 all these blessings.
03:31 You are compelling, you are engaging,
03:34 you are dynamic, you are creative, you are daring.
03:38 You are attuned to this rapidly moving world
03:40 as if you already know some of what it will take
03:45 to navigate it successfully.
03:48 It's true what is said through interconnectivity
03:54 from, for instance, the internet,
03:56 through improved education and access to information.
04:00 Our beloved youth appears to grow smarter by the day.
04:04 And still, some teachings come from experience
04:08 more than from intelligence.
04:11 Just like in sports, much of your skill
04:15 will come from your days, months, years of practice
04:18 and not only your talent.
04:20 What we can offer you in what will be quite a journey
04:26 to being grown, as you call it,
04:29 is the wisdom the years have given us.
04:34 You see, some of us have been grown for quite a while.
04:39 In some cases, for longer than we realize
04:43 until we are around fresh, youthful faces
04:46 like the ones before me.
04:49 It's a blessing in itself to have lived long enough
04:54 to see what could come of a suffering country
04:58 if the ingredients for success were used.
05:02 And this is the knowledge I hope to leave
05:06 with you guys today, what your own successes will take
05:10 irrespective of talent, regardless of lack.
05:13 Determination, discipline and good judgment,
05:19 team spirit, victory through partnership,
05:22 collective efforts, reliance on each other,
05:25 collaboration, shared ambitions, friendship,
05:29 all the values that have always guided
05:32 strong performances in team sports.
05:35 Together we must, together we will,
05:39 this spirit should habit every heart of this continent.
05:43 Never mind those who claim that green pastures
05:49 are only available across the oceans,
05:52 you come from a beautiful continent
05:54 of unmatched resources and wealth,
05:58 and you are its greatest resources yet.
06:03 If your path takes you elsewhere,
06:05 may you be blessed with a good education,
06:08 health and fulfillment, and may you eventually
06:12 use your blessings to help uplift the homes
06:17 that prayed for your good fortune.
06:20 You are gems of flesh, dear youth,
06:25 but I still urge you to work on your polishing,
06:29 invest in your shine, channel your competitiveness
06:34 into being the most educated, the most rounded in the room.
06:38 Be the voice of reason even in times of hostility,
06:44 refuse peer pressure and embrace peer support
06:47 for friendship and social engagement
06:50 should lead you to an improved future
06:53 and not a compromised one.
06:57 Have fun, but know that worthy fun
07:00 does not come at the cost of your health and well-being.
07:05 Always defend peace, for there is never glory
07:12 in avoidable conflict or blood spill.
07:15 If you crave success or even authority,
07:20 learn to dominate through excellence,
07:24 not through bullying or oppression.
07:27 The world has seen enough of our mistreatment of each other,
07:32 of our nature, of our cultures.
07:36 I know that you know that you can do better for our faiths,
07:41 so do so.
07:43 Craft the better, kinder world we all want for you,
07:49 and may this year's theme,
07:51 Green Skills for Youth Towards a Sustainable World,
07:55 always inspire all our efforts to be mindful
07:59 and respectful of what is replaceable,
08:03 and that is our environment.
08:05 And to the giants, I thank you for your attention.
08:10 To the wonderful speakers that will surely
08:12 offer us invaluable lessons,
08:15 I am certain that our youth will turn
08:17 the collective wisdom you'll transmit
08:20 into wonderful, abundant successes.
08:23 We shall be cheering them on for as long as destiny allows.
08:29 May this future be bright indeed.
08:35 I wish you a good afternoon.
08:37 (audience applauding)
08:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]
