The Governor General to Undertake State Visits to Senegal, to the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Rwanda and an Official Visit to Cape Verde
OTTAWA — At the request of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, will undertake State visits to the Republic of Senegal, from April 14 to 17; to the Democratic Republic of Congo (RDC), from April 18 to 20; and to the Republic of Rwanda, on April 21 and 22. She will also conduct an official visit to the Republic of Cape Verde. A delegation of Canadians working in a variety of fields, including governance, women’s rights, journalism, arts and culture, civic engagement, and youth will accompany the Governor General.
Her Excellency is delighted to undertake this third visit to Africa and to go, for the first time, to the heart of the continent, in the area of the Great Lakes.
“Returning to this continent is a new opportunity to bear witness to an Africa that is full of excitement and promise, an Africa called to take its rightful place in the world,” said the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean.
“I wanted to visit central Africa to encourage the efforts to bring peace to the region, to rebuild and to restore the ties of trust and the rule of law,” she added.
During her visit to Senegal, the Governor General will tour Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, where she will give a speech on the role of the media in the emergence of a new Africa. Her speech will be followed by a panel discussion. She will also visit the Island of Gorée, a landmark of the slave trade and a UNESCO world heritage site. During her visit to Gorée, she will take the opportunity to talk with Senegalese women engaged in their communities. In order to meet with representatives of Senegalese society firsthand, the Governor General will talk with women and men who have successfully developed their own small businesses through micro credit, contributing to Senegal’s prosperity. Finally, an Art Matters forum will be held on the role of the arts as a tool for intervention and social change, attended by Canadian delegates, experts and artists of the country.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Governor General will give a speech to the National Assembly and the Senate. Her Excellency will also visit a health centre that receives funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to train midwife nurses and professionalize their practice. She will then visit Goma, in northeastern Congo, where she will meet with survivors of sexual violence and the workers who are helping them. That visit will give the Governor General an opportunity to pay tribute to the Canadian women and men working for NGOs in the region, as well as members of the Canadian Forces serving in MONUC, the United Nations peacekeeping force in the DRC.
During her visit to the Republic of Rwanda, which coincides with the national month of mourning to commemorate the tragic events of 1994, the Governor General will tour monuments commemorating the genocide. Her Excellency will visit the National University of Rwanda in Butare, the country’s second largest city, and will give a speech on the civic responsibility of the media in a democracy. She will also tour rural communities in the region of Nyamagabe and in Kibirizi. She will get a firsthand look at the outcomes of one of CIDA’s projects in the region. The Governor General will also have the opportunity to meet with women serving on a regional committee that is now a world leader with respect to women’s representation on decision-making bodies.
The activities scheduled for Cape Verde will highlight the economic and social progress this country has accomplished, now recognized as a middle income country. Her Excellency will visit Sal Island and will meet with local decision makers and community representatives. She will also visit an NGO that works at reinforcing solidarity and civic values of this insular community. For example, thanks to the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, this organization was able to establish a community radio station.
State visits by a governor general play an important role in strengthening Canada’s relations with other countries. They are the highest form of diplomatic contact, and reinforce bilateral relations and exchanges among heads of State and local authorities. They are also opportunities to strengthen people to people links and to pursue a participatory diplomacy by meeting with members of civil society.
The public can follow the State visits to Senegal, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Cap Verde through the speeches and photos available daily at www.gg.ca.
Blogs written by Her Excellency and the delegates will be posted on www.citizenvoices.gg.ca.
