Diplomats accredited to Senegal joined local authorities led by Khady Diene Gaye, the country’s Minister of Youth, Culture and Sports. The program featured traditional dance and drumming, and the sharing of milk with children an emblematic gesture of generosity in Rwandan culture.

A discussion segment brought together Dr. Munana Yves, a Rwandan academic based in Senegal; Prof. Racine Senghor, former chair of the Board of the Museum of Black Civilizations; and Aminata Maiga, the UN Resident Coordinator in Senegal. Speakers outlined how Umuganura strengthens Rwanda’s social fabric and mirrors other African traditions of harvest gratitude and community cohesion.

Rwanda’s Ambassador to Senegal, Festus Bizimana, underlined that Umuganura once centered on agriculture and livestock now also celebrates advances across the economy and social services, reinforcing unity and a shared drive for national development. Minister Gaye noted parallels in Senegal, citing harvest festivities in the Petite Côte region along the Atlantic, typically held between September and November, as part of a broader Sub-Saharan pattern of community celebration.

Attendees also watched a documentary that explores the meaning of Umuganura and Rwanda’s progress over the past 31 years, prompting reflection among guests many of them diplomats on the country’s recovery since the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Rwanda opened its embassy in Dakar in May 2011. The mission also covers Cabo Verde, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Mali. Ambassador Bizimana is the fourth envoy posted to Senegal, following Gérard Ntwari, Mathias Harebamungu, and Jean Pierre Karabaranga.

Bilateral ties rest on long-standing accords, including a 1975 cultural cooperation agreement, a 2004 general cooperation framework, and the 2016 establishment of a Joint Permanent Commission. Cooperation also extends to media through partnership between Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA) and Radiodiffusion Télévision Sénégalaise (RTS).