How Rwanda is shifting from tragedy to growth
Anne-Marie Kantengwa carried a special message to the Women’s Forum 2011 in Deauville, France. The owner of Hotel Chez Lando in Rwanda, Kantengwa understands first-hand how to rise from tragedy and rebuild--personally, professionally, and as a country.
Kantengwa’s brother, Lando Ndasingwa, and his wife built Hotel Chez Lando in the mid-1980s near the country’s international airport; built on a grassy parcel of land, the area is a bustling, commercial hub of Rwanda today.
Seventeen years ago, after tragic losses to the country by genocide, Kantengwa took over the hotel. As the country struggled to shift from tragedy to growth, and rebuild step by step, so did the Hotel Chez Lando. The building was partially destroyed during the nationwide turmoil, but Kantengwa worked to restore the 32-room hotel and has recently expanded Hotel Chez Lando to 82 rooms. In the words of the owner, the hotel “brings past and future closer up to the juncture where remnants of old bricks and new ones embrace.”
This transitional feeling of past meeting present is felt nationwide, and the country is looking toward a bright future. Kantengwa says Rwanda is a beautiful place, and she encourages visitors to come and learn first-hand how the country and its people have been empowered to work and recover their dignity.
Visit Hotel Chez Lando online at chezlando.com/.
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