Mr Frank Mugambage, the Rwandan envoy to Uganda, said on Friday in Kampala that there is no contradiction in Rwanda joining the Commonwealth while staying as a member of the Francophone society.

He insisted that joining the Commonwealth, a loose grouping of former British colonies, is a mere lingua-franca issue rather than political. �We view language as a tool that helps Rwandans to engage in search for knowledge, technology and economic growth,� Mr Mugambage said, �We shall participate fully in the 40th anniversary of Francophone Day on March 20.�

Francophone Day brings together the 56 member states and governments and 14 observer countries that have close or colonial ties with France.
The French ambassador in Uganda Mr Rene Forceville said the Francophone Day is open to any country that wants to associate with France.
Although Rwanda was colonised by Belgium and has been using French as an official and instruction language, it was last November admitted to the Commonwealth community.

Recently, Rwanda adopted English as language of instruction in learning institutions, and is slowly on the path to dump French. The move is understood to stem from a French judge�s implication of President Kagame in the Rwandan genocide of 1994, an accusation which he rejected.

Daily Monitor – monitor.co.ug.