The incredible safari of Paris Saint Germain players in Rwanda

Eliminated in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid and with the Ligue 1 assignment already done, the Paris Saint Germain players, who drew 3-3 against RC Strasbourg on Friday, had an end to week and took the opportunity to get stuck in the bubbles of the Parisian club.

Lionel Messi, for example, has returned to Barcelona, ​​his second home. In a post made by Antonella Rocuzzo on her Instagram account, you can see the Argentine star, her partner and four other friends, including Sergio Busquets and Mariana Balbi, sister of Luis Suárez’s wife, who eats at a beach restaurant in Castelldefels.

Another who took advantage of the free weekend was Mauro Icardi who traveled to London with his wife, Wanda Nara, and the extended family they brought together with the daughters they both had and the children. of Argentina with soccer player Maxi López.

But, no doubt, those who developed other plans outside of France these days granted to them by Mauricio Pochettino were Sergio Ramos, Keylor Navas, Julian Draxler and Thilo Kehrer. Because of the advertising promises assumed in the tourist office “Visit Rwanda”PSG sponsor since 2019, the Parisian club players went on a safari through the country to Africa with their closest relatives.

They visited Akagera National Park, which is home to more than 13,000 animals and one of the biggest attractions that exists in Africa at the tourist level. There they found the so -called “Big Five”, the five hardest to hunt: lion, leopard, black rhinocero, elephant and cape buffalo.

later, toured Volcanoes National Parkhome to five of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Range, and observed mountain gorillas, an endangered species found only there and in Uganda.

Also visit Kigali Genocide Memorial, paying tribute to the more than 800,000 people who were brutally murdered between April and June 1994, and, in a different order of things, they met the PSG academywhich was inaugurated last year and aims to support young local talent.

The miracle boom of Rwanda

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How does a country go from being the victim of one of the most brutal genocides in recorded history to becoming one of the fastest growing economies in the world in recent years?ang

The main thing is to alleviate the conflicts that have historically existed between the two main ethnic groups living there: the Hutu and the Tutsi. That is what caused the genocide. And most of this conquest is attributed to Paul Kagamepresident of the Republic of Rwanda since August 2003 and, before that, vice president since 1994, the year alone the tragedy occurred.

The Rwandan Patriotic Front, led by Kagame, intervened and ended that confrontation. Under the name of developmentalist dictatorshipas many have chosen to define it, uses power in an authoritarian way, but, at the same time, it manages to give the country economic and political stability.

Today, it is one of the countries with the highest percentage growth in recent years worldwide. On average, 7.1% over the past five years, higher than any country in Africa and also higher than Spain, France and Japan, among others.

Tourism, fully promoted by the “Visit Rwanda” project and initiative, is one of its pillars. In addition to PSG, they have sponsored Arsenal in the Premier Leaguewhere they signed a 4 -year contract worth 40 million pounds sterling. They also sponsor the Basketball African Leaguethe major basketball league in Africa, a link with the support of former US President Barack Obama as a strategic partner.

“We are proud to welcome the Paris Saint-Germain players and their families and show them the best Rwanda has to offer. This partnership means a lot to us and has generated visible results since 2019. This is an opportunity to introduce PSG fans from around the world to the extraordinary beauty of our country. We look forward to welcoming other players, legends and club supporters in the future and offering them a high level of ecotourism. ” Clare Akamanzi, executive director of the Rwanda Development Board.