WEBVTT 00:00.910 --> 00:02.200 - [Narrator] Earlier this year, 00:02.200 --> 00:04.040 the Nebraska National Guard was offered 00:04.040 --> 00:06.440 the opportunity to form a new partnership 00:06.440 --> 00:07.750 though the National Guard Bureau's 00:07.750 --> 00:10.470 State Partnership Program with Rwanda, 00:10.470 --> 00:13.800 a small nation located in central Africa. 00:13.800 --> 00:17.750 On December 12, 2019 the Nebraska National Guard 00:17.750 --> 00:19.920 and Rwanda Defense Force will sign 00:19.920 --> 00:21.600 a state partnership agreement, 00:21.600 --> 00:23.269 officially establishing the start 00:23.269 --> 00:26.750 of a new partnership between the two organizations. 00:26.750 --> 00:29.080 Together, these two establishments 00:29.080 --> 00:31.840 will build a cooperative, mutually beneficial 00:31.840 --> 00:33.800 relationship that will benefit 00:33.800 --> 00:36.660 both organizations and their members. 00:36.660 --> 00:39.230 Both will share their cultural diversity 00:39.230 --> 00:41.020 and build upon their capability 00:41.020 --> 00:43.160 to serve their citizens. 00:43.160 --> 00:46.300 This agreement inaugurates an enduring relationship 00:46.300 --> 00:48.260 between the Rwandan Defense Force 00:48.260 --> 00:50.240 and the Nebraska National Guard. 00:50.240 --> 00:52.800 In preparation for this historic event, 00:52.800 --> 00:54.610 the Nebraska National Guard reached out 00:54.610 --> 00:56.780 to several Rwandan students attending 00:56.780 --> 00:59.410 the University of Nebraska Lincoln. 00:59.410 --> 01:00.810 These students were invited to 01:00.810 --> 01:02.780 Nebraska's Joint Force Headquarters 01:02.780 --> 01:05.520 for a cultural seminar and dinner. 01:05.520 --> 01:07.819 - The opportunity to engage with 01:07.819 --> 01:10.700 Rwandans before we ever go to Rwanda 01:10.700 --> 01:12.190 was really special for us. 01:12.190 --> 01:15.780 To get their perspective on their country 01:15.780 --> 01:18.580 and to see their love and their patriotism 01:18.580 --> 01:21.070 for their home country, while 01:21.070 --> 01:22.590 spending four years here at the 01:22.590 --> 01:24.400 University of Nebraska was pretty amazing 01:24.400 --> 01:27.450 and it gave us some incredible insight 01:27.450 --> 01:30.460 into the things that we should expect 01:30.460 --> 01:31.750 and the things we should understand 01:31.750 --> 01:33.450 about their culture. 01:33.450 --> 01:34.990 - [Narrator] Following the seminar, 01:34.990 --> 01:37.650 the students participated in a brief ceremony 01:37.650 --> 01:40.170 to unveil the Rwandan flag, which is 01:40.170 --> 01:42.030 now displayed on the atrium floor 01:42.030 --> 01:45.060 of the Joint Force Headquarters in Lincoln. 01:45.060 --> 01:48.480 - [Bohac] To unveil the flag on our floor, 01:48.480 --> 01:50.930 the atrium of the Joint Force Headquarters 01:50.930 --> 01:55.100 and to see their pride in watching that happen, 01:55.100 --> 01:57.300 I think was just so special for us 01:57.300 --> 01:59.880 and special for them and it's meant 01:59.880 --> 02:01.960 that we already have a relationship 02:01.960 --> 02:04.680 with Rwanda before we even get there 02:04.680 --> 02:07.100 so I think this is incredibly 02:07.100 --> 02:08.740 foundational to what we're about 02:08.740 --> 02:12.660 to embark upon with the Rwanda Defense Force. 02:12.660 --> 02:14.780 - [Narrator] One result of that cultural engagement 02:14.780 --> 02:17.750 was initiated by Lillian Uwanjye, 02:17.750 --> 02:20.360 a Rwandan UNL student who volunteered 02:20.360 --> 02:23.130 to teach the basics of Kinyarwanda 02:23.130 --> 02:24.940 to soldiers and airmen slated 02:24.940 --> 02:27.280 to travel to Rwanda for the official 02:27.280 --> 02:29.710 state partnership signing ceremony. 02:29.710 --> 02:32.360 - It's a small group, it's a great setting. 02:32.360 --> 02:33.700 She's very passionate about 02:33.700 --> 02:35.450 sharing her language with us 02:35.450 --> 02:37.810 and helping us understand what to say when 02:37.810 --> 02:40.130 and how to say it. 02:40.130 --> 02:41.780 I must say that some of us are 02:41.780 --> 02:43.740 clearly still at the alphabet level 02:43.740 --> 02:45.690 but we are making progress 02:45.690 --> 02:49.660 and once again, just making that effort 02:49.660 --> 02:53.060 so that when we arrive in Rwanda, 02:53.060 --> 02:55.060 and I have our first engagements 02:55.060 --> 02:58.210 with Rwandan Defense Forces and others, 02:58.210 --> 03:00.230 simply being able to say hello 03:00.230 --> 03:03.490 in their language, to say muraho, 03:03.490 --> 03:06.770 which means hello in the Kinyarwanda language 03:06.770 --> 03:08.700 and to know the response if someone 03:08.700 --> 03:12.320 says that to us, which is muraho neza 03:13.560 --> 03:17.210 is just a great leap forward for us 03:17.210 --> 03:19.370 in recognizing them as a people 03:19.370 --> 03:22.540 and so, again, what a difference maker 03:22.540 --> 03:24.640 and it's been fun to do too, I mean, 03:24.640 --> 03:27.830 it's great to have the group get together 03:27.830 --> 03:29.560 and listen to each other 03:29.560 --> 03:31.880 and try to form the words, the 03:31.880 --> 03:33.920 sounds of that language 03:35.010 --> 03:37.590 when most of us don't even speak a second language 03:37.590 --> 03:39.700 and yet most Rwandans speak at least two, 03:39.700 --> 03:43.140 if not three languages, so we have some work to do. 03:43.140 --> 03:44.690 - [Narrator] Lillian said she volunteered 03:44.690 --> 03:46.900 to teach the language to the Nebraskians 03:46.900 --> 03:49.690 as a change of scenery from UNL's campus, 03:49.690 --> 03:51.620 where she is currently a junior. 03:51.620 --> 03:54.140 - I think I have a lot of good times 03:54.140 --> 03:56.330 when I come here, I get to laugh a lot 03:56.330 --> 03:58.400 and to see the progress that the 03:58.400 --> 04:02.540 the people in my learning Kinyarwanda 04:02.540 --> 04:04.830 are doing is very encouraging, 04:04.830 --> 04:07.210 laugh at the ones that can't pronounce 04:07.210 --> 04:08.860 and then see them pronounce them, 04:08.860 --> 04:11.480 so it's been laughing and encouragement 04:11.480 --> 04:13.580 and it's been a good time. 04:13.580 --> 04:14.810 - [Narrator] Lillian also had some 04:14.810 --> 04:16.660 advice for the soldiers and airmen 04:16.660 --> 04:18.150 traveling to Rwanda. 04:18.150 --> 04:19.550 - Just feel free, it's, 04:19.550 --> 04:21.690 you know, human interaction, 04:21.690 --> 04:24.070 and be yourself, 'cause then they 04:24.070 --> 04:26.640 can learn from you, from the differences we have 04:26.640 --> 04:31.640 and be welcome to other people's differences too. 04:32.371 --> 04:34.460 Yeah, 'cause things are going to be different 04:34.460 --> 04:38.650 but there's something fascinating about differences 04:38.650 --> 04:40.570 and being able to learn from each other 04:40.570 --> 04:43.960 when we're open to learning and accepting each other. 04:43.960 --> 04:45.440 - [Narrator] Lillian plans to continue 04:45.440 --> 04:48.160 the language classes after the new year. 04:48.160 --> 04:50.570 But the events with the university students 04:50.570 --> 04:52.650 were not the only engagements to occur 04:52.650 --> 04:55.250 prior to the official partnership announcement. 04:55.250 --> 04:56.610 - Even before we've gotten there, 04:56.610 --> 04:58.460 we've already sent some folks over 04:58.460 --> 04:59.640 to engage with them. 04:59.640 --> 05:01.150 They're definitely eager 05:01.150 --> 05:03.650 and as we are too to form this 05:03.650 --> 05:05.970 partnership, form a relationship 05:05.970 --> 05:07.420 and so the initial investment's 05:07.420 --> 05:09.730 gonna be building relationships rapidly 05:09.730 --> 05:11.558 so we can get after the work that 05:11.558 --> 05:13.370 we mutually agreed upon 05:13.370 --> 05:15.700 as important to all concerned. 05:15.700 --> 05:16.610 - [Narrator] The partnership will 05:16.610 --> 05:19.520 lay the foundation for a long-term relationship 05:19.520 --> 05:21.660 by sharing expertise and emergency 05:21.660 --> 05:23.800 and disaster response as well as 05:23.800 --> 05:25.960 strengthening cooperation and peacekeeping 05:25.960 --> 05:28.530 operations and readiness. 05:28.530 --> 05:30.700 - The main purpose of state partnership 05:30.700 --> 05:34.360 program is to pursue mutually agreed up 05:34.360 --> 05:38.580 democratic ideals and values across the globe 05:38.580 --> 05:41.780 and when you look at what Rwanda's 05:41.780 --> 05:45.030 already doing, they are a significant player 05:45.030 --> 05:48.210 in peacekeeping operations on the African continent 05:48.210 --> 05:51.130 and so they will probably teach us 05:51.130 --> 05:53.820 more about that than we will ever teach them 05:53.820 --> 05:55.060 so that's one of my goals, 05:55.060 --> 05:57.320 is to understand that mission set better 05:57.320 --> 06:00.810 and how that's doctrinally influenced, 06:00.810 --> 06:03.200 particularly by the United Nations. 06:03.200 --> 06:05.350 The other things though, that 06:05.350 --> 06:07.230 we're interested in and they are 06:07.230 --> 06:09.160 pretty interested in us working together on 06:09.160 --> 06:11.350 is in the areas of engineering. 06:11.350 --> 06:13.310 There are medical missions, medical 06:13.310 --> 06:15.950 evacuation missions, aviation 06:15.950 --> 06:18.240 and then logistics, so those will be 06:18.240 --> 06:20.080 the main lines of effort over the 06:20.080 --> 06:22.950 first several years with the Rwanda Defense Force. 06:22.950 --> 06:24.970 - [Narrator] The Nebraska and Rwanda pairing 06:24.970 --> 06:27.210 is the 77th partnership under the 06:27.210 --> 06:29.210 State Partnership Program. 06:29.210 --> 06:30.640 This will be Nebraska's second 06:30.640 --> 06:32.440 state partnership, as the state 06:32.440 --> 06:34.490 will continue its shared relationship 06:34.490 --> 06:37.770 with the Czech Republic and Texas National Guard. 06:37.770 --> 06:39.389 - We are firmly committed to being 06:39.389 --> 06:42.480 fully engaged wit the Czechs as we 06:42.480 --> 06:45.430 have been for over 26 years now, 06:45.430 --> 06:48.210 I think there's an amazing potential here 06:48.210 --> 06:50.530 to do things with the Rwandans 06:50.530 --> 06:52.500 and the Czechs together with us 06:52.500 --> 06:55.010 in Nebraska that will leverage the program 06:55.010 --> 06:58.700 and leverage the idea of democratic influences 06:58.700 --> 07:02.060 on the African continent and we should 07:02.060 --> 07:04.730 recognize that right up front that 07:04.730 --> 07:06.930 this is an enduring strategy, 07:06.930 --> 07:09.750 a long term strategy, this is not 07:09.750 --> 07:11.460 a one and done kind of event 07:11.460 --> 07:14.840 or a one year event, we will be 07:14.840 --> 07:16.040 at this for a long time 07:16.040 --> 07:18.410 and I fully expect that 25 years from now, 07:18.410 --> 07:20.621 we'll be celebrating our 25th 07:20.621 --> 07:23.760 year partnership with the Rwanda Defense Forces 07:23.760 --> 07:26.153 and continue to do amazing things.