Rwanda, Beyond Stereotypes: An Evening with Stefano Ferrando in Carlazzo
Friday, May 29, 2026
Description
A country that is crossed by pedaling, where the bicycle is not a sport but a profession, a means of transport, an everyday language. It is the Rwanda seen and told by Stefano Ferrando, sports journalist of the RSI and sent to the UCI World Championships Kigali 2025 —the first held on the African continent. The conference Rwanda — Beyond Stereotypes arrives in Carlazzo Friday, May 29, 2026, at 8:45 PM, at the Civic Hall, free admission. With him on stage also Fabio Oddi, the “pedalante” who will bring the gaze of those who have crossed Rwanda on horseback.
From the economic boom to the Cycling World Championships
The subtitle of the meeting already says a lot: “From the economic boom to the Cycling World Championships: the story of a dynamic, modern, and evolving country.” For many, Rwanda remains linked to the images of 1994, when over a million people, both Tutsis and moderate Hutus, were killed in a hundred days. Thirty years later, the country presents itself as one of the most controversial development projects on the African continent: a safe and orderly capital, growing infrastructure, and a booming economy. This trajectory coexists with international criticism of the government of Paul Kagame and which Ferrando does not ignore, but rather places as a premise for understanding why Kigali was able to host a world-class sporting event.
Stefano Ferrando, an RSI contributor to cycling
A historic face and voice of sport in Italian-speaking Switzerland, Ferrando hosted for fourteen years Non-Stop Sports on RSI and is now one of the main signatures of the cycling editorial staff. He has covered the Tour, Giro, Northern Classics and several editions of the Olympic Games as a correspondent. September 2025 He was on site in Kigali for the UCI World Championships, experienced not only on the roadside but with reconnaissance trips to the North and South of the country, far from the official circuits.
The bicycle as a key to understanding
The real thread of the evening is the bicycle. In Rwanda, above 2,000 meters above sea level where cars struggle, everything is transported by pedal: sacks of potatoes and carrots, bunches of bananas, bricks, crates of beer, bundles of bamboo, even sofas and people. It's a country that travels on two wheels, and its cycling tradition is solid: the Tour of Rwanda It has been held continuously since 2001 and attracts European professional teams every year. The 2025 World Championship was established on this terrain, with a circuit considered among the toughest in history — all races above 1,400 meters above sea level, with climbs and cobblestone sections that have consecrated Tadej Pogačar among men and seen Switzerland Marlen Reusser take gold in the time trial.
Four keys to understanding: cycling, economy, society, the world
The meeting is structured around four corners which the poster summarizes well. cycling as passion and talent that unite people. A’growing economy that evolves by opening up new opportunities and investing in the future. changing society which focuses on education, innovation and inclusion. And a country in openness to the world, made of cooperation, investment, and an increasingly global future. Four pieces of a mosaic that paints a picture of Rwanda far removed from the stereotypes we've grown accustomed to in Western media.
Event information
- 📍 Where: Carlazzo Civic Hall
- 📅 When: Friday, May 29, 2026, 8:45 PM
- 🎤 Speaker: Stefano Ferrando, RSI journalist
- 🚴 With the participation of: Fabio Oddi, “Pedalante”
- 🎟️ Entrance: free
