Success Stories - Alexis: Leading the way for others

June 2011

Alexis Musanganya was born and raised in Kigali, Rwanda. In the spring of 1994, he left Rwanda, war and civil unrest forcing him to flee. He walked many miles from Kigali to Butare, Zaire, and finally reached Zambia. His path was long and paved with obstacles, death and despair abounding in Rwanda. After many train, bus and plane rides, Alexis finally arrived in Canada as a refugee in July 1998, at the age of 24.

His integration into Canadian society was extremely successful, although he does admit to having to contend with many cold Canadian winters and language barriers during his first years. His sister and brother-in-law, who were already living in Canada, were extremely pivotal to his integration. “My sister offered me guidance and her husband became a source of inspiration for me, they both helped me along this journey,” he adds.

In 1999, Alexis started studying computer science and obtained his bachelor’s degree in 2002. That same year, he officially became a Canadian citizen.

In 2004, Alexis founded Arc en ciel d’Afrique, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community organization that brings together LGBT immigrants of African and Caribbean origin living in Quebec. The organization was created to educate the Afro-Caribbean community on the issue of homosexuality, create an open dialogue and promote tolerance. In 2009, he created the LGBT Afro-Caribbean film festival during Black History Month, which has now become a regular feature on the calendar of events.

Alexis hopes to become a diplomat or to work within an international organization such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. His involvement with Arc en ciel d’Afrique has enabled him to reach people from all over Quebec, Canada and even abroad.

“I have become an ambassador of sorts for the LGBT Africans who are afraid of coming out to their communities,” Alexis proudly says. He receives letters of encouragement on a regular basis, calling him a source of inspiration and commending his involvement in the cause. While well aware that there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of acceptance, Alexis continues to educate people on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues while hosting activities that create awareness for the cause.

Alexis knows firsthand just how fragile life can be and how important it is to be true to one’s self.

Did you know that nearly 30% of the government-assisted refugees resettled to Canada in 2010 came from Africa?