Indahemuka, the revolutionary cultural troupe in Rwanda’s liberation struggle

The history of Rwanda’s liberation struggle by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) is told with many facets, a collective of efforts by people of different backgrounds who pooled their energies to give us a country that we have today.

Today I want to pay tribute to those men and women who decided to use their craft to contribute to the liberation struggle, the artistes, some of whom left the comforts of Europe and other cities to join Inkotanyi in the jungles of northwestern Rwanda.

Those that did not join the rest on the frontline were actively crisscrossing the world, belting out songs that not only mobilized Rwandans towards the liberation cause, but also wowed many into donating to the struggle.

One such group was the Indahemuka cultural troupe which throughout the four-year struggle productively entertained the fighters to keep their hope alive with eyes firmly to the prize - a liberated motherland.

Some of their historical songs like Inzovu, Dushengurukanye Isheja, Uzabatashye and many others remain as famous as they were three decades ago and here is why. Before the armed struggle, members of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) came up with a comprehensive manifesto that elaborately articulated all the problems that the country faced and identified corresponding solutions. 

Their main objective was to mobilize the then government of Rwanda so that together they could work on solving the many problems that Rwandans faced; both those who were in the country and the hundreds of thousands others who had been forced into exile for decades. 

This never came to be the case as the then government led by President Juvenal Habyarimana resisted all peaceful means, leaving the RPF with no other means but launching a liberation struggle. This they did on October 1, 1990.

As soon as the armed struggle commenced, Rwandans from all over the world joined the front. Millions others committed themselves to support the struggle in numerous ways.  Among the people who decided to join the struggle in a special way were mothers, young men and women who, despite not being able to pick up arms and fight, committed to support the armed struggle through art; precisely music.

These are the people who created the Indahemuka cultural troupe. Their main goal was to preach the ideology of RPF through songs and cultural drama. Their objectives were to revive the pride in the national identity, the value of patriotism among Rwandans, and educating the young about the nation's rich culture, among others.

This they did while at the same time keeping the forces on the frontline motivated. They managed to mobilize all Rwandans to the values of unity, patriotism and pride in the national identity, commonly known as Ubunyarwanda. The objectives of Indahemuka were a perfect match to the ideology of the Rwandan Patriotic Front that aimed at abolishing ethnicity and restoring a national identity on which other development agenda was to be built. 

They indisputably ascertained that culture and its values played a crucial role in political mass mobilization and contributed to effective popularization of RPF’s political programme among the people.  Using culture as a concept, the songs of Indahemuka rallied millions of Rwandans to separate right from wrong. 

As the Indahemuka – of course working alongside other individual artistes or cultural troupes – thoughtfully mobilized all Rwandans along the cultural values of unity, patriotism and integrity, to date; their songs still play the same role in national development. 

The country’s new generation should perhaps take some more time to listen to these old but golden songs of all time in the history of our country. This is a point of view that some of the members of Indahemuka who are still living share. 

Masamba Intore and Mama Mariya Yohana, in their recent interviews on Rwanda’s liberation, alluded to the fact that having been part of the liberation struggle brings a sense of fulfilment, especially due to the fact that they are experiencing the country’s rapid transformation from what it used to be, a fact they say, represents a dream that came true.

They rightfully call upon the young and upcoming artistes to always come up with products that instills the values of patriotism, hard work and unity in Rwandans so as to contribute to the continued liberation struggle that has only changed the format. My tribute goes to all members of Indahemuka who passed away. Their contribution to Rwanda’s liberation will forever be valued.

To all the artists who contributed in various ways to the liberation struggle, Rwandans will forever be appreciative of your great contribution. The same goes to other groups like Isamaza, and individual artistes like Cecile Kayirebwa, who belted the famous Umunezero, arguably the most popular song on Radio Muhabura.

To Rwanda’s present-day artists, in as much as we live in a globalized world, it is important to take into account that the duty of sustaining the liberation gains fits in the people’s expectation from you. You too have got to be up to that noble task.