Patriotism: A generational challenge to Rwanda’s youth

Last week, Rwandans celebrated Patriotism Day, a day that befittingly coincides with the launch of the liberation struggle by the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) in 1990. For many, especially those who participated in the liberation struggle, it is always a good moment to reflect on the different stages that characterized the four-year struggle.

It is a day to remember the sacrifice of the young men and women who spilled their blood - others got life-long injuries - to liberate the country from the jaws of a blood-thirsty regime whose only claim to fame was the disdain they had over one part of the population.

As years go by, memories tend to fade away.  For Rwanda’s liberation struggle and the events that characterized the four-year period, specific memories may tend to fade away, naturally. But one thing will forever remain engrained on their souls; the philosophy behind the struggle. This, everything must be done to keep alive for the contrary is an existential threat.

Every year on October 1, we always wake up to the nostalgic sweet melodies of the liberation songs. Many Rwandans know them very well. The young ones love them just as much as their elders, many of whom were part of the struggle, either actively or passively.

However, despite many being conscious to these important historical facts, a worrying trend is progressively manifesting. We have a younger generation that settles for less, as long as they put in minimal effort to yield barely acceptable outcomes. 

Rwanda’s liberation was built on an ideology that not only believed in hard work but foresight as well. The liberation philosophy inspired a unity of purpose amongst the comrades and believed in sustainability of its gains for future generations to enjoy and for the country to thrive. 

Complacency did not have a place in the framers of the liberation ideology. People believed in just doing more and more on a day-to-day basis to have a prosperous country. Sadly, as years go by, the liberation ideology tends to fade away, especially among the young generation. This is seen in the way they respond to civic education training but more so in the way they interact in society. 

It starts from the elementary values that guided our liberators. The ethos of hard work, time keeping, and discipline are all known by all of our liberators. They fully espoused all these etiquettes well knowing that this is the only way they will become responsible and valuable citizens.

And from the legacy of our liberators, the young generation should also cultivate in themselves the value of selflessness. This is very important. The trend seen today is, however, worrying. Whoever thinks that the liberation objectives were attained is offensively wrong.

A never-ending journey 

Our liberators, through their above-board values managed to reunite our nation and set up the foundation that allowed our nation to embark on a development journey.  This is a never-ending journey. The young generation must comprehend that we are in this for the long haul and we are far from our destination. 

It is a journey that can easily be compared to a tough relay game. Each generation has got its role to play without any room for failure because any failure would certainly set us back on the gains made and the price to that would certainly be heavy.

The current generational task is to sustain the liberation philosophy and through tangible actions, sustain the transformational journey of our nation. To date, we live in a world that thrives in technological advancements, where opportunities have been paired with countless of possibilities. 

Good enough, our country has made sure all key enablers are in place. The leadership has not only empowered the current generation through education and training but also put them to task so that they too become a part of the decision makers and active actors in national life. But are our youth ideologically in line with our liberation philosophy?

The current generational task is probably even more demanding than the previous one. At first, the heavy task is to be smart catalysts of national development through innovation.  The second one, is to be socially responsible in all what we do, putting the nation before self. The third one, is to think big, developing great foresight skills and act accordingly. Another imperative, the strongest of them all, is to keep our nation united. 

We are far from reaching our generational challenge, time is definitely not on our side for soon, we shall be judged by our performance and pass the relay baton to the next generation. We have got no time to relax. The comfort zone never exists in our reality. It is just an illusion. 

The legacy of Rwanda’s liberation should be our reference. Rwanda’s liberation is not just an event to celebrate. It is a school of thought that should guide us in our daily endeavors.