Rwanda’s next stage of liberation in youth‘s hands

Author: Lindah Uwase

• 2024-07-05 05:30:00

Rwandans and friends of Rwanda celebrating the 30th anniversary of Liberation Day at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali on July 4, 2024.

On the occasion of celebrating the 30th anniversary of Liberation Day where thousands of Rwandans and friends of Rwanda gathered at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, President Paul Kagame said that the endpoint of the liberation struggle was to build a state in which every Rwandan is valued, and citizens are always at the center of government action.

While tasking the youth to maintain the attitude, Kagame said even though Rwandans have made huge strides towards this mindset, they must remain vigilant.

“This country is yours to protect, defend, and make prosperous. It is worth repeating that real liberation only begins when the guns fall silent. We began that stage 30 years ago, and we are counting on you, the liberation generation, to take us further. Rwanda’s struggle today has a bigger scope than just surviving. It is about living well, with success,” the President said.

“You have the freedom and the opportunity to live the lives you want. But wherever your life takes you, remember your duty to uphold the good politics we have built. Speak up, take part, and give back. Those are the civic values that we want to define the next generation of Rwandans.”

The fight for Rwanda’s freedom was partly made successful because the Rwanda Patriotic Front fighters well understood the cause of their fight. They were guided with strong principles and convictions.

Rwanda's liberation in 1994 was not merely the capture of Kigali on July 4 and stopping the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. It was the beginning of a new era – an era that was by then hard to picture as the country and its population had been razed to ground by the Genocidal regime.

A generation of young men and women had to start from nothing and build a country. They knew exactly what they stand for and they believed in themselves. They did and, today, they are the older generation.

Through immense sacrifice, the older generation built a new Rwanda that is beaming with potential and their hard work is part of Rwanda’s liberation journey.

However, for continuity, the torch of responsibility passes on to the youth, a generation exceeding 70 percent of Rwanda’s population. A generation that is well educated, empowered, and equipped with the ability to lead.

President Paul Kagame, himself a youth at the time of the liberation struggle, led a group of young resilient and determined men and women in liberating Rwanda. Today, his message to young Rwandans is clear; to carry on the liberation struggle, inherit the mantle, fueled by the conviction that they, like him, can propel Rwanda towards a brighter future.

This conviction stems from a powerful belief: the youth, equipped with knowledge and empowered by the sacrifices of the past, possess the very tools needed to shape Rwanda's destiny.

For this journey to be achieved, the youth must be guided with discipline, hard work, principles of patriotism and a firm grasp of the values that underpinned liberation.

Beyond the principles and values, Rwanda’s new generation must ensure the liberation struggle initiated by the older generation is not fruitless, but nurtured towards a prosperous future.

Rwandan youth are reminded each day that they must uphold Rwanda’s unity, build a culture of excellence, ensure accountability and transparent as well advance sustainable development, among others.

These principles are not mere words. They are the cornerstones upon which Rwanda has been built to what it is today. Rwanda’s new generation is not simply made up of inheritors, but architects, tasked with shaping a future built on the bedrock of the past.

This is why, at the 29th liberation, President Kagame said “To the young generation, it is your time to pick up from where the country has been brought and do your part to make sure that the fruits of the sacrifices of the previous generation are not wasted. The journey to transforming Rwanda requires us to stay the course, stand up for who and what we are, and sustain the resilience we need to build the nation all Rwandans deserve.”

Like Alexander Hamilton once said, “He who stands for nothing will fall for anything.” His statement strongly resonates with Rwanda's story of liberation and the journey it continues to take.

Hamilton's wisdom is a stark reminder that Rwanda’s youth must have something to stand for and that is national unity, excellence, accountability, and sustainability.