EngRegional
Why we celebrate our National Heroes
Every year on February
1, Rwandans celebrate National Heroes Day. This year, the annual celebration
will honor national heroes as a source of inspiration for Rwandans to thrive in
all their undertakings.
Under the theme “Our
Heroism, Our Dignity”, national heroes who lived in different times will be
celebrated.
Patriotism and resilience
are not recently-acquired tenets for Rwandans but a set of values that have
characterized them over a long period of time. From the time of the Rwandan monarchy
to the making of RPF-Inkotanyi, patriotism and resilience have been the center
pieces of our core values.
We were told about how
Rwandan kings resisted colonialism and how, decades later, the RPF fought to
restore dignity and national identity.
King Yuhi V Musinga
vehemently resisted the colonizers. He preferred to pay the ultimate price of
death, rather than betray Rwandans by ceding Rwanda to the colonialists.
King Musinga’s legacy of patriotism
and resilience is also exemplified in his last message to Rwandans, reminding
them that everyone will come and go (die) but Rwanda as a country shall always
be, and the survival of the nation is the ultimate success of its people.
Therefore, one’s sacrifice for the nation is nothing else but a noble cause to
live by.
Although patriotism and
resilience are two collective tenets that describe the heroism of Rwandans,
there are times where our patriotism and resilience as a people was put to
test, times when our nation failed to sustain the unity inherited from our
forefathers, times when we lost all the dignity as a people. Hundreds of
thousands of Rwandans were rendered stateless by their compatriots, exiled in
neighboring countries for three decades and deprived of every ounce of
dignity.
Then came the darkest
episode of our time, when Rwandans were mercilessly killed by their neighbors,
becoming the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe of the century - the 1994
Genocide against the Tutsi.
To slightly take you back to
the refugee situation, the influx of Rwandan refugees to neighboring countries
that started in 1959 and lasted decades was a stain on humanity and the
indifference of the international community.
However, despite the silence
of the international community in the face of such evil, Rwandans although in
exile, resolved to stand up, and act against the violence that was being
inflicted against them. The main objective was to restore dignity for the
people and a national identity.
This led to the birth of the
RPF/RPA-Inkotanyi whose objective was so daring that it demanded tough actions
with very little resources, fueled by nothing else but the love of their nation
and resilience.
Young and old, men and women
took up arms and submitted themselves to the liberation cause. From the rear
base they were supported by thousands others who sacrificed a lot to contribute
to the struggle they believed will unshackle Rwandans from bondage.
In the process, thousands of
them paid the ultimate price in the liberation struggle that aimed at restoring
a national identity and dignity to all Rwandans.
Fast forward, after putting
an end to the genocide against the Tutsi that took the lives of over a million
innocent people, the RPF faced a myriad challenges. Thousands of survivors
wounded with no functional medical facility, thousands of orphans and empty
state coffers, among others.
There was also a new exodus
of Rwandan refugees who were fleeing the country to neighboring Zaire, now DRC.
Nonetheless, the RPF quickly understood that and remembered it is not just
about stopping the genocide against the Tutsi but restoring a national identity
and dignity for all Rwandans.
For the Rwandans who had
fled, life quickly became unbearable in refugee camps. The new government
managed to repatriate many of those who had fled, including those who had been
held hostage by the genocide perpetrators
Their repatriation to Rwanda
by the RPA was not only a lifesaving act but a dignifying one just as much. It
was an act of heroism.
As we celebrate our national
heroes, we should strive to keep their legacy alive. The only sure way of
making this happen is to try hard and fit in their shoes.
Fortunately, there is no age
limit to this. It is a task for the young and old alike. Our dignity is our
pride. Happy Heroes Day!
