We are coming to a time when heeding the call to be each other’s keeper is not simply a biblical allusion but a civic duty. We have arrived at this, not by choice, but by circumstance. Not because we recognise the morality of it, but because of the urge for self-preservation.
It has always been thus in times of crisis. The preservation instinct for self and by extension the species dictates how we behave and act.
And so it is with the covid-19 pandemic in Rwanda at the moment. Its threat to the lives of individuals and even nations has become real, even to those who had doubts. It is no longer a rumour, fabricated story or a distant happening.
As the number of infections rise, the pandemic has come to the doorsteps of many homes. Many people have or know a person who has been infected or who have succumbed to it. They are family members, relatives, friends, colleagues and neighbours.
As a result, they are now concerned enough to take the necessary precautions. Or they have been sufficiently scared into more responsible behaviour. And so they now see preventive measures put in place by government as necessary for their survival, not as impositions by the authorities to inconvenience them.
Because of this more Rwandans are likely to heed those preventive guidelines so as not to put themselves or others at risk.
Until now, a major weakness in the fight against the spread of Covid-19 has been looking at these measures as government directives to be enforced by the police. And so some comply only in the presence of the police. This, in spite of the communication campaign by the Rwanda Bio-Medical Centre (RBC) and the Rwanda National Police.
Luckily that is changing as other institutions reinforce the message to stay safe. It is good to see that religious leaders have incorporated this in their preaching. Staying safe and ensuring that others are also safe is a key message at every religious occasion.
Still, there is some way to go towards full compliance. There are some people for whom being each other’s keeper is none of their business. Perhaps not out of a sense of guilt like Cain, probably more out of indifference.
There are some who think about themselves only. What happens to others does not concern them. Mercifully these are likely to take care of themselves and so indirectly protect others.
Others live in the moment. For them there is no need to worry about tomorrow since it will certainly come anyway. Immediate gratification trashes every other consideration.
And so we get many house parties taking place – to celebrate a feast or simply to have a good time, or for any other reason. Are there any compelling reasons why a celebration cannot be postponed? Would the world come to an end if marking a birthday or wedding anniversary is deferred?
It does not seem to bother them that it appears obscene to party in the middle of a pandemic that is taking many lives. As in many things, a sense of proportion and decency is always a good thing.
Or we see people taken over by collective emotion and throwing individual caution to the wind as happened recently when the national football team, Amavubi, beat Togo and qualified for the quarter-finals in the CHAN tournament taking place in Cameroon. Hundreds of Rwandans poured into the streets of Kigali to celebrate the victory in complete disregard of the danger of covid-19.
It was, of course, an important victory, especially coming after a long period of poor performance by the national team. Excitement was certainly in order. It was a moment of collective emotional relief. But it should not have been to the extent of forgetting the danger lurking in crowds, in indiscriminate hugs, other close contact, and unmasked faces.
A character in one of Henrik Ibsen’s plays advises: "Everything in moderation, I say, everything in moderation.” Very sensible counsel.
Sunday night could have been the same if Amavubi had made it to the semi-finals. Unfortunately, they lost. In the event Rwandan football lovers have had to mourn the loss and vent their frustration with the game individually in the privacy of their homes.
Covid-19 is a global crisis. It is also a huge national challenge. Coping with it dictates change in behaviour and way of doing things. That may come through shock, fear or survival instinct of self and collective. In Rwanda’s case, it also comes from conscious decisions and actions. Whichever way that change is brought about, it requires everyone becoming the other’s keeper.
The views expressed in this article are of the writer.