The just concluded National Dialogue, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) congress, and the ongoing Diaspora Global Convention, have one thing in common: they all highlighted the successes and challenges in nation building.

Anyone who was in this country five, ten years ago, is dumbstruck with the pace of change; be it in the mindset of its nationals, the social and economic transformation, or the country’s positive image on the world stage.

One might argue that these achievements are just what is expected for any ‘normal’ nation keen on improving the lives of its citizens and hardly merit a paragraph in an editorial.
But what this country, for decades, took for ‘normal” i.e divisionism, repression nepotism, corruption and the genocidal ideology, are the very features that brought it to its knees in 1994.

Rebuilding this nation called for extreme measures, some untested on the world stage, but tailored to meet our needs.

Some of our homegrown solutions met with a lot of external resistance, but knowing what was best for our country, and aware that we had to run where others walk, is what has brought Rwanda where it is today.

No one can be more credited for inculcating these nation building tenets in the people, than the time tested engine, the RPF.

Conventional wisdom was that revolutionary movements, once in power, veered off their original course, their ideals locked in the bottom drawer of a desk somewhere, together with the aspirations of the people.

This is one area that the RPF has proved political scientists, and some prophets of doom, wrong.

This country was rebuilt on a foundation of resilience, tenacity and patriotism. Knowing that we have more in store, should take this country even further.

Ends