First Lady Jeannette Kagame congratulated Clementine Dusabejambo, a Rwandan filmmaker who recently made history after winning the prestigious Camera d’Or award at the Cannes Film Festival for her debut film "Ben’Imana".

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The First Lady commended the filmmaker&039;s efforts on Saturday, May 30, during the 13th edition of Igihango cy’Urungano, an annual youth forum held at the Intare Conference Arena to commemorate young victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Set in Rwanda in 2012, the film follows Vénéranda, a survivor of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi who is involved in community-led justice and reconciliation efforts. As pressure mounts in her professional life, a crisis within her family forces her to confront the limits of forgiveness and reconciliation.

The film explores the emotional burden carried by survivors and the complexities surrounding forgiveness in post-Genocide Rwanda.

"I encourage you all to watch it, and I encourage Clémentine and others like her to continue," the First Lady told thousands of participants at the event.

"Today, Rwanda’s history is increasingly being told by Rwandans themselves, both locally and internationally, and that is the goal you should also embrace—to not simply accept what others say about your country.”

The First Lady further encouraged young people to deepen their understanding of Rwanda’s history and engage with it through research, visits to memorial sites, survivor testimonies, and reading.

"For a long time, Rwanda’s and Africa’s history has been told by foreigners, [telling us] who we are, how we should dress, how we should behave, what we should believe, and how everything should be defined by them,” she said.

She added that young people have a responsibility to carry forward the country’s history and defend its truth for future generations.

"Today, you are the ones who will defend Rwanda and shape its future,” she said.

ALSO READ: Igihango cy’Urungano: Honouring the past, safeguarding the future

The forum brought together more than 2,000 young people from across the country and served as a platform for them to reflect on Rwanda’s history, strengthen their commitment to national unity, and safeguard the country’s progress to ensure that genocide never happens again.