Heroism can be in any form, in any way, and a hero can be anyone.

Heroes are brave and selfless and they make sacrifices for the good of others, no matter the cost—even if it means risking their life.

Rwanda, on February 1, celebrated Heroes’ Day, and in order to impart the fundamental principles that the country’s heroes stood and died for, all Rwandans are heartened to value unity, and promote a spirit of patriotism.

In this regard, King Ngabo, an artist and founder of Ingabo Corner, shares his views on using art to promote nationalism and honour the sacrifices made by Rwanda’s heroes who exemplified the highest values of patriotism and sacrifice for the well-being of the country.

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"Anything promoted through art has the potential to last and leave a mark. History lives on when preserved and remembered. Our art has the ability to educate Rwandans, and as artists, it is our duty to take a minute and remember the sacrifices made by our heroes. Then we have to think about ourselves and how we can serve our people because we don’t want to serve anything that has no purpose,” he said.

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The key to preserving Rwandan history and promoting heroism among Rwandans is to be honest with our history, to learn and tell the truth, Ngabo said.

"We can’t call ourselves heroes; what we do, what we show, and our efforts to create artwork that talks about heroism are what gives us that credit. Therefore, as artists we need to use every resource we have to promote heroism. We need to recognise [the fact] that our history is both bad and good. And we need to tell the whole truth if we want to create heroes, we need to touch peoples’ hearts with our work,” he added.

"We need to think about the sacrifices made by our heroes, learn from them, and wonder what sacrifices we can also make to be called heroes.”

Ngabo’s drive to promote heroism was evident through an art festival he organised dubbed ‘Isaliyuti Art Festival’ in July 2022 at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, aimed at educating young people about Rwanda’s history and the liberation struggle.

Isaliyuti is a chronological display of the liberation struggle, exhibited in the Museum for Campaign against Genocide—one of the eight museums managed by the Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy. It is housed in the Parliamentary building.

"I got great feedback. Many people who come to Rwanda visit the exhibition and it’s now part of the museum,” he said, adding that the spirit of showcasing heroism through art came to him while listening to liberation songs.

"I asked myself what I would have done for my country in my teenage years. And the only answer I could get was to help liberate my country.”

As we continue to celebrate our heroes, Ngabo calls on artists to take time and learn about the country’s history. He advises them to read a lot and visit more museums so that they can be able to promote it ideally.

"I was able to create something that made it to the museum because I took time to learn about my history.

"I never thought that one day my idea would be put in an exhibition hall. So, if we want our art to educate others, we need to educate ourselves first. And we also need to learn from our heroes to be able to preserve a legacy that will live on.”