There is an ‘Ayah’ (verse) in the Quran that speaks to me about the ideals of humanity and the value of single human life. It is written that 'whoever takes a life—unless as a punishment for murder or mischief in the land—it will be as if they killed all of humanity.
And whoever saves a life, it will be as if they saved all of humanity”. My interpretation of the verse is that every human has value. We all have ‘Agaciro.’ No one has more value. No one is less valuable. That, to me, is a national ethos that was birthed out of the tragedy of 1994.
The challenge that we’ve had in internalizing the new ethos of Agaciro has been two fold; internal and external.
The internal one was highlighted by President Paul Kagame’s almost hour long speech at the opening of the National Dialogue on Monday. He spoke about dignity and living a dignified life.
He voiced his frustration over the fact that some people, leaders even, behaved as if Rwandans deserved to remain at the bottom of the pole, always living at the mercy of others. Surviving because of handouts from the ‘more fortunate’.
Speaking about the plight of Africa ( and please forgive my Kinyarwanda to English translation) he asked, "do you think that God took the largest continent, with one billion and 300 million people, and decided we were worthless? That we would be fed by others? That we would be aided? And you are accepting that? You accept that? That is impossible. How could it be possible for a normal person?” Those who want to be like that, that is their business. We should not be like that”.
When he spoke about a ‘normal’ person, he was talking about someone with a true sense of self and value. He was challenging all of us to see and behave like dignified people.
What President Kagame is challenging us to do is change a mentality that’s been ingrained in us for almost a century. A century where missionaries taught us that our religious beliefs and culture were backward and ‘satanic’; where colonial administrators brainwashed Rwandans to believe that a segment of them were akin to beasts of burden and where post-colonial governments wished a section of Rwandans to roam the earth forever, with nowhere to call home.
All these experiences, over time, created a mindset that is finding itself at odds with our ambitious national agenda.
It’s a mindset that is in direct opposition with the intrinsic value of our shared humanity. It’s a mindset that is contrary to what citizenship is all about. But thankfully, it is a mindset that is being combatted each and every day, both by citizens as well as their leaders.
Rwandans have a right, not just to life, but to a fulfilling one. One of security of persons and things. One of access to education and nutritious food. And to a leadership that responds to their needs.
While Rwandans are, in my opinion, turning the corner when it comes to how we see ourselves in relation to the world and its racial superstructure, I worry about what is happening outside our borders.
When I look at the DRC I see a leadership bereft of any sense of human dignity. I hear them flip-flop on the citizenship of their fellow Congolese brethren, I see them look for solutions to national problems outside their borders and I see them see no value, beyond cheap politics, in the lives of people.
Maybe that is why their Minister of Communication can call FDLR, a mere "movement”. Never mind that the ‘movement’ has killed and raped Congolese over a span of decades.
Maybe their lack of dignity is why they thought Rwanda would not react to the militia attack in Kinigi in 2019. Maybe their reasoning was, ‘we don’t do anything to ensure our security, why would Rwanda? What are a few deaths anyway? It’s no big deal”.
Well, as we knew, and they keep finding out, a single Rwandan death is unacceptable. On Monday evening, the Government released a statement that, I believe, reiterated that very point.
Hailing the outcomes of the AU Meeting on the situation in the DRC, the Government reminded everyone that, and I quote, "given Rwanda’s legitimate security concerns, defensive and preventive mechanisms have accordingly been reinforced to guard against violations of our airspace and borders. These contingencies are ready to act to prevent any cross-border threat, proportionately to its magnitude, origin, and nature. We will not allow any spill-over into Rwanda from any armed group, and total security for our territory and our people will be ensured”.
While to some it might seem like a tough statement, I look at it differently. It is, for me, a simple statement of our hard-fought humanity. Rwandans deserve to live their lives in peace. Just as much as anyone else in the world. And like everywhere else in the world, our State will ensure just that. Our lives have meaning. And the RDF will make sure that there will be a high price to pay for anyone trying to take our lives away cheaply.
The writer is a socio-political commentator