LIFE IS a pot of absurdity holding humans with all sorts of troubles. There are the Alice Mugwanezas and Deo Bizumuremyis. And then also there is you, the better privileged. In this pot of absurdity, many a Mugwaneza and Bizumuremyi are left in despair at the suffering they go through. But those who dare to dream and never give up on chasing their dreams do indeed overcome the challenges. Just like many despaired in 1994, others took the devil head-on and defeated it. For Alice Mugwaneza yesterday sat her last Primary Leaving Examination paper and will now wait to join secondary school. The deaf and mute has seen hard days and at one point saw only bleakness shroud her education dreams. Schools turned her away as they had no skills in special needs education to cater for her. But from sitting home and trying her luck in Uganda, she returned to finally sit PLE. Her dream of becoming an accountant lives on. Mugwaneza’s go-getter and never-give-up attitude should touch the hearts of policy-makers. A place in a special needs secondary school would go a long way in lifting up one and inspiring many others who may feel dejected. For Deo Bizumuremyi, it is the story of finding oneself on the streets and enduring all the harsh realities of such a life, yet, at least going by his interview, not giving in to crime. He was forced to spend his formative years on the street but stayed clear of drugs and crime. Today, the 19-year-old has his eyes set on a career in the military. He completed his PLE yesterday at an age many would be in Advanced Level, but this is not something for him to dwell on. There are many Mugwanezas and Birumuremyis wasting away in communities after giving up. It is cardinal upon everyone to show them not only how to dream and but pursue the dreams. Absurdity does not end life as long as we remain hopeful. If Mugwaneza and Birumuremyi can do it, the lot of others out there, too, can.
