Editor, RE: “May we live to see more blood-kinships!” (The New Times, November 24). “If only they—the younger generations—knew that it, blood-kinship, has everything to do with this leadership and everybody on earth, today!” And one of those youth whom I work with reflected to me last week: “But is it their fault if they don’t know?” And that unlatched, one more time, the gate to my usual rant: it is nobody’s direct fault, we all are victims of a well established machinery that was thought and put up in the 16th-17th century Europe to morally justify the beginning of and the right to plunder the continent. Prior to mid-19th century, all Africans were considered descendants of the accursed third son of Noah... That is when and how we, as human beings, together with our ways of life, have been completely devalued, and still are till today! And the fraudulent ideology was even astutely strengthened since the time it was systematically ingrained into our own minds through their compulsory schooling system, and this has been wreaking havoc into our minds and our social fabric. For instance our blood-kinship concept, system, and appellation as “Igihango” completely suppressed and outlawed, with all the psychological and socio-cultural damages that were created since then. You and I, and surviving fellows of our generation will only nostalgically reminisce ‘those good old days’! Thus, dear Bwana Pan Butamire, alas we all may live but not seeing any more of blood-kinship among us. This ‘primitive’ concept and custom was totally eradicated in Rwanda around the 1940s-50s, and I doubt it may be re-instated again. Our children and grand-children are now being schooled to becoming ‘developed’ instead! And it won’t be their fault if they turn out to be what they will be...and doing what they will be doing... such as suicidal drowning into the Mediterranean sea or... into Facebook! Francois-X. Nziyonsenga
