Keeping the liberation flame burning: Young RPF cadres share experiences

About nine years ago, Christelle Kwizera made the decision to join the RPF-Inkotanyi political party. At the time, the then teenager who was on her way to join university says that even at her young age, she knew so well that she wanted to align herself with people who not only talk but actually deliver. At 26, Kwizera is a commissioner and the youngest member of the National Executive Committee of RPF-Inkotanyi party. Kwizera says that the position has given her an opportunity to work closely with senior cadres like Tito Rutaremera and other party founding members, seeing first hand their commitment to advancing Rwandans. “It is not your typical political party. You really get to see what it means not to look at yourself as an individual or your close circle but to look at the majority of Rwandans, especially those who don’t have a voice,” she says. She points out that working with the older cadres has the commitment of the team towards socio-economic development. “Our country is still poor but it wants to prosper. It’s committed to building its people’s capacity in this area. We want to be able to do this and still maintain our heritage, our culture and who we are as a people,” she says. A mechanical engineer by training, Kwizera is an entrepreneur who in 2014 founded Water Access Rwanda, an award-winning social enterprise that offers tailor-made solutions in the field of collection, distribution and purification of water. Sacrifice dominates Kwizera says that she has been privileged to hear first-hand accounts of the amazing stories of sacrifice by the liberation heroes, bravery, which she says are a constant reminder of the hard choices that had to be made for Rwandans to be where they are today. She says that as a youth, most who were born around the time of the genocide against the Tutsi, it is easy to get comfortable and forget the value of building on what has been achieved adding that holding each other accountable is a must. “I am lucky that I don’t get to suffer like our liberators did but if need arises and I am called to the task, I am fully equipped to make the kind of sacrifices that they did. I am however hopeful that we will never have to go down that path again,” she says. Today, Kwizera continues to work with others to continue the liberation journey aimed at eliminating poverty, genocide ideology and others. Recently, her organisation was a recipient of a $100,000 funding by Jack Ma Foundation after emerging among the 10 entrepreneurs from Africa to benefit from the Jack Ma Foundation Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative. Kwizera says that the responsibilities that she has been handed give her a moment of pause, especially when she sits of the same table as the people who liberated the country. “Sometimes you have to run meetings with people who are older than you and who you have looked up to for so many years but the spirit of accountability makes it easier. You are supported all the way and this makes your duties even more exciting. You have to remind yourself that what you are doing creates value and we are a group that demands accountability of ourselves and others,” she says. Big shoes to fill Patrick Buchana Nsenga first heard about RPF- Inkotanyi when he was about 5 years old. This was at a time when the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) had just liberated Rwanda. At his tender age, he did not fully understand what this meant, but the memory that stands out most for him today was the statement that was repeated over and over again; that he and his family were finally going back home. More than a decade later and finally back home, Buchana was in secondary school when he decided to join the RPF-Inkotanyi party. He says that his decision was an easy one, mostly based on what the country had achieved under its leadership in a very short time. Today, Buchana has made a name for himself, as an entrepreneur in the technology space, sitting at the helm of AC Group, a company that deals in smart transport payments both in Rwanda and beyond. So what is he doing today to play his part in building on what the liberators have so far achieved? Buchana explains that as a young person, he is continuously drawn to learning more about what has kept the liberators to stay the course, their resilience and the sacrifice to a point where even lost their lives to ensure that all Rwandans have a place to call home. He explains that the country’s big young population is an opportunity adding that the youth must however manage themselves well if they are committed to being more productive. “Being a young population that has been given an opportunity to take up leadership positions and to do business at a scale that we are places us in a very unique position to build things much earlier, grow them very fast and create economic liberation just like just like the cadres before us,” he says. Buchana says that he has learnt a lot from the older cadres but loving and putting the country first stand out. “You have to be selfless and you have to help the older cadre’ jobs easier. When you have these values, every time you are at crossroads and you need to make a decision, your values will guide you,” he says. Buchana also says that from the older cadres, he has learnt that hard work pays as seen through the economic growth. This, he says has been achieved by bringing people together, and helping them to work towards a common goal. Buchana says that going forward, young cadres like himself have big shoes to fill based on what the older cadres achieved in a short period of time. This, he says can be achieved by evolving with the times. “As young people, we have to remind ourselves often that the world is evolving. Every industry is changing. It creates a big challenge if not well exploited. We have to individually keep learning, relearning, and unlearning some of the old ways. We always need to keep re-evaluating ourselves,” he says. Buchana dreams of a Rwanda where fellow youth continue to remember where they came from and the hard work and sacrifice that was put into creating opportunities for them. “We must continue to honour the cadres and the ones who participated in the liberation struggle. This country has been handed to us in very good shape, with very robust health and education systems and forward-looking economic policies. We need to understand this and work towards sustaining it,” he said. No issue is too big Ernest Kamanzi joined RPF-Inkotanyi when he was 20 years old. Today, the 30-year-old Member of Parliament says that the party is a constant reminder that everyone should strive to work together to fix their problems. “We have to be reminded that the party was born at a time when there were so many problems. Rwandans were at the time not happy. 26 years later, the first thing that we have learnt is sacrifice, putting majority interests above individual ones,” he says. Kamanzi, who was 28 when he joined parliament says that Rwanda has continued to treat everyone as equals, giving both the young and old the opportunity to lead. “Before you join the parliament, the challenge that you foresee is being in parliament when young. Most people tend to believe that parliamentary seats are meant for experienced people. The good thing is that the moment you get into parliament, the older ones are ready and willing to help the young to catch up and give them the opportunity to table their ideas,” he said. However, he cautioned young people to remember the sacrifices that were put into this and to use the opportunities that they have been given to grow and to be better. “A small number of youth seems to sometimes forget where we have come from. We can still enjoy the country that has been built for us without forgetting how much work and effort was put in,” he said. Passing on the mantle Tito Rutaremera is one of the founding members of RPF-Inkotanyi who served in different senior capacities during the struggle and in its aftermath. In an interview with The New Times, Rutaremera said that while Rwandans should be happy to have returned to their motherland, the liberation struggle continues. This, he explains, is because every liberation struggle has phases ranging from pre-liberation war steps of collecting the ideas, putting them together, coming up with a clear ideology, spreading the word and the eventual birth of RPF-Inkotanyi. “When the liberation war was over, we started building from scratch. We went into restoring the economic fabric of the country and that process continues. We can only say that it is over when every Rwandan can have very easy access and affordable health services, the ability to study any course that a student may wish, the ability to spend and be able to save some and many more,” he says. Rutaremara says that while the liberators worked in extremely harsh conditions, today’s youth are luckier but also have to deal with a set of challenges. “The environment is different. But they also have their challenges. They first of all, may relax and f feel that they have guarantees and their lives may always be like this. That can make them work less but also, we have to remember that Rwanda has to catch up with the rest of the world. We are in competition on unlevelled ground,” he says. He advised the youth to be forward looking, to look at the targets that have been set and be determined to achieve them. On drug abuse Rutaremera reminded the youth that eliminating drug abuse is their fight and no one but them could fix that problem. “It is heart breaking to work hard so that the young can enjoy what you have built and hope that they sustain it and then see some of them go down that road. It’s terrible. Police won’t fight this. The youth should take on this fight themselves,” he said. Dream for Rwanda Looking at the country Rutaremera and other liberators fought for, what does he dream as the next step? Rutaremera says that anything is possible. Looking back, he says that he would never have ever thought that Rwanda, which people tend to underlook because of its size, would have the President that every African wishes for. “My dream is to see Rwandans join the Chinese and Americans when they go to Mars. Perhaps they can build the rocket but we could be asked to make the wheels. It is very possible,” he says.

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Keeping the liberation flame burning: Young RPF cadres share experiences