She was kind, virtuous, down-to-earth, and determined. These are the four traits that come out when you speak to the relatives of Agathe Uwilingiyimana, Rwanda’s first and only female Prime Minister, who was killed by Hutu hardliners on April 7, 1994. Uwilingiyimana belongs to the Imena category of heroes, which also includes King Mutara III Rudahigwa, Michel Rwagasana, Félicité Niyitegeka, and the Nyange students—people who sacrificed their lives for the good of the country. As Rwanda celebrated Heroes’ Day on February 1, relatives of the former premier Uwilingiyimana still hold fond memories of her: how she rose through the ranks, kept a simple, low profile, and rejected what was wrong—until she was killed for the same reason. Uwilingiyimana is remembered for standing up against ethnic divisions. She raised the alarm about an impending genocide and condemned earlier killings that targeted the Tutsi, warning the government about possible consequences. No wonder, when Hutu extremists set out to implement the Genocide against the Tutsi, she was among the first targets, brutally murdered with her husband, Ignace Barahira, after armed presidential guards stormed a UN compound where she had sought refuge. The attackers overwhelmed UN peacekeepers before killing her. Her violent assassination, which paved the way for the Hutu extremists to launch a full-scale genocide, infuriated many but also affirmed her position as someone who stood for what was right and always sought peaceful means to resolve political differences. Gaspard Hangimana, Uwilingiyimana’s elder brother, speaks of her as someone who was different from the onset, showing signs of leadership even at a time when girls were mostly groomed to grow up and get married. “She loved to go to school and to educate others. After completing her education, she went to teach because she wanted others to be educated,” says Hangimana, who on February 1st joined relatives of heroes to lay wreaths on the resting places of their loved ones. Born in Muhororo, Gikore, in the former Nyaruhengeri commune (now Kansi sector in the current Gisagara district), Hangimana recalls how Uwilingiyimana defied the odds, achieving milestones that proved girls, too, can excel. Today, Hangimana, 77, believes that Uwilingiyimana’s story can inspire young people, especially girls, to be more ambitious. The two were close, and as her elder brother, Hangimana played a role in her journey until she joined politics and rose through the ranks to become Prime Minister. ALSO READ: Agathe Uwiringiyimana, a hero whose entire political career had seen constant threats It was an unprecedented achievement, but it was even more about her character, which never changed, even after she joined politics. “She was courageous and sincere, and she wanted to do things that made everyone happy and ensured people were equal,” he recalls, adding that even when society was very much against girls and women, she stood out and challenged the narrative. “She always wanted justice for all and did not cover up bad things. She would speak out against the ills of the time and advocated for equal rights,” says Hangimana partly took care of her educational needs when she came to Kigali to join secondary school. “I was the eldest of eight siblings. She was the fourth born. So, when she came to Kigali to study at Notre Dame des Cîteaux Secondary School, where she spent seven years, I would support her by getting her scholastic materials and visiting her once in a while,” says Hangimana, who had to go to Uganda to do odd jobs to support his family. After excelling in her secondary education, she joined École Notre Dame de la Providence Karubanda as a teacher in the humanities section and later in chemistry before joining the University of Rwanda (UR) to further her education. When she moved to Kigali to pursue her career further, Hangimana stayed in close contact with her, even as she rose through the political ranks, regularly visiting her at her home in Remera, Giporoso—now known as ‘Ku cya Mutzig’—before she moved to upscale Kiyovu, where high-ranking government officials lived. Hangimana was among the people she spoke to regularly about the ongoing political tensions. He was also among the last people who spoke to her or saw her physically before her death. “I remember a day or two before her assassination, I came to Kigali to talk to her, and I said, ‘I see things have heated up, the tensions are so high. If I were you, I would step aside from politics for a while.’” “She told me that once you join politics, you don’t go back. I couldn’t do much about that, but I was dying inside. I had fear within me, but she comforted me and said, ‘Be strong, we will come out of this, and things will go back to normal,’” he recalls. He remembers that when he visited, the tensions were at their highest. The UN soldiers were already there guarding her, suspecting that something could unfold soon. Even access had been limited. He had to be sneaked in by a doctor friend of Uwilingiyimana. “He was a doctor called Sendama. He put me in his car, disguised me, and drove me up to her home, where we had that last conversation. We were close; we would look each other in the eye and communicate about everything,” says the elderly Hangimana. After the conversation, Hangimana went back to Butare, in the current Huye district, where he lived. The next thing he would hear was that Uwilingiyimana had been assassinated. ALSO READ: Belgium set to deport Rwandan convicted for PM Uwilingiyimana killing It is something he had seen coming. However, Hangimana says that Uwilingiyimana’s story of resilience and persistence in the face of difficulty, as well as her personal achievements, should inspire young girls and the youth in general. She died for what she stood for, and above all, she did good, which is why today she is celebrated among Rwanda’s heroes. Hangimana says that even though she rose through the ranks, there had been many efforts to frustrate her—tossing her from one office to another and people trying to stand in her way throughout—but she persisted. Even as a high-profile figure, Uwilingiyimana never forgot her roots, often finding time to drive back to her village to visit her family and talk to friends and relatives, keeping in close contact with them up until her death. “She would often come to visit and bring her children to play with mine, then return to her duties in Kigali,” Hangimana recalls. One of Hangimana’s children, Gilbert Irigukunze, was seven when Uwilingiyimana was assassinated, but he holds fond memories of her, even though he was still of a tender age. Every year, on February 1, Irigukunze joins his father and other relatives to lay a wreath on Uwilingiyimana’s monument. “I remember, before she could come, we could see a military convoy and soldiers coming home, and then she would show up in another convoy. If she found you coming from fetching water, she would help you carry the jerry can,” recalls Irigukunze. “As a child, such small gestures stay in your heart. Every time the cars came, we would be excited and run to meet her. She would hug you for a few minutes. Before going home, she would stop over at the neighbours and greet everyone,” he says. Though he was young, Uwilingiyimana’s death had an impact on his life. She had promised to take care of his education needs and those of his siblings, but it was never to be. ALSO READ: THROUGH PICTURES: Rwanda marks 31st heroes day “She was already supporting the education of two of my elder siblings, but when she died, the support ceased,” says Irigukunze, who also faced difficulties. Despite the hardships, he took a job with a security company, saved up, paid his tuition at the university, and went on to earn a first-class degree in economics. For Irigukunze and others, there wasn’t much to inherit from Uwilingiyimana in terms of property, but the most important thing they inherited was her legacy and determination.
