From ancient tales of mythical heroes to modern-day stories of bravery and sacrifice, the idea of heroism continues to captivate the human imagination. It is through acts of heroism that we witness the best of human potential and aspirations, as individuals rise above their limitations and selflessly embrace a higher purpose. That is what President Kagame and his fellow liberators demonstrated when they took up arms against a brutal state machinery to challenge a dictatorship and later put their lives on the line to stop the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. Through his readiness to sacrifice his own life to liberate yours, he reminds us of the importance of courage, selflessness, and determination in facing the challenges of life. Indeed, his example teaches us that heroism embodies the very best of our essence as people and lights the path to greatness for every one of us, if only we give it a shot, like he did. The following poem is one in a cluster of poems penned to celebrate and capture the echoes, and lessons drawn, from the brilliance of a man who has faced extra-ordinary adversity and triumphed over a milliard of constraints to squeeze possibilities out of improbabilities. True Heroism Lingers on Like an eternal idea; It does not deflate Into nothing Like a ‘balloon’ That crashes, Uninvited, Onto the sharp end Of a stainless ‘Needle’. True heroism Lingers on Like a shared promise. It fuels and feeds A national consciousness And it is never An irrational, Untenable thought, Pursued by A lonely, lost soul. True heroism Has long arms Of memory Into the past And tender fingers That caress The contours of hope For a solid the future Today, many Across this land Sit in the privacy Of their minds And view reels Of mental films Featuring Urwagasabo Superstars: Sons and daughters, With the indomitable @PK As tip of the spear, Inspired by values Greater than self Who marched into battle To free a battered land: Some never to return Others to reappear Marked by battle scars And enriched By triumph Over evil. You see them Across the majesty Of our rolling hills. Some in wheelchairs But still With steel In their eyes. You hear them Championing A national vision. You feel them As a shield over your dreams For you heard him right: Surrender To silent slumber Without a tremor In your heart. You are inspired By their life. Challenged By their courage. Humbled By their magnanimity. Thrilled By the idea Of a true hero For a neighbor A brother A sister A mother A father. True Heroes Living among us. True heroism Lingers on Sketched on a canvass Of lost legs, lost arms, lost eyes But anchored by survivors’ Emboldened souls As songs of hate That fueled the pogrom Of the Tutsi in 1994 Were silenced, While foods of blood Were dried By unbelievable valiance And warm breezes Of forgiveness Born of homegrown Gacaca conversations. Now, we gather, Together, to soak in Songs of brotherhood By millions of youths Driving a rational Conversation of nationalism; Uninspired By the rantings Of alien demagogues. True heroism Lingers on In the youths’ choice To believe In liberating Narratives Not in dehumanizing Superlatives True heroism Lingers on In the Youths’ embrace Of the enduring value Of Agaciro Underpinned By a readiness To Sacrifice. Their glowing External façade Belies their Deeper Understanding That no price Is too high to pay To fortify a future Built on a past Of blood And broken Bones. The author is a former Ambassador of Rwanda to Turkey and former High Commissioner to India and United Kingdom.
