Foreign affairs minister Olivier Nduhungirehe has urged young people to recognise the value of growing up in a non-discriminatory nation and to actively protect it. He made the remarks during the 15th edition of Our Past Initiative on Thursday, April 9, which brought together more than 5,000 youth, members of the diplomatic corps, and government officials to mark the 32nd commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi at Nyanza Genocide Memorial. Addressing the gathering, Nduhungirehe echoed a message of history, responsibility, sustainability, and vigilance. ALSO READ: Kagame warns against genocide denial, historical distortion While education is now used as a pillar for inclusion and development, Nduhungirehe reflected on how it was once weaponised to divide Rwandans, particularly targeting young people through teaching genocide ideology and shaping a generation through discrimination and exclusion. Today’s youth, many of whom were born after the genocide, he said, must not take the country’s progress for granted. “Your presence here and in a peaceful country where no one attacks anyone because of how they were born should not be taken for granted,” he told the gathering, urging them to remain conscious of the journey that made such a reality possible. Even though Rwanda has made significant progress through unity and reconciliation efforts such as Ndi Umunyarwanda, Nduhungirehe cautioned that the threat of genocide ideology and denial persists, especially beyond the country’s borders. He challenged the youth to become active custodians of unity, rejecting divisive narratives and confronting harmful ideologies wherever they appear. “As youth, you should embody unity, promote harmony, and reject genocide ideology and discrimination,” he said. ALSO READ: Rising genocide ideology in Great Lakes demands urgent action – experts Nduhungirehe further placed responsibility on young Rwandans to engage their peers in the diaspora, where cases of denial and revisionism still surface. “We should face the youth in the diaspora who still show genocide ideology. We must tell them that what happened will never happen again in Rwanda. This is our responsibility,” he emphasised. He also underscored a message of openness, encouraging those shaped by the legacy of perpetrators to return and contribute to rebuilding the nation. “You should also tell the youth in the diaspora that choosing genocide denial leads nowhere. Rwanda remains open to them, even for those carrying the weight of their families’ past. They can come back, and we will build our country together,” he said. “Commemoration is not about calling the world to cry with us. When we say ‘never again,’ we mean learning from our history, tracing back to 1959, shaped by discrimination and hate speeches,” he added. He warned against the dangers of ignoring early signs of hate, drawing parallels to ongoing rhetoric in parts of the region, particularly eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where similar narratives continue to emerge. “We cannot commemorate while allowing what led to the genocide to happen in the open,” he emphasized. ALSO READ: Genocide ideologues, denialists targeting less informed youth, warns Minister According to Our Past Initiative officials, this year marked the 15th edition of their commemoration events, reflecting the growing role of youth in preserving Rwanda’s history and shaping its future. Christian Intwari, the Founder of Our Past Initiative, said that what began as a small gathering of about 200 young people has grown into a movement engaging over 10,000 youths. The initiative has expanded into tangible acts of solidarity, such as building homes for genocide survivors, increasing from one house annually to six, alongside other community-driven efforts, as well as a continuous journey of learning the country's history.
