I remember as a young kid while in exile in Kenya, when the news that Kigali had fallen and hence Rwanda was liberated, my mother came home crying with joy. I never understood it then. That evening she stared at my sister and I in the eyes, and said we are going back home. Her joy and excitement, I will never forget. Lee Kuan Yew said, “once in a long while in the history of a people there comes a moment of great change.” That evening when we received the news about the triumph, marked the beginning of such a moment in the lives of many Rwandans. The liberation of Rwanda meant everything to my mother. She could not wait to return home. It was a moment of great excitement. It was the end of being called a refugee. And it was also indeed the start of a long period of enormous change for Rwanda. Unfortunately, she could not live longer enough to see how truly and spectacularly her beloved Rwanda would change. As we celebrate liberation day for the 29th time, it is very necessary now to sustain the patriotism across all levels. Why am I saying all this? To quote Ngugi wa Thiong'o, victory is only the first step in the long journey of rebuilding what war has destroyed. Despite the same excitement and joy of my mother being manifested in almost any country, city or village across the world where millions of Rwandans lived in exile, it also meant that we had a country to rebuild. At the time, many did not give us a chance to survive, let alone prosper. Boy, were they so wrong! Because, looking at Rwanda’s success today, I am not surprised at all. It was almost guaranteed. Right from the beginning, the young men and women that led the liberation struggle from both the military and political wings of the movement were exceptional. This generation had been through fire – fought many wars of liberation from Uganda to Mozambique and beyond. They were men and women whose entire lives were in battle for survival. They were drawn by their revolutionary forces with the sole intention of returning home one day. They had the full support of a people who had gone through severe trials and tribulations and were determined to work hard together and eventually return home. Another 30 years in exile was not an option. We did it. You see, to have a country is one thing. But to run a country, you must have people who care and feel for it. Guess what? Rwanda is blessed to have an exceptional leadership - a leadership that truly breathes Rwanda and is in touch with the times. This is the single biggest strength we have. Why do I say this? Well, because, if you care and feel for yourself as we see around us, but you have not identified your people with the country, it is very difficult to give it the momentum, the thrust, the verve, the elan necessary. For country like ours – small, and with limited natural resources – for it to survive, let alone thrive cannot be ordinary. How do we do that? It must continuously churn leaders of quality. They must be tough minded, dedicated, determined, able and honest. They must have the capabilities to solve the recurring problems Rwanda faces without flinching. In other words, if you want a nation and a society to flourish and to prosper, it must produce quality leaders. And leadership is not just being clever and speaking English / French. No. Far from it. You need men and women of action. Then our purpose becomes to breed a fighting, effective generation with the guts and the will to survive. So long as we keep doing that, Rwanda will prosper, and a thriving society will take roots here. Strong leadership matters a great deal. Because the stronger we are, the more likely we are to be left in peace and to have peace-loving neighbours. It is a paradox, but a very true paradox. Many little countries in this world would have disappeared but for the fact that they, by their strength, make it worthwhile for their neighbors being peace loving – take example of Israel. We must put a high incentive for our neighbours being peace-loving because the price for not being peace-loving will be very unpleasant for all. This can only be achieved through a prosperous Rwanda. So Rwanda has changed. And what has enabled us to make this change and kept us safe and sound all these years is the RDF. For whom we will eternally remain grateful. Through their strength, we have prospered in peace, we have managed to maintain confidence in Rwanda, and we have deterred any potential aggressors. In the old days, we had the RPA but we depended on the soldiers and what they carry. And the firepower you could carry was an SMG. If you wanted more, you had the machine gun, if you wanted more, the biggest thing you could carry was the 120mm mortar. Today, the RDF has bred a fighting generation and if you see the soldier, which you should not because he is wearing new camouflage uniform, he is just one soldier. Advanced Combat Man System and he is linked up and he should be able to call upon the firepower of the whole of the RDF. He should have a UAV somewhere to see what is happening. He should be able to have a fighter helicopter on call, if not enough, we will bring our many other big guns. And it is not just words. It is a network system all connected together, all integrated able to fight as one tri-service combined armed force. Indeed, as the famous song goes “...majeshi ya RPA, majeshi makali...” We have invested in the hardware. But the key is in the man or woman - his training, his courage, his commitment. The service men and women have served the nation well and we are particularly grateful for the services of generations who have sacrificed and endured considerable hardships and inconveniences for the country right from the beginning of our liberation struggle. The RDF is an insurance policy in an uncertain world. Quite frankly without the RDF, there is no Rwanda as it is today. Only in name. For that, we owe you everything. Ours was an improbable nation. We are a small country in an uncertain world. We always worry about the future. We never take anything for granted. Many people have put heart and soul into building what we have today – a lot of blood was shed in the process. As the President said the other day, “what was written in blood, cannot be erased.” And through hard work and clear thinking, we have created something unique and something precious in Rwanda, a home for all of us. The elders have planted the trees which now provide the shade which we now enjoy. It is now our duty to plant trees and grow them. Trees which would give hope and strength to a new generation and you should do this stuff not only because you happen to be born here or because you happen to hold the Rwanda passport. But because you believe in this mission, you believe in this ideal. You believe that Rwanda is something special and worth dying for. The struggle continues!
