Today marks the beginning of the longest weekend sandwiched between 1st July and 4th July which are Independence and Liberation Days, respectively, in Rwanda. These are not ordinary days in our history. We stay home, public offices closed and all national activities directed towards commemorations. First and foremost, the Independence Day means the day when Rwanda was freed from colonialism. This is the day in which Rwandan people were given power to govern themselves as an independent and sovereign people.Like other African countries, Rwanda was many years under colonial masters. The people of our land languished in the chains of colonial domination and Rwanda’s exploiters and self-appointed controllers of her destiny strode across the length and breadth of the country with incredible levels of insensitivity, inhumanity without mercy, without shame, and without honour. They used divide and rule tactics to meet their selfish interests. Thus, independence was viewed as a realisation of a dream that had slumbered within the confines of our hearts for a long time to have a united nation. However, the new leaders of Rwanda after, this independence, did little to emphasise on what to unite their people. It is not news that they preached and practiced divisive politics that would last for decades. They rather fell in the trap of their colonial masters who chose to see the people of Rwanda as different and preferred to propagate ethnicity as a weapon to bring the formerly solidified society into their fold. The feeling of freedom and self-reliance that was to fill our hearts with unparalleled happiness became another source of sorrow and bitterness. Three decades after independence, came a day of ultimate attainment of our real independence, on July 4, 1994, despite an incredible tragedy of genocide. Our smiles were finally born out of this day. Many of us know the stories of the struggle. It took action of brave men and women who sacrificed to put the country to the trajectory it is on today. These are the legends and heroic fighters who fought to ensure our real independence, sovereignty and the current stability we continue to enjoy. Indeed, liberation day allows us to reflect on the sacrifices these people undertook to ensure that our country stood on its two feet. Their unrelenting contribution to ensure we have our own space today, without ethnic divisions and totally eliminated other vices that had been cropping within us even after independence. From liberation, we celebrate our real freedom, our equal democratic rights as citizens of Rwanda are secured. We enjoy the fundamental rights that are well guaranteed by our own constitution. We have voting rights. We have the right to choose our government. We have the right to define our destiny! It gives us a feeling of oneness which blossoms in the heart of all the Rwandans. This should motivate our people, both young and old, to come forward and contribute towards the nation building process and show love for our great country. The day also enables us to take stock of the great achievements our country has made in the last 22 years of hard work and resilience. We can now mention advancement in science and technology and in various other fields. For instance, today Rwanda is manufacturing and producing a number of industrial goods. We can take pride in good infrastructure, improved living standards, improved national economy, among others. There has been a lot of development when we compare Rwanda before and now. Notwithstanding, impunity that had successfully been fine-tuned into a culture by those who took over has been dealt with. There is rule of law and reforms that touch on nearly all aspects of public life. We considerably made commendable efforts to erase our dark past and light a brighter candle of hope. Meanwhile, to leverage more efforts in creating a better and comfortable society as we are, we must continuously renew our determination and commitment to make good use of the libration which was restored to us. This will ensure that we can pass on our beloved land of a thousand hills to the next generation in good shape. We must embrace the spirit that our legendary leaders exhibited in bringing us to where we are today. Everyone must have the courage to stand up to a force much greater just for the realisation of this dream. No one should stand on the sidelines and let others take responsibility for the actualization of our dreams. Liberation reminds us not to allow any element of faint heartedness, for this will derail the momentum that has been set forth. It is the courage to face not only a physical force greater than ours but also the courage to face one’s own fear that make the coming liberation day deserving of commemoration. The writing is on the wall, a true story of Rwanda rising from despair and embarking on great aspirations which we must guard jealously. oscar_kimanuka@yahoo.co.uk
