Recently, I visited Rweru, a model village and home to 110 families in Bugesera district, Eastern Province and stories on how survivors and perpetrators are living in harmony, breaking stereotypes caught my attention.
The life of parents, their mutual love is full of lessons that benefit children. I was shocked, really shocked by that experience.
This challenged me to dig deeper, conduct a self-examination to see my contribution to sustaining the legacy of these parents.
It was a trigger to update my thinking and focus on what role I should play in the next generation to sustain the effort and the ideology of those men and women who liberated our country 26 years ago.
Oppressions and dehumanization is no longer a predicament just because of a visionary, human-centered, and transformational leadership. The sacrifice was real; our country’s mindset has forever turned from shallow ideologies to thinking big, being accountable, and staying united, now look! The fruits are sweeter only after 26 years.
The data from the ministry of youth and culture show that the youth constitute 70 percent of the country’s population. After 26 years of liberation, we need to understand that we have been placed at the forefront of this enduring journey the Rwandan Patriotic Front(RPF) Inkotamyi started.
This will mainly prevent us from being irresponsible citizens while also equipping us with the zeal to serve our country in our respective capacities.
Our country’s leadership is sparing no effort to take the education of Rwandan history among the youth to the next level.
Therefore, it’s a wake-up call to all of us to bestow our part and be a catalyst and drive the change we want, which is mostly nurturing what we have achieved and engaging ourselves in activities that build and reinforce our countries’ resilience. If we do so, we will be part of the solution.
For the youth, knowing our country’s history is very important in this era when Genocide ideologists are determined to mislead the public. Ours is no longer to use guns to fight but to challenge them with facts and figures.
Another important aspect of being part of the solution is learning complex obstacles that would prohibit us from doing what we are deemed to do.
It is very important for the youth to stop abusing drugs and alcohol, to stop unwanted pregnancies and several other challenges that hinder us from furthering our development.
Being part of the solution requires us the youth to stay united and to distantiate ourselves against the old narratives and ideologies. Applying this would be a great ingredient to our success as a generation since we have no excuse because a strong foundation was laid 26 years ago when Inkotanyi liberated our nation.
The youth who are entrusted with responsibilities and given space to lead and drive change should bear in mind that they are the ambassadors of their fellow youth, hence a call to stay responsible and accountable for their actions in power.
I still believe that the youths are both the strength and the future of a nation.
The youth today, we have a responsibility to stay updated, work hard so as to boost our country’s development. Let the country shift from being known because of the Genocide against the Tutsi but because of rapid and organized development that is set to be sustainable for indefinite generations to enjoy.
Mediocrity should never define us the youth, but excellence should remain our main target in everything we do.
Robert Mugabo is driven to solve problems, lead with empathy, and create solutions to complex systemic challenges. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Entrepreneurship at the African Leadership University.
