Traditional dancers dancing performing ikinimba
Dear Dad,
Few days ago, I attended a friend’s wedding that made me think deeply about you—and about Rwanda.
The young people were dancing; Freely, and Confidently in modern styles shaped by the world they have grown up in. But some elders were uncomfortable. They said the youth were abandoning Rwandan culture. That traditions were being forgotten.
I listened. Then the master of ceremonies spoke.
He reminded everyone that these young people belong to a generation that grew up in peace. A generation shaped by over thirty years of security and stability. A generation that has access to the world in ways their parents and grandparents never did.
He said these youths did not grow up in exile. They did not live through constant fear. They did not endure the hardships of displacement or the horror of the genocide against the Tutsi. They are enjoying the freedom that came from the sacrifices of earlier generations.
A dancer during performance at Ubumuntu Cultural festival in Kigali
Dad, I thought of you.
I thought of the life you lived—years of exile, uncertainty, and loss. I thought of how your generation carried pain so that this one could dance freely.
The MC said something important. He asked the elders not to stop the youth, but to guide them. To help them understand Rwandan values. To pass on culture through conversation, not condemnation.
Dad, culture does not disappear because young people dance differently. Culture fades when generations stop listening to each other.
These youths are not rejecting Rwanda. They are living in it—confident, open, and hopeful.
And it is our responsibility to ensure that as they move forward, they carry with them the values that define who we are.
Dad, if you were there, I know you would join the elders in condemnation. But I would whisper to you: “Let them dance. But remind them where they come from.”
Your son,
Watching the future move.
