Editor,

REFERENCE IS made to Kim Kamasa’s article, "Ndi Umunyarwanda, the necessary conversation” (The New Times, March 7). 

This is a fantastic piece which addresses the obvious complexities of the Ndi Umunyarwanda campaign, yet it manages to show that we sometimes make it more complicated than it really is.

Ndi Umunyarwanda is about healing the wounds of the past by speaking openly about what is in one’s heart, and creating a healthy future by re-building a society unified once upon a time, long before colonialism and the politics of ethnic division. 

To travel this road towards unity, some who had no harmful part in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi felt they had to ask for forgiveness for the role played by their loved ones. I’m referring to this particular point, since it seems to be a recurring one in this campaign. 

They ask for forgiveness although, contrarily to common misconceptions, nobody asked them to – why would anyone? 

As human beings, with the notorious gregarious instinct that characterises us, they may feel inextricably linked to a group (parents, siblings, friends, communities) in the good and the bad. 

They, as others, are conscious that they are not guilty of anything, but as members of a family that engaged in killings for instance, they feel the need to apologise to ease the victims’ pain and show their will to see us all coming together.

Why should the above be an issue? We should consider this commendable and praiseworthy. It’s a selfless act to ensure that we, as a society, together start walking on that path towards unity. As this reflective article advises, let’s not miss the greater point.

Let’s not create unworthy controversies.

Our future as a cohesive, united and flourishing people depends on it. Let’s build it with all our might.

Diyana, Rwanda