It’s been 20 years since the Genocide against the Tutsi claimed the lives of a million innocent people, including chidren and women, in 100 days. The plight left by this tragedy was overwhelming and brought enormous suffering to every Rwandan.

Twenty years later, remarkable progress has been achieved in all sectors to rebuild the nation and lay the foundation for a better Rwanda for future generations. 

In the course of the healing journey, we are still trying to deconstruct our history to make sense of what happened, failing to understand how a husband could turn against his wife and kill his own offspring, a neighbour will all of a sudden see his fellow neighbour as the worst enemy or an innocent child as a worthless ‘cockroach’ that only deserves to die.  

In an effort to build sustainable peace, it is imperative to reflect on the root causes of these tragic circumstances that befell the country through different lenses.

From the cultural prospective, there is something quite unique about the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.  

Unlike other mass exterminations that have been recorded around the world, the Genocide was committed by Rwandans against fellow Rwandans who share the same culture and speak the same language, under the supervision of the government. 

Before the colonial era, Hutu, Tutsi and Twa lived in harmony under the same monarch. The three ethnic groups lived together and worked together, taking pride to defend the interests and the security of the nation.  

They also worshipped the same God, as the main provider for everything. There was also a strong belief that God was not omnipresent but only lived in Rwanda. 

This statement is based on the traditional saying that Imana yirirwa ahandi igataha mu Rwanda (loosely translated as ‘God spends the day elsewhere and returns home in Rwanda at dusk’).

The Rwandan society is constructed around high standard cultural values with traditions rich in taboos and prohibitions known as imiziro n’imiziririzo, which set boundaries of what is permissible and what is considered as morally wrong.

Children were taught different elements of the culture that built strong character and personality with a view to groom them into persons of high integrity, locally translated as kuba inyangamugayo or ubunyangamugayo. They were trained to respect themselves, parents, neighbours, friends, elders, as we say locally kwiyubaha, kubaha.

By living up to these ethical principles of integrity, dignity and honour, individuals refrained from doing things that brought disgrace or dishonour to them, the family or the community as a whole. 

Western culture

Empathy and compassion were also part of human attributes and positive emotions entrenched in the culture which manifested in everyday life and in given names such as Umugwaneza or Rukundo.

Rwandans had also specific ways of expressing solidarity and generosity by exchanging valuable gifts namely kugibirana. Family ties were genuinely formed, sometimes through blood pacts (kunywana) as a testament of a true friendship. These pacts would also happen among people of different social origins or economic status.

However, the arrival of Europeans during the evangelisation wave marked the beginning of a dramatic shift in every sphere of life.  Some essential ingredients of our cultural heritage were undermined and dropped to accommodate Western lifestyle and the most cherished traditional values fell apart overtime. 

Moreover, colonial oppressive measures and a divisive policy of ethnic classification were a driving force in spreading hatred and mistrust among Rwandans.  

Growing tensions climaxed into mass killings and forced thousands of Tutsi to flee from persecutions to neighbouring countries and nothing was done to stop the bloodshed or to punish the perpetrators.

The post-independence era did not help either (to reestablish the broken trust in the Rwandan society) but rather contributed to deepening divisions and hatred among Rwandans.  

A bad system of governance reinforced political exclusion, discrimination and a culture of hate which culminated into the Genocide.

During these tragic events, there were countless manifestations of apathy and many people were savagely murdered at the hands of their fellow Rwandans they trusted as classmates, neighbours, relatives, and religious and political leaders. 

Some perpetrators did not shy from blaming the devil for their heinous crimes. 

The post-Genocide leadership has prioritised reconciliation and education with a great deal of investment in increasing women leadership and youth empowerment. 

By learning from the harm caused by a tragic past, Rwanda is currently trying to reinvent a more unified and peaceful society looking into homegrown remedies to address social and development challenges of our times. 

These homegrown solutions drawn from Rwandan traditions and culture have set a solid basis for developing national policies in governance: Imihigo, Ubudehe, Gacaca, as well Girinka.

Now the world spotlights are focused on Rwanda and many nations continue to be puzzled by how this country which twenty years ago reached the bottom is turning itself around. 

President Paul Kagame, in his national addresses, reminds Rwandans that the solutions to the challenges the country faces lie within themselves and not foreign friends, stressing that self-reliance (kwigira) and self-worth (kwihesha agaciro) are the highest values that will transform the nation and build prosperity.

The Rwandan culture is rich and should continue to be preserved as a common ground to correct what went wrong.  The traditional model of cultural schooling (Itorero) recently reintroduced for civic education is equally critical as the latest youth innovation Ndi Umunyarwanda (Rwandanness). 

These platforms serve for collective therapy to rebuild the human agency ubumuntu and the social fabric to restore a culture of trust, harmony and peace.

More efforts are needed to educate the youth residing in the country and in Diaspora to prepare them to be exemplary leaders and parents. 

An inter-generational connection should not be considered to take inspirations from the knowledge and the wisdom of our elders.

Finally, we should not close doors to other cultures but immerse ourselves in them with mindfulness and appreciation of their unique differences.

The core values of the Rwandan culture are more relevant than ever. We must embrace the national pride of Rwandanness, with open mind and optimism. 

As we continue to cultivate and uphold positive values of humanity, tolerance and patriotism, we will be able to reclaim our true identity, creating a powerful legacy for generations to come.