Editor,

Refer to Dr. Agnes Binagwaho’s article, "We must work hard to own our liberation” (The New Times, July 7).

Nobody, except the most arrogant and self-centred, should attempt to substitute their own voices for that of a free people who have not ceded the right to speak for themselves. We paid a high price so that we can decide our own most important affairs and to articulate them for ourselves, for us to simply accept the attempts of some to shove us aside so that they speak for us.

We want to own not only the decisions (including even the mistakes) that will define our future and that of our children and their children. That is also what liberation is about; to refuse to let anyone — no matter how powerful they are or think they are — to wrest from us the right of our own agency; to define who we are and what our choices should be.

Our ancestors taught us a truth that remains valid to this day: Ak’imuhana kaza imvura ihise. Rwandans have learnt the hard way the wisdom of those words — the best way to ensure the lessons remain forever learnt — that you are best off when you rely mostly on yourself at the most critical moments, that others might provide valuable and welcome support, but that your salvation and sustained development can only come from within yourselves.

Mwene Kalinda, Rwanda

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Rwandans must continuously uphold their uniqueness and work even harder to achieve economic freedom by understanding and properly utilising each and everyone’s talents, changing our attitudes for work, improving our skills progressively, consolidating our knowledge by making it more practical in our real environment and continuing to improve our existing unique style.

Kazawadi, Rwanda