OCTOBER FIRST is Patriotism Day in Rwanda. As they have done the last two decades, Rwandans marked the day as they do most things – with little or no ceremony, or any other public display of emotion.

As the day was being marked this year, I couldn’t but reflect on why we celebrate in such a muted way. Is it because people do not care about important things like the love of country? Is it because they are not patriotic enough? Or is it because we take such things for granted and find no reason for extravagant exhibition of what should be obvious? We all belong to a country, don’t we?  And expect for exceptional or unnatural reasons, surely we love and identify with our country.

Perhaps the non-exhibitionist way we mark important events is as it should be. Such things as patriotism are felt in the heart and minds of individuals before they are publicly manifested. What one feels, understands and cherishes matters more than its outward expression – well, in the majority of cases.

Furthermore, patriotism is not simply a collective emotion that comes on display on such dedicated days as October 1 and then forgotten for the rest of the time. Nor is it a feeling that can be turned on and off as required. It is more than that.

What then is it? The usual answer is love for country. That is true. But there is more. First, it is a state, an attitude, a conviction and a set of values, starting with self-worth, striving for the best, refusing to settle for the least, and caring for others.

Secondly, it has to do with identity. We all identify with where we belong – in this case, a country. This identity implies a bond between all who belong to the entity we call a country and necessarily the identity must transcend individual or other smaller identities. Indeed we have seen how small identities undermine the bigger national identity in our region. The most extreme case was, of course, the genocide in Rwanda.

The third element is having concern for the wellbeing of the country and its inhabitants, and the readiness to defend their interests.

Given these attributes, is it possible for anyone to profess great love for country and yet demand recognition and special status above the rest of us?

There are probably many of us wanting in this respect. For some, the self has become so important it overshadows concern for the other. Most will claim that they have not been taught enough about how to love their country.

Perhaps all this is true. There will always be the odd selfish person masquerading as a patriot. But if conscious effort was invested in cultivating patriotism, these would be an insignificant few.

On to the next question. Can love of country be taught? Certainly. Almost everyone does it, starting with the education of the young. They grow up learning that they belong to a great nation. They identify with its fortunes which are tied with their own as individuals. Their loyalty to it grows. They love being part of that nation. No country does this better than the United States of America.

It can be acquired through other ways as well – through national achievements for instance. Sometimes these are so obvious. Other times they are so consciously and persistently paraded that one has to identify with them inevitably. Again the United States is good at doing this.

The achievements can be in science and technology like going to the moon or Mars, or an important breakthrough in medicine. They can be in art and culture, or sporting prowess.

No need they be spectacular and done before the world’s cameras. They can be a long, sometimes difficult and unglamorous task. This may take the form of a contribution to an ideal – like peace-building at home and abroad as Rwanda is doing at the moment.

The greatness of a nation can also be measured by the power of ideas, the ambition and aspiration of a people expressed in a clear vision and a definite path to realising those aspirations.

In Rwanda, we have another way of raising national consciousness, creating a feeling of pride and promoting a sense of belonging. It is through the constant urging of Rwandans to have a sense of self-worth or Agaciro. If you have Agaciro as an individual, you are likely to be pleased with and love yourself. If you have it as a nation, you will have a sense of collective content and a positive attitude to self and country.

Another way of affirming a strong identity is through the Ndi Umunyarwanda initiative. The initiative is about who we are, what we aspire to, what we are capable of and what we can achieve together. It is that simple.

That is also the significance of October 1 – affirming the bond we have with each other and with the country, and being prepared to act to protect and defend it whenever necessary.