Rwandans across the country yesterday celebrated National Heroes’ Day, which is marked every year on February 1 to recognise acts of extra-ordinary courage and humanity that helped advance the nation.

Marked for the 22nd time since the end of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Heroes’ Day was celebrated under the theme: "Strive for heroism: build a better future.”

President Paul Kagame joined other Rwandans in marking the day by laying a wreath at the heroes’ square in Remera, Kigali, to pay tribute to all the fallen Rwandan heroes.

After laying the wreath, the Head of State bowed to salute the fallen heroes and a minute of silence was observed to remember them.

Kagame was at the heroes’ square with other top government officials as well as Uganda’s High Commissioner to Rwanda, Richard Kabonero, in his capacity as the Dean of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps in Rwanda.

The rest of Rwandans celebrated the Heroes’ Day at the local level, gathering to discuss about the theme of striving for heroism and building a better future for the country.

The Minister for Sports and Culture, Julienne Uwacu, said in an interview yesterday that this year’s Heroes’ Day theme intends to urge Rwandans to build a better future for the country.

She also emphasised that while the armed struggle ended, Rwandans today still have to fight to improve their lives adding that anyone can still be a hero by helping in their communities’ development.

"The main struggle we have today is about working for development and protecting what we have achieved as a country,” she told journalists at the heroes’ square in Remera yesterday.

She encouraged all Rwandans to strive to be heroes, even if it means trying to do it in their modest ways.

"Being a hero is fought for and anyone can fight for it and become a hero. We need to understand that being a hero doesn’t require extra-ordinary means, it only requires having the heart to do it,” Uwacu said.

The celebrated heroes

Celebrated heroes are classified into three categories; Imanzi, Imena and Ingenzi.

The Imanzi category consists of Maj. Gen Fred Gisa Rwigema and the ‘Unknown Soldier’ who represents all the soldiers who died during the Liberation struggle.

The ‘Imena’ category consists of King Mutara III Rudahigwa Charles Léon Pierre, Michael Rwagasana, Agatha Uwiringiyimana, Felicité Niyitegeka, and the fallen students of Nyange Secondary School.

The Imena category also consists of the 40 survivors of the Nyange attack of March 18, 1997, during which seven students were killed after refusing to separate themselves along ethnic lines.

Officials at the Chancellery for Heroes, National Orders and Decorations of Honours (CHENO) say names of about 200 new nominees to be added on the list of National Heroes are currently under review.

According to CHENO, to qualify as a national hero, one must be or must have displayed heroism values demonstrated in being fearless, supporting good practices, being able to point out and fight evil, and being patriotic by striving for sovereignty of the country and unity among its citizens.

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