On January 25, 2018, a book authored by Rear Admiral Samuel Ilesanmi Alade (Rtd) titled "The Making of a Million Smiles: Reflections on Rwanda’s Rise from the Ashes” was launched at the National Defence College in Abuja, Nigeria. 

The author, Rear Admiral Alade served as a UN Military Observer to the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) from 1994-1995 and witnessed the devastation of the country first hand.

Recently, the retired Nigerian military officer was in Kigali to attend the international conference titled "Rwanda's Journey Towards Sustainable Peace - 25 Years," and he talked to Sunday Times’ James Karuhanga about his experience 25 years ago, and his book, a personal reflection of perspectives of the  1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Excerpts:

Looking back 25 years ago, as the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi unraveled, what or how was your first-hand experience?

It is true that during the Genocide against the Tutsi in this country I was here. I was a military observer during the Genocide. We were here before the Genocide to basically help monitor and ensure the implementation of the Arusha agreement.

That agreement was to culminate into the institutionalizing of the broad-based transitional government that was to include all parties to the agitation as at that time, mainly the [then] government of Rwanda that was led by president Habyarimana and of course the RPF. Unfortunately, that was not to be.   Everything unraveled before your eyes. How did it affect you?

Well, it was not a palatable situation then. Even though I was a UN peacekeeper I was equally traumatized, seeing all the things that were happening, especially when most of us were very helpless to help the people as a UN observer.

But I am happy that, 25 years after, the people of Rwanda and Rwanda as a country have come out of that situation and now have become the toast of Africa.

Rwanda has now become a country, or let me say, a reference country, where people now come to learn issues of good governance, issues relating to genuine reconciliation and the peoples' commitment to move forward despite the very dark past.

How many times have you travelled to Rwanda since then?

I don’t even remember how many times I have been in Rwanda.  

Do you come every year?   I come every other year. Yes, once or twice a year. 

You’ve written a book about your experience here25 years ago. What pushed you to write? 

It was because of my experience when I was here at the time. I was quite young then. 

How young were you? 

I was 33 years old then.  

Single at the time, or married? 

[Laughs] no, I was married then. 

Okay, about the book and the origins of the idea to write. How did it all begin? 

I felt that my experience here should not be lost. And, I wanted to tell a story of what I saw and what I went through during the period.

And that was my own way of contributing to the knowledge and also to let people know what happened, from my own perspective. And also to help propagate, you know, the good things that are happening here in Rwanda after 25years of a very traumatic genocidal situation. 

So, now, 25 years and a few months down the road today, what is your message to the world and Rwandans?

My message to Rwanda is that first of all, I want to commend the Rwandan leadership at this moment. I want to also encourage them to continue to do this very good work they are doing. At the same time, we say that a situation cannot continue forever.

There must be changes, one way or the other. And that change, as far as Rwanda is concerned; I am advising that such change must be very positive. President [Paul] Kagame, I know is a very patriotic gentleman, a President that has become the reference point to the world, leadership-wise.

I want to advise that there must be what I call mentoring of the society itself. Here is somebody that, anywhere in the world, he is a mentor. I want to encourage the people of Rwanda to see that as a point of duty. So that he can mentor people that will come after him so that the same tempo, if not better, and the same vision, if not better, can be continued.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com