Today is a special day in Rwanda. It’s the National Heroes Day. It’s a day on which Rwandans at home and abroad pause to celebrate our heroes and heroines and to reflect on their towering example of patriotism, bravery, selflessness and sacrifice, and dignified service.

Running under the theme, ‘Our Heroism, Our Dignity’, this year’s National Heroes Day serves as yet another opportunity for both the youth and older people to look back at the impact the gallant Rwandan men and women we honour today had on their country.

From the days of Kingship and the colonial times to the 1990s when thousands of young men and women took it upon themselves to liberate this country and bring an end to the Genocide against the Tutsi and the brave students of Nyange, this country is not short of heroes and heroines to draw inspiration from.

The heroes that we celebrate today are not only of different age groups, they are from all the facets of society, but they all put Rwanda and Rwandans before self, some even paying the ultimate price in the process. From the Unknown Soldier and Gen Fred Gisa Rwigema to Umwami Mutara III Rudahigwa to former Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana and Félicité Niyitegeka to the students of Nyange Secondary school, this country’s history is replete with extraordinary stories of audacity, patriotism and valour.  

Yes, Rwanda has had a checkered history, but every dark chapter and every generation have had their own heroes, men and women who stood up to evil and turned up when Rwanda needed them.  

Now, today, Rwanda may be faced with different challenges from those that confronted the heroes we celebrate on this day. Nonetheless, it is the same high values that our national heroes espoused and stood for that we all need to uphold if we are to ever emulate them.

It is only through embracing unity, patriotism, hard work and selflessness that the current and future generations of Rwanda can truly honour and preserve the legacy of our national heroes and heroines.