Every February 1, Rwanda marks Heroes Day in an annual event to pay tribute to the people who exemplified and defended the highest values of patriotism and sacrifice for the wellbeing of the country and its citizens.
This year’s theme is ‘Our Heroism, Our Dignity’.
Various musicians in Rwanda who spoke to The New Times shared their thoughts on what the day means to them and the message that Rwandans should learn from it.
Ruti Joel
For me, Heroes Day reminds me that there are people who worked hard for us to be who we are today. Our heroes are a big inspiration in every sector including the music industry, and we will continue to try our best to walk in their path.
Producer Clement Ishimwe
This day reminds me to not ever take my country for granted because there are heroes who paid the ultimate price for it to be where it is today. It also reminds me to do everything I can to raise my country’s flag in everything I do.
Noopja, CEO and founder of Country Records
The day for me is a task that we all have to make sure that what our heroes fought for is protected. Some of them lost their lives while liberating our country.
As a country that is no longer at war, I feel that it is my task, and my fellow youth, to save our country from other wars which don’t require bullets to stop them like ignorance, laziness, drugs, and myopic thinking. Together we can achieve more.
Etienne Ishimwe, Member of The Target Band
As a Rwandan and musician, Heroes' Day means a lot to me because of the great work done by the heroes that we remember. They are the main reason we work in peace and security.
We are building our country without any obstacles and we appreciate them for that.
Mariya Yohana
All Rwandans should celebrate this day and let it sink in their bloodline. We have the best examples to look at, from our great grandparents who fought to build this peaceful nation we have.
God loves Rwanda so much. We strongly believe that He will provide some future heroes from our young generation. They are doing great and with that, they are leaders of the future nation and heroes are promised.
Alex Muyoboke
Our heroes rescued our families and they lost their lives in the process and now we are enjoying the fruits of their sweat and living in a peaceful country.
I wish artistes could compose songs in honor of our heroes just like they always do amazing songs in other categories. It’s so sad to see the ignorance of anyone who takes this day for granted. People like this have no idea of where they are going.
Let’s build a peaceful country that we will not only live in but also a country we will leave for our future generations.
Alyn Sano
Heroes’ Day means a day that was fixed for us to celebrate and recognise all Rwandans who did heroic acts.
The message that this day should leave to Rwandans is that we should make our heroes proud! They did not sacrifice for us to fight, become jealous of one another or anything disharmonious. We owe it to them to love our country and its poople.