SOUTHERN PROVINCE

HUYE — Joseph Habineza, the Minister of Culture and Sports has said Rwandan youth should change their attitudes in order to deliver the country from poverty.

Habineza said this last week, while speaking about the role of youth in rebuilding the country, at the National University of Rwanda (NUR). He observed that for social transformation, it is critical for young people to change their attitudes and resist manipulation by their ill minded parents.

The Minister challenged students not to always wait for the government to solve all problems but rather use their creative skills.

He was speaking under the theme, ‘Contribution of the youth in rebuilding themselves and overcoming the legacy of Genocide.’ It was part of the activities to mark the commemoration of 14th anniversary of the 1994 Genocide.

"You have to change," he told students who had gathered in the university’s auditorium.

"The future doesn’t belong to the elderly, you need to stand firm and leave behind the legacy of your ancestors," he added.

A student from NUR’s Faculty of Law, Jean Bosco Ntihemuka, wondered why the government appeals more to the youth on reconciliation than it does to older people. His argument was that it was the old that indoctrinate the youth.

"Concentrate on the old people, they are the ones spoiling us," Ntihemuka told the Minister.

However, Habineza explained that appealing to the youth on unity and reconciliation would yield more fruits rather than concentrating on the old people. He added that the minds of old people are stagnant even though they are the ones who sowed the seeds of ethnic hatred that plunged the country into to the 1994 Genocide.

And for the country to overcome today’s challenges, Rwandan youth should restrain foreigners from claiming authority over the country’s history.

"Who can act as your specialist better than yourself?" the minister asked, in apparent reference to many foreign researchers who seem to rewrite the country’s history.

Minister Habineza advised youth to love each other and be tolerant in situations of conflicts. He criticized the elderly for failing to reach a negotiated settlement of their differences which led to the genocide.

"Let’s make a difference and let history be our best teacher," he said.

Reacting on students’ concern for homeless Genocide survivors, the Minister appealed for more efforts from all citizens to address the problem.

He however, observed that there are cases of corruption in the Fund for Genocide Survivors (FARG). This, he added, undermines government’s effort to help the survivors.

The university community through the students association of Genocide survivors is mobilising resources and manpower to help over 60 vulnerable in Tumba, a nearby community.

Elsewhere in the district, public discussions continue at different venues. In Ngoma sector, public discussions are held in the sector’s multipurpose hall.

Ends