Twenty years down the road

As Rwandans sadly look back and remember the loved ones that we lost during the Genocide, we still find it difficult to grapple with the whole thing. The question that keeps coming back is “Why did this senseless killing take place? Why would Rwandans, sharing the same language and culture, go to such an extent of wiping off one million lives in just 100 days? It is very hard to deal with this even for us born and brought up in the Diaspora. As young boys and girls, we always gathered at night to listen to incredible stories about the Kingdom of Rwanda and the lifestyle before colonialists arrived. The stories reflected total harmony among the people of Rwanda. People shared everything. You could walk from one area to another and easily find free accommodation from just about anyone. This would be escorted down by a hefty bowl of milk and potatoes. Sometimes, a calabash of banana wine would be served, as you would prepare yourself for the night. Such stories always moved us to tears. Why were we then not living in our beloved country? Why were we living abroad and seemingly accepting some degree of persecution? Well, circumstances had changed after colonialists infiltrated us. They divided the people along ethnic lines. They instigated violence and encouraged one group of people to expel and kill another. That is how we ended up in the Diaspora. This is why we are here. But one day, we shall return to our lovely country, no matter what. Those words still echo in the back of my mind. I can still hear my grandmother’s statements like it happened yesterday. With such high hopes, we started to live positively. In our home in the Diaspora, we constantly listened to Radio Rwanda. The music was great. The Radio plays and drama every Tuesday nights always brought us ever closer to home. Over the weekends, we would tune in for live football commentary as the likes of Muvala scored goals from all directions. The image that Radio Rwanda had created in our minds was one that made us more and more envious. And so the urge to return became unbearable. Our people, who were scattered all around the globe, decided to fight for a just cause since peaceful means had yielded little results. This was not only a struggle for our people in the Diaspora, but also for the marginalised. It was a united front and was bound to succeed. That is why everybody who considered him/herself to be of Rwandan origin, endeavored to contribute morally, financially and above all physically. There is absolutely nobody who never lost at least one relative during the struggle. Relatives perished during the cross fire. Friends were killed by mortar shells and landmines. Then there was Genocide. It was prepared well in advance. Lists had been drawn up well before the downing of the President’s airplane. The Genocide was swift and deadly. This was a sign of real cowardice from the perpetrators. Some of these perpetrators are behind bars at the moment. But others are still at large. When we finally returned home, the images that Radio Rwanda had painted began to vanish. They began to vanish when we approached Nyabugogo area. Was this Kigali City or simply Kigali slum? It was all about dirty streets, dilapidated. Indeed, it was obvious that there was a very long way to go, before some sense of sanity could prevail. It is now 20 years down the road and Rwanda is a fast becoming the Switzerland of Africa. Everyone is friendly and warm. The streets are clean and beautiful. Mansions and villas are cropping up on the thousand hills. There is a very strong and solid leadership in the land. As we reflect on what happened in the past, let us look forward with a sense of hope. This is what we fought for and our children and grandchildren will certainly reap the good harvest.