Home sweet home

A land of beauty, streams and falls, great nature and rich soil make Africa a very beautiful and wealthy continent. However, the beauty of Africa scarred by violence, wars and disease made it an abode of poverty. All in all, it’s my home. Besides, at six years old, I am told to pack my stuff. It is long stifling journey. From Burundi, I never knew Rwanda was my homeland; indeed my parents owe me explanations. Late at night, I am now thirteen, he awakened me. Holding a bottle of liquor, my father told me to make myself a cup of tea and join him outside on the balcony. Being two of us at the moonlight, he had a lot to tell his son. Fleeing my country was the only way to spare my life. Your grandfather managed with his bow and arrows to resist the militias, who withdrew two times, the third time they came with guns, the old man was defeated; and the rest you can guess, had he escaped before, you would have known him, dad said. In contrast, my mother, not yet born, her family was obliged to live in harsh conditions of Mushiha, in refuge of Burundi. Chased out of their country because they were called intruders, nevertheless, they were not welcomed. These are Rwandans who came impeding the citizens’ interests. We didn’t have choice we were strangers in our own country, dad said. That was not the only conversation we had but the last. One year later my father passed away. So grieved! But the journey to self understanding continues. No retreat In fact, the most ancient fissure in Rwandan community would have two sources; firstly, the Europeans’ decision to separate the origins of Rwandans; secondly, the decision of Rwandans themselves to stick with that version of their origins. At the end of the day, everyone suffered. Being Rwandans, but since now on as they don’t share origins, they shouldn’t share anything else, cohabitation is out of question, physical features are the absolute proof of differences.From my primary studies, a ‘nose’ is my body part from where I can breathe, with the important nostrils that drain out “mucus”. Should I rely on this small membrane to define my personality? Woe to me, if just appearance can determine who to partner with, such a life or business would certainly end up in a big loss. Unfortunately, this is a part of a legacy left by our African forebears, who stuck to divisions instead of visions. From school, I leant from Coulomb’s law, that two electric charges (negative/positive), with the opposite signs attract each other. Indeed, tribes, ethnicity, religion, races, etc should not be the reason to tear down our continent but a tool to unite our people. Today’s world is engulfed by the term ‘opposition’, defined differently from one place to another, but mostly takes hundreds of lives, especially from the beauty realms of Africa. If we are opposed to devour each other, then we can’t unite to build each other. Today’s future I can see a bright future, a promising avenir; a more shining Rwanda and a more peaceful, stable and self-sustained Africa. It’s already happening; as when Rwandans are working together for a better tomorrow, to improve their welfare, for inclusive socio-economic development irrespective of their differences. Heights, sizes and nostrils can’t provide a living. Africans together, working hard collectively to increase their revenues, expanding the market inside Africa and abroad, along with fruitful integrations. Indeed, my abiding dream is to hear a different story of Africa. If the diversities of Africans have been used to set apart their potentials and demolish their dignity, how much more if positively upheld will it hasten towards the desired development? If the majority African youth was a tool to reverse progress and stability, how much can Africa’s new generation stabilise the continent if it were united? What legacy are you leaving behind? Success isn’t in how much money one makes but in what history one leaves. The writer works with the Institute of the National Museums of Rwanda. rutikangadavid@gmail.com

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Home sweet home