From the reactions that followed the screening of the documentary; “The 600”, that recounts some of the most audacious and daring rescue missions undertaken by the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) at the height of the Genocide, it is clear that we have not done much to tell the stories of the liberation struggle. A few years ago, this newspaper attempted to cox those who had front seats during various parts of the liberation drama to shed more light on the perilous journey. Hon Logan Ndahiro tried to play his part since he was a Captain in the RPA. But he simply whetted the appetite and then went away without serving the full meal, though many of his articles are archived on our website. Gen James Kabarebe is no doubt the youth’s favourite story teller the way he captivates them with some snippets of the liberation, but that is just a tip of the iceberg. The RDF is said to have a department in charge of history. 29 years later, it must be keeping loads of data that would be useful to researchers, because there is much to tell that is not given the credit it deserves. The same advice goes to the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi) and other political parties that are seating on treasure troves of information that should be passed on to the next generation. The producers of “The 600” are to be commended for doing justice to courage, resilience and sacrifice by young RPA fighters in the face of great odds. There could not have been a better fitting tribute than to honour their courage through the screen.
