Tomorrow we are celebrating Heroes’ Day and God knows this country has no shortage of them and villains alike. If there were medals for villains, Rwanda would sweep the medals table because this country has been home to quite a number of monsters ever since independence. But it has also produced exceptional people who went out of their way; put their necks on the line so they could save a few lives. Those are the ones we are celebrating tomorrow. The Chancellery for Heroes, National Orders and Decorations of Honour (CHENO) has for the last few years been compiling lists of those deemed to be heroes and honour them publicly, but that is a tough call. In normal circumstances, heroes are chosen from among the dead for one single reason; a living hero can always mess up at one stage and there would be no way to revoke the honour. But there are people alive today who need recognition for exceptional achievements that do not need for them to leave the land of the living before being recognized. Some countries have remedies for that kind of situation by publishing an honours list every year and people are conferred upon national honours. CHENO would do good to come up with something like that so that every year on Heroes Day, people would be eager to find out who made the cut for national honours. It would then serve as an incentive to also be recognized and walk along proudly with a medal pinned on their chests. Make no mistake; there are very many unsung heroes out there
