Rwandans in the country and those living abroad will on Monday, February 1, celebrate the 27th National Heroes Day. Unlike previous celebrations, the event will be marked at the family level. It means there will be no laying of wreaths by top government officials to the National Heroes’ Mausoleum in Remera, the final resting place for many of our heroes, neither are we going to have other activities like finals of heroes’ tournaments of different sporting disciplines that we normally have. The celebrations are being held at a difficult juncture when Rwandans are keeping indoors due to a lockdown that went into force two weeks ago, as cases of Covid-19 infections continue to surge. For the past one week, various national leaders using different media platforms have been encouraging Rwandans to demonstrate their love for country by actively playing their individual role in putting this tragic chapter behind us. As a people, we are not helpless if we can collectively play our respective roles in protecting ourselves, our families and the communities where we live. It is within our powers. The effects of Covid-19 – direct and indirect – have and continue to devastate our national life in very many ways. People have lost life, leaving a trail of problems to their families; others are facing lifetime impairments. Livelihoods have been disrupted by the paralysis brought about by the lockdown and other measures imposed to contain the virus, loss of employment and general devastation of the economy. Many of the heroes we celebrate paid the ultimate price for Rwandans to enjoy a prosperous country, where everyone is free to strive for personal and common advancement. These are the freedoms we were enjoying as a country until the outbreak turned up at our doorsteps in March last year. It is therefore prudent to say that fighting this will be a major complement to the deeds of the heroes that we are celebrating today. Fortunately, other efforts are being devised by government in the same direction and these include procurement of vaccinations against the virus and organization towards proper administration once the vaccine has been imported. As we celebrate national heroes, it is an opportune moment to pay tribute to our health workers who have for the past one year toiled to keep the virus at bay, with others losing their lives in the process. Happy Heroes’ Day!
