Princess Uwonkunda was born after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi had occurred, but has decided to be at the front of preserving this history. She has taken it upon herself to write poems so that the country’s past doesn’t fade away. The 18-year-old says she is saddened by the number of lives lost. And in order to prevent such events from happening again, the poet believes that writing is one of the tools that have to be used. Through her poems, she hopes that her message reaches out to a number of people. That way, she believes that she can use her writing gift to inform and keep Rwandas history alive but still learn from it. Uwonkunda’s inspiration is derived from imagination, with most of her research done from genocide memorial sites, museums, books, and social media. Though she crafts a past that she didn’t see, through this research and stories told to her, she feels as though she was present when the event happened, and this is what gives her inspiration. Uwokunda’s poems Ijisho Ryishema Ryuzuye Ishano and ‘Rwanda my Story.’ She urges the youth to use their voices and whatever talents they have to share the message of healing as much as they can, to ensure that unity prevails. Photos/courtesy The poets says she has had a chance to have conversations about the dark past with the people that witnessed it, and that though they at times appear to be strong, she has observed them lose control due to emotions from effects of the terror. It is through this pain that she is pushed to tell their stories and empower them. “Just like a house that takes one brick at a time to get complete, I anticipate to be the brick that will build peace amidst the emotional memories,” she says. According to her, when such stories are told, they suppress the lies that are out there that want to hide the truth. “Visiting the genocide memorial sites is so touching, but should be done as a reminder that our story can’t be hidden,” she says. She urges the youth to use their voices and whatever talents they have to share the message of healing as much as they can, to ensure that unity prevails. Uwonkunda highlights that Rwandans can do so much more and everyone is a part of this. So far, she has written five stories about the genocide and is looking forward to continue writing as a way of preserving this story for the generations to come- to keep the spirit of the past, learn from it and build the future.
