Students hold ‘Tolerance tournament’

The Students’ Club on Unity and Reconciliation (SCUR) of the School of Finance and Banking (SFB), in conjunction with their counterparts from ISAE, held a ‘Tolerance Tournament’ with the aim of cultivating a culture of tolerance. The tournament which featured basketball and karate teams from both institutions of higher learning took place at SFB on Saturday. According to Etienne Bizimana, the SCUR president SFB chapter, the tournament was held to enhance tolerance, unity and reconciliation through friendly matches between the two institutions. ISAE is the Institute for Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, based in the Northern Province. Bizimana said that it helped them to have time to play their part in the reconciliation processes on which the country has embarked. Speaking at the function, Fatuma Ndangiza the Executive Secretary of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) stressed that the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi happened partly because there was lack of tolerance amongst the people in this country. “Where there is no tolerance, there can never be unity and respect for human rights, and I think lack of tolerance partly caused the 1994 Genocide,” said Ndangiza. She anticipated a better Rwanda if the youth continue thinking more on how the country can develop as opposed to divisionism. “Activities like these give me hope more especially when it comes from young people like you, the youth should work harder in order to be able to rewrite the Rwandan history.” She also urged students to always advice their parents to desist from the Genocide ideology saying that parents and all other people in society could take heed because they look at them as the elite of the society. Addressing the students, the Vice Rector for Administration and Finance of SFB, Rogers Muragije, commended the achievements by the country in terms of unity and reconciliation that has spurred development. “We were on the international scene some time back because of the Genocide, but today Rwanda is being known for development and peace. This is all due to unity and reconciliation that is prevailing in this country,” he said. Muragije also noted that a lot had been done but more still needed to be accomplished in reconciliation. He pledged the institute’s support to NURC in its struggle to bring total unity in the country. The tournament saw the SFB Karate team become victorious while the ISAE basketball team won its game. Ends