Rwanda's past is complex and difficult, particularly the period following the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. For young people caught in the aftermath, understanding the causes of such immense bloodshed—where over a million lives were lost—was daunting, especially when ethnicity was weaponized to divide and destroy. When the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi) liberated the country in July 1994, and established a unity government, ethnic divisions were outlawed and Rwandans became one, but a humongous damage had been done. The past 30 years of rebuilding and repairing that damage saw young people mostly shying away from any sort of political discourse, focusing on things that matter to them – education, innovating for a bright future and pursuing personal goals in the ‘new Rwanda’ for all. For the first decade and a half after the Genocide against the Tutsi, many young people stayed away from expressing their political views, even as the country went through different phases of recovery, dealing with internal problems as well as all sorts of external attacks from critics and detractors. However, over the past decade or so – thanks to the advancement in technology and digital tools, particularly social media platforms, young people are getting more involved in shaping the discourse. They want their voices to be heard. ALSO READ: Storytelling: Using YouTube to change Rwanda’s narrative and record history Today, you will see hundreds of young people proactively up in arms – particularly those using social media platforms, defending the country against unwavering attacks from critics, sharing facts to challenge the biases or even simply showcasing what the country has to offer on their platforms, whether it is opportunities or places to visit. During the July general elections, the youth, many of them first time voters, proactively participated, posting videos and views about their first campaign and voting experience. ALSO READ: Presidential election: Young people will vote for unity and peace Today, many have remained active on different platforms, responding to critics. In a way, one would say they have helped to disapprove some of the assertions around Rwanda’s democratic pathway and the results from the electoral process by simply showing their involvement. Many have, and still counter different claims made about Rwanda, using the best way they know how -technology. For some, like Fabrice Rugumire, often seen on the social media ‘frontline’, defending Rwanda comes naturally and it is something he has been doing since he was a little boy, but with technology and media platforms at his disposal, he is now able to do it openly. “Rwanda was always in my heart as my home. I remember hearing my parents talk about Rwanda when I was just 3 or 4 years old, telling me that one day we would have a place to call home. Rugumire says social media has become “a platform for haters and genocidaires” who spread lies about Rwanda and President Paul Kagame and there is a need to show the world the truth and young people have what it takes to do that. “I felt compelled to stand against them. My commitment to this cause is driven purely by my love for Rwanda. All these are the fruits yielded from our different backgrounds,” “Nothing else motivates me more than defending my home and working to improve the corporate image of my country, taking on those who spread lies and misinformation about Rwanda. They spread lies, I confront that with the truth,” Rugumire says. They do it for free, contrary to popular belief that many young people defending their country or government are paid to do so. Rugumire says that’s what baffles critics more, seeing young people standing up for their country. Many have been labelled ‘bots for hire’, ‘AI personalities’ or even targeted and harassed by the so-called ‘bigarasha accounts’ but Rugumire says that it is not a problem and it should not deter anyone because it is a small price to pay to defend one’s country. “I believe young people have the potential and ability to change the narrative about Rwanda. They are often more open-minded, innovative, and connected through technology and social media, which allows them to share positive stories and achievements from Rwanda,” he says. Rugumire says young people are indeed witnesses to Rwanda's progress in various sectors and their first-hand experiences and active participation in the nation's development should make them powerful ambassadors for changing the narrative and showcasing Rwanda's achievements to the world. “Young Rwandans are capable of changing the narrative of Rwanda, and some of them are already doing so. The number of young people engaged in this effort is increasing day by day. Even though not all are committed, a few is better than none,” he says. His views are shared by Winny Baho Ntaganira, one of the many young people often seen defending her country in different debates, particularly those in which Rwanda is wrongly accused and targeted. She says it is something that comes from a deep love and commitment she has for her country, the people and the leadership. “It is much like defending my family,” Ntaganira says, adding that sitting back as Rwanda becomes a playground for detractors has never been an option, regardless of how you are labelled. There is nothing to be apologetic for. “My public efforts began when I started using X (formerly Twitter) to promote our country's positive image and counter negative narratives,” Ntaganira says. “Given the challenges our country has faced and the efforts to rebuild from scratch, I can't stay silent when false accusations are made. It's like standing up for my mother when she's wrongly accused, so it's something I do willingly and happily,” she adds. Understandably, many of them have been identified and labelled by Rwandan exiles who oppose the current government, sending them threats and accusing them of being ‘pro-government’ or ‘RPF youth’, in a bid to push them into going quiet or becoming indifferent. Ntaganira, 24, says that herself and many of her colleagues noticed that Rwanda was often, and unfairly, being harangued by western media and international rights watchdogs and they decided it was about time. “When I see international media and others unfairly criticising our leaders, I feel like it's time to speak up. I know the hard work that's gone into our progress, and it's frustrating to see these false stories,” she says. Ntaganira argues that young people need to be aware and involved because these issues impact them as part of the country. “We shouldn't just stand by and let others tarnish our country's image, especially when we have access to the same social platforms they use and since the future of our country is in our hands, I think we need to be informed, because this way, we can stand up for what we know to be true,” she observes. Oswald Mutuyeyezu, a journalist working with Radio & TV10 and also an ardent social media user, says that seeing young people involved in the political discourse is a good thing and shows a promising future. “It is a very good thing to see them involved. It means they are also involved in planning for the future of the country. We have seen them increasingly becoming more curious about the history of their country and their past,” “It is true that more young people today are using their voice on social media, venturing onto platforms like Twitter [X] where political debates happen,” Mutuyeyezu says, pointing out that the number dramatically skyrocketed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Many young people got actively involved in expressing their views on some of decisions made at the time, in a way directly engaging with the government, staying up waiting for the ‘yellow paper’ like anyone else and the trend was retained even after the pandemic. Mutuyeyezu says that most of the young people, particularly the millennials and Gen Zs were born after the Genocide against the Tutsi and many of them were detached from that past but as time went on, they learnt the importance of that history in shaping their future. He adds that the fact that President Kagame makes time to meet young people, as he did in July and interacted with young content creators on the campaign trail, goes to show their importance and the role they play in shaping the narrative about Rwanda and the political discourse. Oswakim, as he is commonly known, says that the youth have been buoyed by the fact that President Kagame himself uses the same digital platforms they use and they can directly see and interact with him. He, further, argues that technology hands power back to young people and gives them a space and platform to express their views and they have leveraged that in a positive way, becoming more vocal on issues that concern them, rather than being indifferent. Also, the fact that their views are heard, including by the Head of State and they don’t go in vain, has in a way cemented their importance in shaping the narrative and showed them that they matter. Beyond politics It is not just politics. Rwandan youth are leveraging their platforms to shape narratives elsewhere. A good example is in the agriculture sector, where young farmers using social media are making farming ‘sexy’. Traditionally, agriculture in Rwanda was known to be subsistent in nature, characterised by low productivity. It was a job may thought was for the uneducated, poor and unemployed. Over the past 30 years, the government ushered in different reforms to transform the sector into a more productive and modern one, capable of not only making the country food secure but also boost exports. The country’s agriculture policies have also not been spared by critics, just as they do like many other policies the Rwandan government makes. As such, over the years, many young people did not find agriculture attractive enough for them. Today, several young people, known as ‘agri-influencers’, are taking to social media to show how attractive the agriculture sector is, using their platforms to showcase what people are doing behind the scenes to make agriculture lucrative. One of them is Florence Sangwa Sifa, a graduate of the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA), who often shares her work in the sector, inspiring many young people to pick interest. She attributes her work to the exceptional, hands-on experiential learning she received at RICA, which inspired her to share knowledge with others, believing it might benefit them. “Using social media platforms, I aimed to present agriculture from a positive perspective. At that time, there were not many people in Rwanda using social media to influence and promote agriculture effectively,” “I recognised this gap and felt a sense of leadership in addressing it. As I shared my experiences and insights, I realised the potential of these platforms to reach a wider audience and spark broader conversations about Rwanda. I asked myself, if not me, who else?” Sangwa says. That mindset drove her to empower local communities and change the negative narratives about agriculture while showcasing the development of her country. “The need to speak up became apparent when I saw the widespread negative and inaccurate perspectives about Rwanda, particularly in agriculture. This spurred me to use my platform to provide accurate information and foster meaningful dialogue,” “Recognising that the youth are the future leaders of Rwanda, I understood that the time to act is now if we want to shape the country, we wish to live in. Given that the youth population in Rwanda is significant, we have a vital role to play,” she adds. She points out that it would be irresponsible for the youth to stay silent while misinformation spreads. “I felt a deep sense of responsibility to guide younger generations and correct these misconceptions. Today, young people are more informed and have access to diverse sources of information, empowering us to engage actively in national discourses,” she argues. Sangwa says that young people are adept at using technology and social media to communicate and advocate for change and they should use that to fight back. “Our generation is highly connected and informed, which enables us to share Rwanda's story authentically and counter misinformation. By highlighting areas such as agriculture, we can showcase the progress and potential of our country,” she adds. An informed generation The Minister of Youth and Arts, Dr. Abdallah Utumatwishima, says young people in Rwanda today have grown up in a digital era, which gives them access to digital tools like social media and access to the internet, which has helped them to have information. “With access to these digital platforms, young people can share what they are seeing and they know what is happening in Rwanda, what is happening in the region, in DRC, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Tanzania and beyond,” Utumatwishima says. The Minister says that over the past 30 years, Rwanda is among the few countries on the continent which have had stable leadership and rank highly on safety and security, economic growth and other aspects, and the young people have been part of the journey and see everything. “They can see what is happening in DR Congo. They can see what is happening in other neighbouring countries in the region but also beyond and they can compare,” he says, adding that many young people cannot take for granted what they have and want to protect it. He says it is the first-time young people have shown the urge to protect what they have under President Kagame, many of them having grown up in families that suffered consequences of bad leadership in the past. “Our Gen Zs and Gen Alphas have grown up in families where we share with them the horrible stories we went through, the Genocide against the Tutsi, running in the forest of Congo, stories of poverty, lack of education opportunities and they get to hear them,” Utumatwishima says. Comparing the past and the present has made it easy for young people to make a decision to fight for what they have, among other things, access to clean water, electricity and healthcare services -all of which they cannot take for granted. According to Utumatwishima, 30 years have been enough for the country’s youth to grow up, see and observe and then make a decision to stand up for their country and many of them speak from their hearts and from experience, something many confuse with propaganda. “It's not propaganda. It's not politics as it used to be defined. It's the real-life. They have access to water and electricity, good roads, schools and hospitals. These are things they see with their own eyes and can openly talk about,” “They are woke about bad things happening in other countries, and perhaps that is the reason they are aware of the good things happening in their country,” he says, adding that he believes that is why they are becoming more vocal and standing up for their country. On the other hand, Utumatwishima says social media can be a double-edged sword because in other cases it can be used for destructive purposes, urging Rwandan youth to stay focused on the greater good of it. “It can be used well for the greater good of everybody,” he said, adding that in some cases Rwanda’s detractors mislead or use young people who they bribe to say negative things about the country on their platforms, urging the youth to desist such temptations.
