Knowing our history is essential

Editor, I was amazed by the letter written by Buhigiro Seth and Frank Tanganyika’s review of General Rusagara’s book in The New Times. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the General for his contribution to the writing of our recent history. I would also love to know where I can get his book. History is an important part of our daily life. It teaches us our origins, how our forefathers lived and the way our country was, long before we were born. I love the way, in developed countries, they have a well documented history on which they always refer to. Taking an example of the USA. American history is implanted in everybody’s head. Surely many of us have heard of quotes like, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”(the US Declaration of Independence), Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address and the “I have a dream” of Martin Luther King Jr. All these quotes became common knowledge because people wrote them. How many significant events do we still remember from our history? We say some of our kings were famous, but when we learn history in schools, we are not told about their exploits. Some people tell me that it is done in the faculty of history at the National University of Rwanda. We should all be historians when it comes to our country’s past. Fortunately, some time back I heard that there was a project to review the history of Rwanda and record it appropriately. I don’t know the progress of this project, but I do support this idea. Chris Ndamuzeye ndachris1@yahoo.fr

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Knowing our history is essential