What limits you from doing what you want to do? Is the hindrance physical, financial, psychological, or emotional? And what are you doing to achieve your dream in the face of adversity? For 23-year-old Dieudonne Munyaneza, being born with physical limitations robbed him of the joy and liberty to partake in many games. The youngster narrates that most of the time, he looked on in admiration as children his age in the neighbourhood had the freedom to run, walk, play football, and other games, but he couldn’t join them even though he wanted to. This is because the crutches he used couldn’t support him much, and there were no children with disabilities to play with. “During primary school, I was a sad child because I witnessed the potential most children without disability had but didn’t exploit, and I imagined what I could have done if I was in their shoes,” he says, recalling how he dreaded trying out some games. Munyaneza still recalls one specific day when he watched a group of young boys play basketball with agility and much amusement. He was entertained and cheered them on all the way through. “For once, I felt inner joy. This is a game that I wanted to learn regardless of my impairment,” he says. However, the idea of holding the ball in one hand and a crutch in another scared him. ‘What if I slipped, fell, and hurt myself?” He thought to himself, and at the time, there was no equipment to help him play basketball. Lacking the equipment and a trainer in the sport encouraged Munyaneza to invest time in watching how professional wheelchair basketball players engaged in the game, via YouTube. The more he watched the games, the more he got stirred and took a leap of faith. Sport in a wheelchair Munyaneza didn’t know of any wheelchair basketball clubs in Rwanda. But in 2017, a friend reached out and told him about basketball teams for people living with disability. During school holidays, he notes, he looked into teams in Gasabo, Kicukiro, and Bugesera. He gathered information on Coach Jean Paul Hirwa, who joined the Bugesera wheelchair basketball club which he instructs. Munyaneza searched for the team’s timetable and joined them for rehearsals one evening at Amahoro stadium, and he was warmly welcomed. “Coach Hirwa called me aside and asked me a few questions, but one thing I needed him to know was that I eagerly yearned to join the team. That same day, he guided me on how to control the wheelchair with the ball and shoot,” he explains. The day the coach asked him to join the team, he says, was one of the best days of his life, and even noted it in his diary. Since then, he has participated in training and rehearsals, and in 2018, the coach announced a tournament in Johannesburg slated for 2021. He asked the players to practice as he was to choose the best four to join the national team, he adds. Munyaneza knew it was time to give the game his all, thus using spare time to practice on his own and focus on skills such as target, drilling, and giving a pass. It helped that he completed secondary school in 2021, which gave him more time to up his game. The hard work paid off, and he was chosen to represent the wheelchair team of Rwanda, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Although Rwanda didn’t win against the Kenyan and Johannesburg teams, Munyaneza still considered it a victory. “It gave me confidence, that I could do so much more,” he notes. In 2022, Munyaneza joined the Indangamirwa Wheelchair Basketball Team where he plays today, still under coach Hirwa’s assistance. At the moment, the coach offers the team training and refreshments, and some financial support where necessary, however, the players are not yet given a salary as the team is still new. Munyaneza says the team lacks financial support to keep moving since the coach can’t provide all the equipment they require. “Rwanda’s wheelchair basketball needs to be boosted by organising more friendly tournaments with other countries as this will attract more support in terms of sponsorship,” he says. His future plans are to win tournaments to make his coach proud, and be an inspiration to many other physically impaired people who don’t believe in themselves. The local basketball player looks forward to playing with wheelchair teams in England and Canada as they are talented. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree with Kepler in project management. In his free time, he enjoys singing and reading stories of successful basketball players. His role model is Patrick Anderson, a Canadian basketball player, largely considered the best wheelchair basketball player in the world. “The fact that he started playing at a young age and has won numerous medals at all levels of the sport, with three Paralympic gold medals and one Paralympic silver medal, I am optimistic that with the right support, I can be just like him one day,” Munyaneza concludes.
