Support the power of imagination through Arts

Editor, As an American writer, I have spent time in Rwanda. The beauty of it’s people in place has changed my life. I have had the privilege of working with very talented young Rwandan writers at the University of Rwanda at Butare.Their poems, stories, and essays are among the most powerful of any I have experienced in the world. I remain haunted by them. What they know, we need to hear. Sadly, literature and creative writing programmes are being cut from university curriculum.These students are hungry to write. They have wisdom and creative power to share. But many of them are afraid to write what is in their hearts.In Rwanda, there is little — if any — financial support for writers and few outlets for them to publish their work. We all suffer the loss of their voices. This could change with support from the government who believes in the power of the imagination to lead us forward. Freedom of speech matters to freedom.Without stories, art, dance, music, and theatre, culture cannot flourish and history is forgotten. Great works of art endure through the ages and allow its people to rise to greater moral heights through inspiration.Thank you, Mr. Gakumba for your brave and essential call for the arts and humanities to be recognised, reinstated, and honoured in Rwanda, especially in its educational priorities, finding equal value alongside the sciences. The world is waiting for what Rwanda has to say through the literary arts.Literature transforms pain into poetry. It has been said, “Sometimes a person needs a story as much as food.” Art gives us the courage to see the depth of our humanity through the dignity of one person sharing the truth of their life. The writer Gertrude Stein calls it “the vitality of the struggle.”May President Paul Kagame call for “The Year of the Arts” and let Rwanda’s creativity unfurl like a mighty banner of hope and pride in this country’s great story of resiliency and peace.Your opinion piece opens the door to a much needed conversation, Mr. Gakumba. I admire your insight and the bravery of your voice.Terry Tempest Williams, Castle Valley, Utah, USAReaction to Louis Gakumba’s commentary, “Rwanda’s biggest challenge in future”, (The New Times, June 18)

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Support the power of imagination through Arts