Every Liberation struggle has its own silent contributors. When we talk about key players of the liberation struggle, we often think about men and women in uniform who fought from 1990 to 1994. That’s when the soldiers of the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) took arms to end a Genocidal regime and create a country that is home to every Rwandan. But along the struggle, there are Rwandans who worked behind the scenes, encouraging the fighters, or giving all they could afford to contribute to the struggle. These are those who contributed to the liberation struggle and are rarely mentioned but remain deep in the hearts of those who wished to see success and have witnessed it 24 years after the end of the genocide. Genocide researcher Tom Ndahiro told The New Times that these include the ordinary Rwandan who contributed in all ways possible to help the country that was in so much need of its citizens’ determination and patriotism. Ndahiro says that those ordinary Rwandans are in hundreds of thousands but their list could contain people who contributed to the war effort whether materially, morally, physically, or even psychologically by not losing hope. “The sacrifice that was paid to liberate this country is immeasurable. People left their families behind, school, and their nice jobs among other things to join the struggle. There are people who took care of the ill at the frontline. The silent contributors (to the liberation struggle) are ordinary Rwandans (who helped in the liberation of the country) and these are hundreds of thousands of people,” he said. The researcher gives the example of people in different countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, former Zaïre (today’s DRC), and many others in Africa and outside the continent whose wealth wasn’t anywhere close to substantial but whose contribution made a big difference for the war effort. Then comes parents who sent their children to the frontline and felt it was a price worth paying for, Ndahiro said. He also mentioned people who rushed home to rebuild post-genocide Rwanda that was completely destroyed by the war and genocide. “Some of those left their wealth in countries where they lived and came to build Rwanda. Some of these people worked without salaries and would walk to work without any transport means; their only hope was the existence of their country. They continued to hope that things could be done,” he said. As Rwanda marks the 24th anniversary of the Liberation Day today, such people remain deep in the hearts of many Rwandans who lived to witness the liberation process or even played their own role in it. The Minister for Defence, James Kabarebe, a member of the RPA during the liberation war and knowledgeable of what was at stake on the frontline, said that many people played a role. “Many dead and alive did a very good job!” he told The New Times. Every July 4, is Liberation Day in Rwanda to mark the day when the RPA who were rebel fighters under the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi) stopped Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994 and established a unity and reconciliation government. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
