{"id":54722,"date":"2025-07-01T12:41:50","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T12:41:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/echoes-of-july-1-reflections-on-rwanda-s-independence\/"},"modified":"2025-07-02T20:40:31","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T20:40:31","slug":"echoes-of-july-1-reflections-on-rwanda-s-independence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/echoes-of-july-1-reflections-on-rwanda-s-independence\/","title":{"rendered":"Echoes of July 1: Reflections on Rwanda\u2019s Independence"},"content":{"rendered":"

With these powerful words, Mugesera Antoine, a member of Rwanda Elders Advisory Forum, captures the painful reality that followed Rwanda\u2019s independence on July 1, 1962. <\/p>\n

In an exclusive interview with IGIHE, he reflects not only on the symbolic and historic significance of that day, but also on the deep disappointment that unfolded in its aftermath, a betrayal of national hope that still echoes through Rwanda\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

Mugesera was among those present at the official Independence Day celebrations in Kigali in 1962. He remembers the moment vividly: the excitement, the expectation, the joy. After decades of colonial rule under Belgium, Rwandans believed independence would open the door to peace, dignity, and national unity. But for many, that dream was quickly and violently shattered.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor about three years leading up to independence,\u201d he said, \u201cRwanda had been going through unusual events. King Rudahigwa had died, political parties emerged in 1959, houses were set on fire, people were burned alive, things never seen before in Rwanda. People were being killed\u2026 We dreamed that when independence came, things would change for the better.\u201d<\/p>\n

But independence did not mark the beginning of reconciliation. Instead, the trauma that began in 1959, following the fall of the monarchy, intensified. <\/p>\n

Tutsis were targeted, many were killed, others had their homes destroyed, and thousands fled to neighboring countries as refugees. Rwanda was being torn apart, not by its colonial masters, but by internal divisions that colonial rule had helped create and deepen.<\/p>\n

\"After<\/figure>\n

Mugesera recounted that many Rwandans were bewildered by this violence. \u201cWe used to ask our parents, \u2018What is happening? Why are people you once lived with setting homes on fire?\u2019 They would say, \u2018The Belgians turned us against each other.\u2019 So we thought that once the Belgians left, Rwandans would live together again, just as they had done peacefully for centuries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even amid the bloodshed, there remained hope. Songs were sung with lyrics like, \u201cLet the Belgians go back home so that we can become Rwandans again.\u201d This hope, however, began to fade soon after the official celebration. Mugesera explained that within days of independence, violence returned. <\/p>\n

The Inyenzi, a group of young exiled Rwandans denied the right to return home, launched attacks. In response, some individuals including children, and the innocent were executed in cold blood.<\/p>\n

He recalled, \u201cThe celebration happened, and we were joyful, thinking a new chapter was beginning. But that hope quickly faded. Every time something happened, people were killed\u2026 Just three or four days after independence, the Inyenzi attacked, and people were killed, accused of being collaborators. Children captured at the time were killed in Nyamagumba, Ruhengeri.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet, for a brief moment on July 1, 1962, there was unity and national pride. Mugesera vividly described the Independence Day celebrations. The day began with a solemn Mass at Sainte Famille church, presided over by Monsignor Perraudin and attended by various priests and dignitaries. The main celebrations took place at a field that now houses the City of Kigali headquarters.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt around 10:00 a.m.,\u201d he said, \u201cthe Belgian representative stood up to speak. He was wearing a sharply cut diplomatic suit. After his brief speech, a trumpet sounded, and soldiers marched to the flagpole. The Belgian flag was lowered, and the Rwandan flag was raised.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new President, Gr\u00e9goire Kayibanda, gave a speech filled with messages of peace, words Mugesera still remembers. \u201cI don\u2019t remember the entire speech, but I distinctly remember him speaking about peace. That word stayed with me, and I thought to myself, \u2018we\u2019re finally going to see peace,\u2019 especially since we had just gone through some very troubling times.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the speech, students marched proudly with paper flags, and local leaders wore sashes in the colors of the new Rwandan flag. Each prefecture performed songs, dances, and traditional games that reflected their culture. \u201cYou felt like you were seeing all of Rwanda\u2019s beauty in one place,\u201d Mugesera recalled. \u201cIt was something we\u2019d never witnessed before\u2026 It was beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

But that beauty, he emphasized, was tragically short-lived.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe joy and hope of independence was short-lived,\u201d Mugesera said. \u201cI would compare it to a pregnant woman who expects a healthy baby, only to give birth to a child with a disability, or to miscarry entirely. What you had envisioned doesn\u2019t come to pass.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued, \u201cRwandans were wronged, many died. We were said to be independent, but far more people died after independence than before. Independence brought more harm than what existed prior. Instead of progressing, we began to regress. It was like a journey downhill, and it only got worse. Rather than development, everything deteriorated, until it culminated in the Genocide.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

According to Mugesera, the issue was not independence itself, nor the fall of the monarchy, after all, monarchies have ended in other countries without catastrophe. The problem lay in the kind of leadership that came to power. It institutionalized ethnic hatred and deepened divisions. <\/p>\n

\u201cIndependence should have been a launchpad for progress, but instead, we fell backward because of bad governance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For over three decades, Rwanda was governed by a regime that thrived on discrimination and hatred, leading eventually to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. But Mugesera believes that Rwanda has now found its footing. Today, he sees hope again, this time, rooted in responsible and inclusive leadership.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we are fortunate, we will continue to have good leaders. Right now, we do. And if we\u2019re lucky enough to keep having capable, responsible leaders, whether they are Twa, Hutu, or Tutsi\u2014as long as they are healthy-minded individuals who care about Rwanda, we will move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

He concluded with a vision that embraces unity over division: \u201cWe need leadership that sees all Rwandans. Anyone with sound political thinking will lead us well; but those driven by extremist ideologies will only take us backward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rwanda\u2019s independence was not the end of struggle\u2014it was, in many ways, the beginning of a painful and defining chapter. But today, with the lessons of history in hand, the country continues its journey forward, striving to fulfill the promise that so many believed in on that day in July 1962.<\/p>\n

\"Mugesera<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhat we had hoped for is not what we got. I can compare it to a pregnant woman expecting a healthy baby, only to suffer a miscarriage. What she dreamed of becomes something entirely different.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":2000090089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[72,75],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-54722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-featured-news-home","tag-homenews","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000090089,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/tariki_ya_1_nyakanga_1962_ubwo_u_rwanda_rwahindukaga_repubulika_ku_mugaragaro-3-334c6-2-b9065.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/tariki_ya_1_nyakanga_1962_ubwo_u_rwanda_rwahindukaga_repubulika_ku_mugaragaro-3-334c6-2-b9065.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/tariki_ya_1_nyakanga_1962_ubwo_u_rwanda_rwahindukaga_repubulika_ku_mugaragaro-3-334c6-2-b9065.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/tariki_ya_1_nyakanga_1962_ubwo_u_rwanda_rwahindukaga_repubulika_ku_mugaragaro-3-334c6-2-b9065.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/tariki_ya_1_nyakanga_1962_ubwo_u_rwanda_rwahindukaga_repubulika_ku_mugaragaro-3-334c6-2-b9065.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/tariki_ya_1_nyakanga_1962_ubwo_u_rwanda_rwahindukaga_repubulika_ku_mugaragaro-3-334c6-2-b9065.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54722"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54722\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000090089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54722"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=54722"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=54722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}