First Lady who is also the Chairperson of Unity Club, Intwararumuri, an association that brings together current and former members of cabinet and their spouses, made the remarks on Friday as she concluded the 11th Unity Club Forum at Intare Conference Arena.
She said: “If we had gone everyone alone, we would have been divided into parts that would outnumber us. Due to our choice, we can sit down together and set a vision for our country, looking in each other’s face with no fear and open wide eyes to face our continent and the world in general.’’
Mrs Kagame said the elders should first heal wounds caused by Rwanda’s history and then be able to help the youth heal. Different from this “wounds will be transmitted from generations to generations,’’ she said.
The First Lady said that Rwanda establishes good politics and leaders teach it to younger generations but one way that will help the nation achieve that is “to strive to preserve our history and stand firm on it, teach it to younger people who will also convey it to their descendants.’’
Mrs Kagame said the there are so many things the youth has seen with childish eyes and they have now become heavy for them while what they didn’t see ere also a heavy load for them.
“Dear Children of ours, you need care and everybody of you needs to be accompanied at every stage he reaches. We assure you to do that. We as elderly will accompany you as you commit to seek answers for questions we ask ourselves,’’ she said.
She urged the youth to “benefit opportunities set up by the leadership of our country and seek what would bring durable peace. That is the richness indeed.’’
During the 11th Unity Forum, some youth shared the experiences on how the history has left them wounds but they later healed.
Iréné Mizero, 33, is a son to the former Deputy ‘Bourgomester’ of Satinsyi Commune, former Gisenyi Prefecture in current Ngororero District. Mizero’s father was sentenced to life imprisonment with his mother sentenced to 30 years imprisonment after both were convicted of genocide related crimes.
Mizero said he was very sad due to crimes his parents committed during the genocide.
In 1994, Mizero with his family fled to Democratic Republic of Congo and when he got back to Rwanda, he used to hide from authorities but he was surprised that the Government paid his school fees and later he got the Government sponsored scholarship, he graduated and got a job while he was never discriminated.
This so much touched Mizero’s heart and he felt liberated as he could not imagine ‘the government that imprisons parents and later help their children.’’
Mizero founded Mizero Care Foundation that cares for the orphans and other children with history led wounds.
Charles Habonimana lost all his siblings during genocide and survived the ‘particular death’ he had to be killed by the Interahamwe militias.
As the President of Rwandan Graduates Genocide Survivors, GEARG revealed that when Ndi Umunyarwanda programme was initiated, he was not happy of what he saw as forgiveness given to mass groups of people but now his aim is to see this programme reach young children.
Mr. Edouard Bamporiki, Chairman of the National Itorero Commission said people should not fall in a trap to say that things were already said and that history is not very much told while there are growing youth who don’t know it.
He asked the intellectuals to write books on the history of Rwanda so that people should share their life experiences.
Besides the youths who shared their history experiences, others who delivered speeches include the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Richard Sezibera, Minister of Local Governance, Prof. Amastase Shyaka and former Minister of Sports and Culture, Julienne Uwacu.
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