30 years ago today, you gathered us from all over the world and marched us home.

Many of us did not have much to contribute to our return to our homeland but you told us that our lives would be enough. That we could claim back our citizenship if we could be convinced that it was our birthright. You said it would take direction, discipline, and sacrifice.

We had nothing to give to the struggle but our sacrifice.

You said: ” There is no reason for our people to continue to be called refugees and to be killed.  It is time to fight for our rights. Even if we lose our lives in the process, our spirits will remain in Rwanda. Wa tatu wasonge , wawiri wakufe, umoja atabaki atajenga inchi.”

We lost sight of you for a moment on the battlefield, but we dismissed your death and carried your spirit through the hills and the mined fields; we carried your spirit through the rain and the hunger, through the bombs and bullets, through the blood, through the dirt and death. Your resolve was our conviction. Your resilience, our confidence.

We lost many on the way but we captured and besieged Kigali.

I know you are proud of the ones we lost to the cause of ending our statelessness.

They fought like lions. Emulating you in their courage and selflessness, never betraying your memory.

We lost a great number of others to greed. 

The seeds of this infamy were planted even before the war was over.

Tyranny replaced brotherhood. Fear replaced unity. Today, we are more divided than ever and many have gone back into exile.

You sought to end our statelessness but those who made it home have had to resort to deceit to live through the corruption and impunity of a greedy few. Those who cannot posture are ostracised, imprisoned, or eliminated.

But worry not Afande, you left behind men of integrity who continue to pass on your values to the younger generations. We hold on to your memory, revering you in secret, waiting for the day you will be celebrated unapologetically. And that day will surely come because through it all Afande, your legacy lives and will live on.

Rest in peace Afande, your true disciples remember that you were the first of many.

Rwigema Oye!