Students of Rwandan history point at the despicable and ignoble Leopold II and his Belgian minions for all this bloodshed. My question is: how long shall we allow ourselves to continue being victims of colonialism? The spineless Belgians spilled African blood at will and left Rwanda in fragments after milking it. Their parting gift was suspicion and hatred among brothers. Long after the Belgians left, the brothers did not nothing to come together. Instead, they grew apart. In their actions, unscrupulous people found opportunity. The rest, they say, is history.
In Rwanda, we learnt how the freedom of speech became an instrument of evil. Radio stations allowed people to spew hatred and their vindictive listeners went out, like zombies, to murder people who were once their neighbors. It was not a time of wisdom. It was a period of wickedness.
In Rwanda, we learnt that demagoguery, in any form, is a clear and present danger to democracy. To overlook it as an essential part of freedom is collective foolhardiness.
From Rwanda, we learnt human capacity for unspeakable evil. We saw how people took the lives of others like livestock. People murdered and plundered at will. People used the false divisions of their nation to perpetrate a sinister agenda against their fellow citizens.
In Rwanda, we must learn lessons that should not be repeated in our various countries. Inciting people to violence should be a crime punishable by law. Civics should be reintroduced into our curricula to help citizens not to become pawns in the hands of rabble rousers.
However, in Rwanda, we saw courage in the actions of unarmed Ghanaian soldiers who risked their lives to save other lives. We saw the bravery of individuals like Paul Rusesabagina, whose actions were memorialized in Hotel Rwanda. In the midst of the darkest of hours, man has been able to rally his higher angels to push back on evil.
Today, we mourn the many who fell victim to the rise of murderous hatred. Today, we are reminded that there are still some who, in their sickest delusions, will not shy away from an opportunity to stoke chaos. Our democratic experiments will be tested by such twerps. It is our duty to stand together, irrespective of political persuasions, and dismantle any operation that seeks to disturb national cohesiveness. We cannot allow irresponsible behavior to run around without consequence. The interests of the nation supersede the anarchic dreams of a few individuals.
As a people, we must think and think hard over the actions we take. May our world never experience another genocide. Some may say this is wishful thinking but, as long as we are all vigilant against all forms of hatred, we will be effective in preempting a bad situation. As we remember, may we learn. As we remember the Rwandan genocide, may we vow never to allow bloodshed to be the method of communication among ourselves. May the lives of the murdered rest in peace. May healing find a home in hearts of those who lost loved ones.
In Rwanda, we learnt how the freedom of speech became an instrument of evil. Radio stations allowed people to spew hatred and their vindictive listeners went out, like zombies, to murder people who were once their neighbors. It was not a time of wisdom. It was a period of wickedness.
In Rwanda, we learnt that demagoguery, in any form, is a clear and present danger to democracy. To overlook it as an essential part of freedom is collective foolhardiness.
From Rwanda, we learnt human capacity for unspeakable evil. We saw how people took the lives of others like livestock. People murdered and plundered at will. People used the false divisions of their nation to perpetrate a sinister agenda against their fellow citizens.
In Rwanda, we must learn lessons that should not be repeated in our various countries. Inciting people to violence should be a crime punishable by law. Civics should be reintroduced into our curricula to help citizens not to become pawns in the hands of rabble rousers.
However, in Rwanda, we saw courage in the actions of unarmed Ghanaian soldiers who risked their lives to save other lives. We saw the bravery of individuals like Paul Rusesabagina, whose actions were memorialized in Hotel Rwanda. In the midst of the darkest of hours, man has been able to rally his higher angels to push back on evil.
Today, we mourn the many who fell victim to the rise of murderous hatred. Today, we are reminded that there are still some who, in their sickest delusions, will not shy away from an opportunity to stoke chaos. Our democratic experiments will be tested by such twerps. It is our duty to stand together, irrespective of political persuasions, and dismantle any operation that seeks to disturb national cohesiveness. We cannot allow irresponsible behavior to run around without consequence. The interests of the nation supersede the anarchic dreams of a few individuals.
As a people, we must think and think hard over the actions we take. May our world never experience another genocide. Some may say this is wishful thinking but, as long as we are all vigilant against all forms of hatred, we will be effective in preempting a bad situation. As we remember, may we learn. As we remember the Rwandan genocide, may we vow never to allow bloodshed to be the method of communication among ourselves. May the lives of the murdered rest in peace. May healing find a home in hearts of those who lost loved ones.
Credit: The Expresso Stalinist
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