Thirty-two years on, young Rwandans reflect on progress, pain and hope
For many young Rwandans, Liberation Day is as much about the future as the past. Kigali, Rwanda – Tourists browsing Claudette Kamikazi’s souvenir shop see
For many young Rwandans, Liberation Day is as much about the future as the past. Kigali, Rwanda – Tourists browsing Claudette Kamikazi’s souvenir shop see a Rwanda eager to showcase itself to the world. Business has grown steadily as the country has invested heavily in tourism, bringing more visitors through her doors. But Kamikazi sees something different: a country whose darkest chapter still shapes her life. The 29-year-old was born after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, in which about 800,000 people were killed over 100 days. Yet, she says, the genocide has never felt like history. On July 4, Rwanda marks Liberation Day, commemorating the military victory of the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), led by President Paul Kagame, which ended the genocide and brought the movement to power. “My father has been in prison since I was a toddler. My siblings and I were raised by my mother, who survived the genocide. The history of what happened in my country follows me every day,” Kamikazi told Al Jazeera from her shop in Kigali. Her story reflects one of the genocide’s enduring complexities. While some Hutu extremists killed their Tutsi spouses and even their own children, others risked their lives to protect family members despite the violence. Kamikazi’s mother survived, but her father was convicted for his role in the genocide and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1998. “Liberation means survival for my mother.
It means my life. But it also reminds me why my father is where he is. It’s a difficult feeling to explain,” she said. Different meanings Since taking office in 2000, Kagame has cast Rwanda’s recovery as more than rebuilding after genocide. His government has presented it as a long-term national project centred on unity, economic transformation and the legacy of what it calls the liberation struggle. The economy has expanded by an average of about 7 percent a year over the past decade, driven by tourism, technology, mining and agribusiness. Young people, who make up more than 65 percent of the population, are expected to carry that vision forward. Yet not everyone feels the benefits of that progress. For Christopher Teganya, liberation is both a source of pride and a reminder of the challenges that remain. “Liberation was a great start for a new Rwanda, but the government needs to do more,” the 26-year-old, who recently completed a master’s degree and is unemployed, told Al Jazeera. “We honour Liberation Day as an important part of our history, but everything loses its meaning when you don’t see a future,” he said. Unfinished promise Rwanda’s skyline and economy have changed dramatically over the past three decades. Investment in infrastructure, technology, mining and tourism has reshaped parts of the country, while major projects, including a new international airport under construction about 40 kilometres outside Kigali, have created thousands of jobs.
The BriefWire