The legacy that I have inherited from Mama is the legacy of Patriotism. Mama had a deep sense of identity and a sureness about who she was. I grew up watching her instill values and morals within us that would later become our identity. When i think of Mama, there are two words that come to mind: Strength and Perseverance.
Strength: Mama was one of the strongest people I knew. I can’t fathom having 15 children and raising them far away from home as a refugee. She was always up before us, got us ready for school, and then spent the day working to help provide for us. Whether it was knitting all day so she can take it to the market, or running a clinic. She would do this with toddlers running around, a baby on her back, or carrying another child. After school she would make sure we’ve all eaten and ready for bed. She was usually the last person to go to bed. I constantly wonder where she got the strength and the courage from. When it came to protecting her family, Mama would not hesitate to do whatever it took. One time, we were moving from one province to another, in a particularly dangerous part of the country. Little did we know that Mama had brought a gun with her, and she had it on her side just in case anything would happen.
Perseverance: Mama’s strength allowed us as a family to survive, and even to thrive. As Rwandan refugees living in Uganda, it was not always easy to make a living, in fact it wasn’t easy for many Rwandans. It was even more difficult to keep our culture alive while adapting to the culture that we lived in. There are many instances of a battle of cultures that we had to fight. Whether it was making an effort to speak Kinyarwanda at home, to sometimes changing a letter in our names to make it sound more Ugandan. She often spoke to us in Kinyarwanda, and in the midst of the daily busyness, she would take the time to teach us our culture. With the help of our aunt (we called her Shangazi), Mama taught us how a Rwandan should carry themselves, the traditional songs and dances, and the importance of not forgetting where you come from. She had a deep love for her country. She followed the news about Rwanda everyday, and would send us news clips regularly. This continued up until her last days.
I inherited her passion for her country, and I joined the RPF liberation force in the early 1990s. I took her spirit of perseverance with me, as I fought to liberate our country alongside my fellow soldiers. I know that I made Mama proud to have had a part in the liberation struggle, as well as helping to bring our families back home. I am glad that she got to live in her home country for many years. I plan to continue to uphold this legacy of identity, strength, courage, and perseverance in everything that I do.
I hope that i keep making her proud as i focus on God, family, & country
This weekend on July 4th marked the 26th anniversary of the day the Rwandan Patriotic Force liberated Rwanda, and stopped the Genocide against the Tutsi. The struggle was not an easy one, there were many challenges that stood in our way, and we lost many lives. But we as a Rwandan people will continue to honor their sacrifice by continuing to build a country that we can be proud of.
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