As we approach the 31st commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, we enter a season of deep reflection, unity, and remembrance. For Rwandans both at home and abroad, this is a sacred time. We get to take a moment to honour the more than one million lives lost, and to reaffirm our shared commitment to "Never Again."
This year's commemoration arrives in the shadow of troubling developments. A coordinated smear campaign rooted in malicious propaganda from the DR Congo capital Kinshasa and greatly supported by countries like Belgium seeks to isolate Rwanda on the international stage.
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These efforts have found sympathetic ears in parts of the Western world, some of whom are now going as far as cancelling official Kwibuka events, long held in solidarity with survivors and the Rwandan community.
Already, Liege, a city in Belgium will not be holding this event which has been on calendar over the past years.
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To our compatriots in the diaspora: do not be disheartened. We do not need permission to mourn our own. Our remembrance is not a favour granted by foreign institutions--it is a moral duty, a collective promise, and a testament to our resilience.
Even in the face of cancellations or political interference in remembering our own, Rwandans across the globe must find ways to come together--whether in homes, community centres, or places of worship--to remember, reflect, and reaffirm. Our strength lies in unity. Silence and retreat would only serve those who deny our history and seek to erase our truth.
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Let us remind the world that Kwibuka is not political. It is personal. It is about families, pain, memory, healing, and resilience. No country, no campaign, no propaganda machine can take that away from us.
As we prepare to mark Kwibuka31, let us stand firm, walk tall, and honour the past with the dignity it deserves. Wherever you are in the world, let your voice be heard, your candle lit, and your heart open.
Together, we remember. Together, we heal. Together, we refuse to forget.
We have been here, the world watched on when tens of thousands were killed every single day to bring the tally to over a million within a record 100 days. We should therefore be naïve to expect more from elsewhere.
This is not to say that we are unappreciative of the true friends who have stood with us all through. We are eternally thankful. It however a solemn call to Rwandan compatriots that Kwibuka cannot be delegated. It is primarily our cross to carry.
