A Ghanaian Rtd. General also attended the event yesterday
Dear young Rwandans, I am writing this to you from Accra, Ghana — some 5,720 kilometers from Kigali, or 3,472 kilometers by plane.
I am partly here for a special occasion: to commemorate the Genocide Against the Tutsi from the land where Africa raised her first flag of independence — a land of peace, growth, and pride.
It’s just a few hours since I met face-to-face and shook hands with a retired Ghanaian General — a man who, thirty-one years ago, defied the UN’s silence to embark on a rescue mission during the Genocide against the Tutsi. Yes, in that dark April of 1994, when the world closed its eyes, he opened his heart.
“These are our heroes,” said Rwanda’s High Commissioner to Ghana, Rosemary Mbabazi, last night as we gathered in a quiet hall at the Marriott Hotel Ghana.
The retired officer I met was none other than one of the brave Ghanaian Generals — Maj. Gen. Henry Kwami Anyidoho, who served as Deputy Force Commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR), and stood his ground when most turned their backs.
In July 2022, President Kagame honoured Rtd. Generals Anyidoho and Adinkrah for their outstanding bravery in saving thousands of lives at a time when the United Nations had abandoned Rwanda during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
President Kagame decorated the Generals with Rwanda’s highest award — the National Order of Bravery.
In his speech, the President reminded the world that in 1994, when Rwanda faced its greatest time of need, and the United Nations withdrew its forces at the instigation of Belgium, only Ghana stood firm.
Thousands of lives were saved by the courage of Ghanaian peacekeepers under the command of then Lt. Col. Adinkrah, the Battalion Commander, and Rtd. Gen. Anyidoho, who was the Deputy Force Commander at the time.
And so, last night, I had the honour to sit in a room, along others, with Rtd. Gen. Anyidoho as we honored the brave. Yes, we honoured the brave. We remembered the fallen. We stood for Rwanda.
Rwanda’s High Commissioner to Ghana Rosemary Mbabazi delivers speech at Kwibuka event held last night
And now, young Rwandan, I speak to you — directly. You — born after the fire. After the screams had faded. After the blood had soaked our hills and valleys. You were born into peace. You’ve grown in a Rwanda that breathes, that heals, that rises.
But I must whisper to your soul: never get drunk on this peace.
Because peace was not given to us. It was earned. It was fought for. It was paid for — in tears, in exile, in sacrifice.
Since 1958, the Tutsi were hunted, burned out of their homes, chased across borders, labeled by their looks, their names, their regions. They were called cockroaches, snakes, and all other names meant to dehumanize them — to strip them of dignity, before stripping them of life.
Ask your grandparents. Hold their stories in your heart. They were denied school, denied work, denied breath.
Many walked barefoot across borders, with babies on their backs, dreams in their eyes, and despair in their hearts. Only to be told again and again: “You don’t belong.”
Then came 1994. The Genocide against the Tutsi. One million lives in a hundred days. Blood rivers. Shattered families. Burning hope. And the world said… nothing.
But not all hope was lost. Some rose. Some fought. Some dared to imagine a Rwanda reborn. And 31 years later, here we are. Breathing. Learning. Building.
Imagine those young Rwandans who were like you, but took arms to liberate this country. They were young like you — with dreams, with fears, but with a huge heart and unshakable hope for their country’s future. They sacrificed their youth, so you could live yours in peace.
You, young Rwandan, you have never known war. You’ve never been called a cockroach. Never had to run. That is a blessing. But also a burden. Yes, it is a burden because now it is your turn to protect what was won — to defend the peace you inherited.
Do not be fooled. Those who hated Rwanda in 1958 still exist. They hide behind suits, microphones, keyboards. They still fear our unity. They still attack our dignity. They still dream of breaking us.
Display of Rwanda and Ghana flags at Kwibuka event in Accra – Ghana
So what must you do?
Wake up early. Study hard. Speak truth. Work with purpose. Love your country. Love your people. Stand tall, but stay humble. Respect every Rwandan, every African, every citizen of the world regardless of where they’re from, what they believe, or how they look.
Never sow division. Never spread hate. And never take Rwanda and its peace for granted.
You are the soldiers of peace now. The farmers of unity. The builders of dignity. The keepers of memory.
Work. Protect. Preserve and above all, never forget.
So that your children will read about genocide — but never live it. So that our hills stay green, our people stay one, and our peace stays strong.
“Peace is our choice” – a message displayed during the event
I send you this letter with a full heart, with tears that still remember, and with a dream that you will carry the flame.
Rwanda is counting on you.
Never get drunk on peace — instead, stay awake to protect it. Remember. Unite.
Dan Ngabonziza is the Editor-in-chief and also Head of Business Development for Kigali Today Ltd, the parent company of KT Press, KT Radio 96.7FM and Kigali Today (www kigalitoday.com)
