Kagame Presses on ‘Self Dignity’ as New Liberation Struggle
Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has called on Rwandans to strive for their dignity as a way of standing on their own and outshine the rest of the World as a truly liberated country.
Kagame was addressing Rwandans at the celebrations to mark the 21stliberation day held in Gicumbi district in the country’s Northern Province, one of the historical places where the former Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPA) started their liberation movement to oust the then Juvenal Habyarimana’s regime in 1990; a regime that perpetrated Genocide Ideology and its execution.
Rwanda has been pushing forward, realizing own goals and objectives twenty one years after the liberation struggle that halted the Genocide against Tutsis despite its forceful end; the rare mayhem in human history that left over a million innocent lives exterminated.
Kagame said that numerous Rwandans sacrificed their lives, property and gave up everything they had to have their country liberated during the liberation struggle, urging that “there is no one who should teach Rwandans the meaning and importance of liberation; independence and human rightsâ€.
Kagame stressed on the need for Rwandans to own the liberation and say no to anyone who undermines the country at whatever cost and stated that the struggle for Rwanda’s dignity is the new liberation struggle.
 “The liberation we need is to tell them the truth and show them that liberation is ours and we should liberate ourselves from them†Kagame said referring to the western countries who try to have Rwanda dance to their tune of human rights.
“The war of bullets ended, it is now a war for our own dignity, to strive for our own dignity by building schools for our children, health services to our people, cultivate our fields to have food, build roads. We can do this and we will do it in this new war for dignity†Kagame said.
He also added that Rwandans and Africans at large have to fight a war of striving for good governance, stopping corruption among other practices which are not part of the Rwandan and African culture.
“If we fight all the things, we shall get our dignity and liberation and we will not need to explain to anyone because they support us and thus we are asked to give explanationsâ€
“We are a people of dignity, that is who we are and that is part of us. Don’t tell us how to be liberated. Are you our creators?  Kagame questioned, literally pointing to western countries who continually instruct other countries as they keep policing African states in which Rwanda is found.
Kagame also called on the world to be respectful of each other and work together to fight issues that affect us globally such us terrorism instead of turning the same weapon of terror on countries like Rwanda.
“What we need to do is to work together with respect of each other, but not trying to terrorize us. We don’t use terror in our culture and we cannot allow that to happen here. Liberation starts with saying no to this terror and it starts with us†Kagame said.
The president also hailed the people of Gicumbi who supported the liberation struggle, saying that Rwanda will always remember their contribution and assist these communities whenever possible, though the appreciation cannot be equivalent to the sacrifices made by the people and community.
