Rwanda’s unique method to reconciliation
This year, Rwanda remembers for the 23rd time, the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi that resulted from historical eras of bad governance, eras imbued with divisions and discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, region of origin which have had devastating effects on social relations of her people.
Unity and reconciliation among Rwandans is defined as “a consensus practice of citizens who have a common nationality, who share the same culture and have equal rights; citizens characterized by trust, tolerance, mutual respect, equality, complementary roles/independence, truth, and healing of one another’s wounds inflicted by our history, with the objectives of laying a foundation for sustainable development.”
The most popular tools used to promote unity and reconciliation among Rwandans to 92 percent in 2015 and to a projected level of 95 percent in 2017 include [1]: (i) civic education, (ii) community-based initiatives, (iii) national summit, and (iv) home-grown solutions.
Since the introduction of community-based initiatives, the Rwanda population has been graduating from a high level of poverty 60 percent in 1990s toward less than 30 percent in 2018. The most popular community-based initiative is the “Mutuel de Sante.” Nationally, health in Rwanda has been of high priority since the liberation of the country in July 1994, with considerable achievements over the years.
What resulted from such exercise was a number of home-grown solutions; culturally owned practices translated into sustainable development programs. They include (i) “Gacaca” which refers to a kind of small garden where a community would traditionally meet to discuss issues concerning them, (ii) “Abunzi” which can be translated as “those who reconcile” or “those who bring together,” (iii) “Girinka” can be translated as “may you have a cow” and describes an old cultural practice in Rwanda whereby a cow was given by one person to another as a sign of respect and gratitude, (iv) “Imihigo” which means “to vow to deliver,” (v) “Itorero” which is a cultural school where Rwandans learn language, patriotism, social interactions, sports, dancing, and songs, (vi) “Ingando” which means “going to stay” in a place far from one’s home, often with a group, for a specific reason, (vii) “Umuganura” which means “First-Fruits Festival,” (viii) “Umuganda” meaning “coming together in common purpose to achieve an outcome” (ix) Umushyikirano National Dialogue Council, and lastly (x) “Umwiherero” which means “retreat,” with the concept having been widened up to mean a national retreat for state officials.