Our Rallying Cry in Rwanda Day Boston.

h.e._president_paul_kagame.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Quest to find our Inner “Self”

It all started with a common dream

To swap our state of statelessness

For a sanctuary in our Promise Land

But the enemy was prowling around

To inflict to us the worst genocide

That left us grief-stricken;

Doomed to sink in self-pity

Against all odds…

We recovered from the ashes

And rebuilt our lives

Proclaiming loud and clear;

“Bye Bye Self-destruction,

Welcome Self-reconstruction”

Having reclaimed our normal self,

We were self-determined

To reverse the negative trend

That predicted revenge

By opting to put forwardT

his life-bearing statement;

“Bye Bye man-made divisions

Welcome Unity and Reconciliation”

 

With a vision and a direction  

Led by HE President Paul Kagame  

Assisted by his enlightened Team  

We made big strides ahead  

Refusing to walk barefoot  

On unpaved roads leading to dead ends  

We rather padded our sore feet  

With soothing shock-absorbers’ soles  

To stand strong and firm on our feet  

And proclaim with a sigh of relief; 

 “Bye Bye bumpy paths with potholes;  

Welcome paved roads with tarmac”  

Self-cognizant of our steps forward,  

We were self-driven to shoot for the moon  

The key ingredient was none else but;  

“Bye Bye Ignorance,  Welcome to Wisdom”  

Self-aware of our gains,  

We needed tangible tools  

To confront rough times  

With tough measures  

We kissed goodbye to the Stone Age  

And welcomed Information Technology  

It was all good, we knew by then  

That the momentum will be kept   

As the possibilities were endless  

While we were there,  

Why not a decent dwelling for all  

No sooner said than done;  

Bye Bye Nyakatsi!  

With a roof over our heads,  

We catered for our other needs  

Culture, Agriculture, Health, Environment,  

Gender Equality, you name it…  

Our prolific mind was quick to engineer 

 Inexhaustible Homegrown Solutions  

Endowed with a self sense of our power  

Aimed at effecting positive change  

We said; “Bye Bye shortage and scarcity,  

And Welcome to self-sufficiency;  

Bye Bye Exorbitant Medical bills,    

And Welcome to Free Coverage;  

Bye Bye plastic bags,  

And a nationwide Welcome to  

Environmental friendly habits.”  

The list goes on and on but,  

For a people with self-discipline  

Fighting for self-preservation,  

Self-esteem is boosted at its climax  

To help us reach our ultimate goal;  

Self-monitor our progress  

For a self-indulgent outcome 

“Bye Bye Black-mailing from Third-Party  

Welcome to self-control of our destiny”  

To conclude, let’s deeply draw    

From our history of resilience  

And say loud and clear  

“Bye Bye Lifelong Dependency  

And Welcome to Self-reliance”;  

The only essence of our selfhood,  

The core root of our uniqueness!  

Only then can we be self-congratulatory  

For our exemplary self-achievement  

Only then can we be empowered forever  

To take leadership and ownership!  

N’impamo da, byose tuzabigeraho nitwihesha Agaciro! Imvugo niyo ngiro!

 

 

Poem by Jeanne d'Arc Karuretwa

Septembre 2012

Leave a Reply