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