The importance of Rwandan youth - Passionate Patriots

When 20% of your country's total population is brutally murdered in the span of a hundred days, many of them in the prime of their best and brightest years, how do you rally the nation forward over the following decades?  If you're Paul Kagame, you constantly emphasize the duty and patriotism inherent in being a motivated, educated young person in your devastated country.  Perhaps more than any other current African leader, PK is a champion of African youth.  Here are a few excerpts from a speech he made to youth in Benin in November of 2010:

"Africa needs young people who are motivated by the desire to serve the interests of their people – with a sense of urgency to address the persistent problems of poverty, hunger, disease, among others."

"(Y)ou must always be mindful that the solutions to Africa’s development will come from us, not outsiders – this means that we must have high ambitions and a clear vision for our continent."

"Our experience in Rwanda has shown us that young leaders are critical for nation building and are instrumental in wealth creation."

"They have the strength which, when coupled with relevant skills and the spirit of innovation, discipline, and entrepreneurship, can be agents of change for the common good."

Based on a recent editorial in the New Times, Rwanda's only daily English paper (full disclosure, it's edited-in-chief by a good friend of mine), it looks like some young people are taking him to heart.  In a piece entitled "Engagement, Commitment, Loyalty, and Passion of Rwandan Youth", Michelle Rugema writes about a recent speech by American First Lady Michelle Obama in South Africa on the same topics of "seriousness" and "commitment". 


You really should read his whole editorial - it's well-written and moving.  However, the part that really struck me was his focus on the idea of passion:

"Without a deep passion for our lives, for our causes, and for our nations there can be no sustainable development and none of the principles mentioned above can be effective.  We need to be passionate patriots; passionate about our causes, about our country, our development and our prosperity as a people."

I'd love to be able to forward that paragraph on to every person blessed to have been born into a developed country and who wrongly believes that Africans are lazy, ignorant of the larger picture, and expect to be handed solutions to their problems.  It's Mr. Rugema's exact sentiment which explains why I can't seem to work anywhere besides Rwanda and why, if I'm lucky, I'll get to keep working here over a lifetime.