30 June 2021

Unity Club Intwararumuri through ‘Ndi Umunyarwanda Integration Project” sponsored by Rosa Luxemburg Foundation-East African (RLF-EA), in partnership with the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission, Ministry of Youth and Culture, and Rwanda Defense Force Command and Staff College (RDFCSC), has prepared competitions of Ndi Umunyarwanda for Higher Learning Institutions on the theme, “Ndi Umunyarwanda: the legacy we must scramble for, maintain and put first”.

These competitions are for students of the following eight Higher Learning Institutions: IPRC Musanze, INES Ruhengeri, University of Technology and Arts of Byumba (UTAB), Institut Catholique de Kabgayi (ICK), University of Rwanda (College of Education, Rukara Campus), University of Rwanda (College of Agriculture & Veterinary Medicine, Busogo Campus), Catholic University of Rwanda (CUR), and UNILAK Kigali. Students from these Higher Learning Institutions will compete in four different forms: Essay writing, Songs, (Poems), and Sketches.

From 10^th to 25^th May, 2021 the first phase of Ndi Umunyarwanda Competitions took place and students from these eight (8) Higher Learning Institutions which hosted the competition took part. In this phase students contested in essay writing.

In order to keep strengthening Ndi Umunyarwanda and mobilizing it to all Rwandans, there is a quarterly Radio and TV show in which some of the youth who won the competitions of Ndi Umunyarwanda will be invited. Through these quarterly Radio and TV show, some of the winners will work hands in hands with Abarinzi b’Igihango, Unity Club members, and partners in analyzing topics raised in the categories which won the competition.

In this line, on  27 June, 2021 there was scheduled a broadcast that was presented on the Radio Rwanda and Rwanda TV, the invited guests were: Hon. Rosemary MBABAZI, the member of Unity Club who is also the Minister of Youth and Culture, Madam Joséphine MUREBWAYIRE, Umurinzi w’Igihango (the guardian of covenant) at national level and two best students who wrote the best essays; namely, John TUOMBE, a student at University of Rwanda - College of Education and Desire AHISHAKIYE, a student at University of Lay Adventist of Kigali (UNILAK).

Through this programme, Hon. Rosemary MBABAZI said that Unity Club Intwararumuri planned these competitions in order to give the youth opportunities to show their viewpoints on Ndi Umunyarwanda.

Hon. Rosemary said, “The competitions of Ndi Umunyarwanda for Higher Learning Institutions intend to increase the knowledge of the youth on Ndi Umunyarwanda and to share them with their colleagues and Rwandans, to give opportunities to the youth so that they show what they think about Ndi Umunyarwanda, to encourage the youth to carry out research on Ndi Umunyarwanda, and to help the youth to own Ndi Umunyarwanda at their lives.”

Besides, other phases of competitions are being prepared whereby students from eight Higher Learning Institutions that are hosting the competition will compete through Songs,  (Poems), and Sketches. In all forms of the contest, awards are in place for the winners and the best will compete at the national level in order to know the best who have outperformed at national level.