Dear Elders, You Failed Us. Do Something !

We are in an era where social media platforms are very influential to the vast majority of people who use them and those who don't.
You'll ask a friend where they got the information and they will tell you "My friend told me he read it on Facebook"

Very many people are flocking to use social media for very many reasons.

We have social media influences, and we have influential people who like everyone else use social media to express their personal views and sometimes involve their work. These are people at the height of our food chain, these are the people we look up too to make decisions that will literally impact the entire country and for that, we hold them with high regard and put high standards on them. Standards that come with the fact that what they do will affect all of us.

Just like we follow and learn from what they do and say, agree or disagree with the decisions that they make, it makes little to no change from the decisions they make because we are mostly notified when the decisions are final and under implementation.

We are ok with that, because they are mostly doing things that, even though they are uncomfortable to some people, they are for the greater good of the country and that's all that matters.

But if they get a time to read this, I would like to tell them that while we are thankful for their contribution for developing this country, they have failed us tremendously. They have gone to great heights to make sure this country develops at a high rate and we love that but. We (the youth) have become collateral damage for living with people who don't understand us, who don't understand that the world has changed and cultures change too, and they too should learn to live with what's changing in the world.

Much like everyone else, I am a social media enthusiast and I frequently use social media for both entertainment and educational reasons. I learn a lot from everything that's trending and everything that everyone is preoccupied with when they share it.

There's not a single day that I don't see outcries from my fellow youth about how their mental health is in shambles. Mine is too and and I am working on that, it gives me consolation to know that I am not alone in this and that together as the youth we are going through the same thing but guess who our main source of mental health issues is? our elders. parents, guardians, lecturers, pretty much all the old folk are the reason we flock to social media to lament and vent and share what we are dealing with.

The saddest part is that they see it. We know that you guys see it. we know that one way or another these complaints get to you and you know what's even sadder? you guys blush it off and call us soft, crybabies and go on to say things you went though that were much tougher.

My question to you is, why must we suffer to learn the lessons you learned 40 years ago? what did we do wrong to deserve that other than being born from you guys? you guys treat us as if we are living in 1980. You have failed to adapt to the pace of the changing world and we have become victims of your conservatism.
Parents do everything in their power to limit our potential with outdated rules based on how you grew up in the name of Rwandan culture and mostly religion. It's ok. that you want to live that way. it's not ok that you don't let us chose our own path.

These are not the old days, the world has changed, we have changed with it. we want to live in a future where, like everyone else, our voices are heard, our concerns considered and our mental health protected.

but what do you guys do when we tell you.

"twe kumyaka yanyu twarwanaga n'idubi n'intare, none mwe muri kwiriza, murarwana n'iki? na mayonnaise?" - "apostle" Gitwaza.

These words coming from on of the most influential religious people hurts. hurts more because of how many people he can reach. telling them to own their shit and stop crying. We hear this a lot from elders. yes, you went through tough shit back in the day. but why do you want us to re-live it?
Why do I have to live my whole life suffering from the things you didn't heal from.
are you perhaps jealous of the beautiful life we are living, that you didn't have when you were our age?

Why are you forcing a 1980 culture on us when we are trying to create our own.

We are tired of being victimized by your insecurities. This is our time,it's time you adapt to it.
It's time you tell your ministry of youth and culture to learn to find ways to coexist with the current culture and put that outdated one in the museum. History scholars will learn about it. but in the current times... every time you say things about how the have lost culture.This is how we take it based on what you're commenting on.

- You are homophobic
- You are sexist
- You are demeaning
- You are insecure
- You too have mental health issues from your past that you never healed from
- You are projecting your anger on us
- You don't want us to be happy
- You don't wanna get out of your comfort zone and adapt like we have.
- or maybe, just maybe. you are jealous.

But I will remind you this, you guys have a moral responsibility over us and you are abusing it on a daily basis.

How can you, a senator, a whole senator. a person that literally makes decisions that can impact millions, worry more about whether a building was not built with bars high enough to discourage people jumping off a building? 

How can you then go on to tell people other ways they can commit suicide if they want to?
Respectfully sir, and I hear there is a law not to publicly shame officials but "SHAME ON YOU"

Why can't you worry more about mental health and maybe worry more about what you, as the people we trust to run the country for us, can do to prevent more of these suicides from happening?

That's too much man !! The worst part is that we can't survive mental health issues without your help.

We are not asking for too much. We are merely saying consider putting facilities in place to help people that are dealing with these issues. We are merely saying, the limitations our parents put on us even when they are as small as forcing us to shave our heads, have a big impact on our mental health. We are merely saying let us live how we want. Of course we abide by the rules but some are outdated and need change.

Teach your fellow old folk to let women dress however they want. Let men be vulnerable and tell you their feelings, it's not weakness. it's self awareness. telling them to be tough is basically telling them to ignore what is bothering them. Stop ridiculing hairstyles branding it "uburara". let women date women and let men date men if they want to. they are living their life. 

I remember this one time I was not allowed to sit for a job exam because I have dreadlocks, because they are not part of the dress code and cultural way a Rwandan should conduct themselves. Who are you to tell me how I should live my life, what's so political about locks? why do you let things that don't bother me, bother you that much?

If a parent thinks it's ok to commit suicide, imagine the mentality and the mindset they try to raise their kids with. they are the reason we flock to the twitter streets crying. Because we don't trust you will hear our reason to cry. and some give up and take their own lives. I would rather go to social media and tell my friends what's bothering me than come to you as a parent because I know the answers I will get.

Look.. I am angry so I will stop here. but you as the government should focus more on how to make sure you protect the people that are going to inherit what you have so much worked for and built. we love what we see, the progress is good with the country. but it's useless if those who will inherit it are not mentally ready to take over in future. we don't resent you. we don't hate you. We just don't like your old culture and how you force it on us. and I am not saying it's all of you. I am just basing this on the culture and how it has gradually affected us and limited us in many ways.

Consider making radio programs for the old folk/our parents and teach them of the changing world. Tell them there's no place for homophobia,sexism, gender inequality, domestic violence and how it affects us in the long run. and stop limiting our potential by infringing outdated cultures on us in the name of "umuco nyarwanda". Support us as we try to build our future. don't support us by forcing us to live like you. We don't want to live like you, just like we won't make our kids live like us. We will support them to realize their potential and be there for them every step of the way. it's not too late for you.

Uburara ni actions. nibyo umuntu akora bidahwitse. ntago ari kwambara ijipo ngufi cg kugira umusatsi kumutwe.

The sooner you realize that, the better.
The Rwanda you are building, is the Rwanda we all want. The culture and lifestyle we are trying to live is the future we want and what kind of life we want for our kids. This is our life. this is how we want to live it. We don't live for you. we live for ourselves. Give us that freedom. Freedom of choice. Help us teach our parents that. you will be doing us a big favor.  I believe our cultures can coexist and we can all be happy by letting each other live their own lifestyle without one forcing theirs on the other.

I understand this is controversial, and I am not preaching hate on anyone. I am pleading for help from the elders that can influence social change.

I rest my case. and I hope this message gets to everyone in a position of power out there.

Edit. Senator made an apology tweet and I thank him for understanding that mental healthy is real. We need more people up there to learn that too and help they youth out here. We need all the help we can get. I hate to see people take their own lives. it's not good. Together we can achieve more.