KIGALI, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Itorero, originated from Rwanda's pre-colonial education system, is contributing to unity and reconciliation of the country through education on values since being restored in 2007, chairperson of Rwanda's National Itorero Commission Edouard Bamporiki told Xinhua on Friday.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan genocide against Tutsi, in which about 1 million people were killed. After the genocide, the Rwandan government started the journey of reconstruction and reconciliation.
The civic education program Itorero, banned during the colonization period, was restored after the genocide to help Rwandans rebuild social cohesion and participate in socio-economic development based on Rwandan moral values.
Earlier this month, Rwandan president Paul Kagame and senior government officials were present at the closing ceremony of the 12th Itorero Indangamirwa in Gatsibo District, eastern Rwanda, which is an annual Itorero activity that selects the best students and the best performers from the public and private sectors to receive the training of Itorero.
In addition to Itorero Indangamirwa, Itorero activities are implemented across the country at different levels including family level, village level, as well as at schools, public and private institutions.
Itorero teaches such content as values and teaches how to put values into practice, said Bamporiki in an interview. "If we talk about dignity and patriotism, we train people how to be patriots in action and how to have that in practice," he said.
The program brings people from different background together, train them together and send the participants to the society to put the values taught by it into practice together, thus, putting the unity into practice, the chairperson said.
Rwanda brings back the spirit of teaching values when people are still young to nurture the spirits of loving, protecting and working for the country in them, using values like patriotism to foster the unity and reconciliation, he said, adding that it also contributes to the development of the country as people are trained to have values of working.
