RWANDA’S quest for hope and peace…
Footballers from the once war-torn country are championed in these stunning photos that show how the sport is attempting to bring the country together.
The snaps were taken by Football for Hope, Peace and Unity (FHPU) coach Didier Bana, a man hoping to change the Rwandan football landscape forever.
FHPU uses the sport to encourage young people and their communities to be active in the fight against prejudice and intolerance in Rwanda and beyond.
Their work stems from the common cause of raising awareness of the horrors committed during the 1994 Rwandan genocide against Tutsi.
Over one million Rwandans were killed during the horrific conflict, mostly Tutsis.
FHPU hopes to lay down a positive foundation for reconciliation and unity in the future.
Their cause was highlighted by Goal Click, a project that unites football fans through stunning photography taken on a disposable camera.
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Bana, who’s also project coordinator for FHPU, revealed how the organisation was born.
“FHPU was founded by former captain of the Rwandan national football team Eric Murangwa Eugene,” he revealed.
“He was a survivor of the Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi in 1994.
“During the genocide, Eric lost 35 members of his own family including his youngest brother, who was just seven years old at the time.
PICTURE PERFECT Goal Click unites fans all over the world with stunning photos taken on disposable cameras
“He owed his survival and that of his family to the protection they received from fellow members of his football club Rayon Sports F.C.
“This included Rayon board member Jean-Marie Vianney Mudahinyuka, otherwise known as Zuzu.
“He was a notorious leader of the Interahamwe militia – a man subsequently imprisoned for his role in the genocide.
“Eric often says football saved his life. It transcended ethnic differences and ultimately gave him hope for the future.
“It is this faith in the beautiful game that led Eric to establish FHPU.”
Fighting for his own life inspired Bana to get involved with FHPU.
He wanted to remember those lost in the war, and he felt this was the best way he could pay his respects.
“For many years after the genocide, I kept asking myself, ‘Why me?'” Bana said.
“And only recently I came to realise that those who survived had all survived for a purpose, which is to make sure our loved ones weren’t lost in vain.
“The only way we can do that is to make sure that what happened to them, and to us, never happens to our children; and this is why FHPU is here today.
“Like many young Rwandans I started playing football at a very young age on the streets of my neighborhood.
“I got involved in FHPU because I was a close friend of Eric’s brother Ishimwe Jean Claude and met him on frequent business or family visits.
“Eric established FHPU in 2011 and in 2012 he asked me if I would like to be part of FHPU, which I accepted without a second thought.
“I accompanied him on a tour of the country, meeting all our local partners and I was appointed as FHPU Rwanda coordinator.”
Rwanda is football mad, according to Bana.
King Mutara III Rudahigwa promoted the game in the 1930s as the country’s number one sport.
But originally it was introduced by Catholic Church missionaries.
“We say, ‘Football in Rwanda is not just a game!’ Bana explained.
“Since it was introduced to Rwanda by Catholic Church missionaries in the 1920s football has affected every Rwandan.
“The role it has played in the rebuilding and reconciliation process of Rwandan society since the Genocide of 1994 is very special.
“Football in Rwanda is a powerful story of colonialism, political struggle, friendship and solidarity.
“King Mutara III Rudahigwa endorsed football and turned it into the nation’s number one sport.”
“During the genocide, sporting solidarity became a matter of life and death when some players and fans survived because of their football connections.
“During the Arusha Peace negotiations football was important for morale and discipline of the RPF soldiers.
“An inter-battalion championship was created to keep the soldiers busy during the long ceasefire period.”
Over the years, football has helped rebuild Rwanda and Rwandan communities and helped restore some calm.
When two of Rwanda’s biggest rivals came together to play a match just a month after genocide in 1994 it sparked a unity among the people.
“Football played a role to bring back a sense of peace and hope for future among Rwandans,” Bana said.
“The first public gathering after the end of the Genocide in 1994 was a game of football between Rayon Sports F.C. and Kiyovu Sports.
Goal Click: In their own words
GOAL Click is a global football photography project, helping people understand one another through football.
The idea is to find one person from every country in the world and send each of them a disposable analogue camera. The photographers take photos of football that symbolise their country or personal story.
Goal Click shares compelling stories from around the world by giving people a chance to show what football means to them and their country.
Football means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. But it always means something.
You can follow the Goal Click journey on Instagram @goalclick or Twitter @Goal_Click
“Football became an engine for forgiveness, reconciliation and unity.
“Families of genocide victims and genocide perpetrators met on the football field as players or as fans supporting together.
“A number of tournaments at local and national level were organised to raise awareness and encourage national unity.
“Football helped people to come together for a common cause.
“Football also played a huge role in promoting the new Rwandan image abroad through our national senior and youth teams.”
Bana’s photos were taken during one of FHPU’s projects called Play For Hope: Rwanda20 in collaboration with Coaches Across Continents.
It’s a programme that is designed to work with local community groups.
They aim to build a network of coaches able to deliver both sporting skills and social values back into their communities.
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And what does Bana see for the future of Rwandan football? He’s hopeful and positive that it will be a successful one.
“The future of Rwandan football is in the hands of our young people in the same way the future of Rwanda as a nation is in their hands,” he said.
“We believe the future of Rwandan football is bright because they have had an education in hope, peace, unity and development.”
That’s a sentiment that no one can argue with.
You can follow the Goal Click journey on Instagram @goalclick or Twitter @Goal_Click.
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