Non Richard, les hommes de ta trempe ne meurent jamais.
All things pass – that’s the law of nature – but there are facts and figures that time cannot erase. One of these is the immense and ever-living memory of that wise man, that immense monument of courage, wisdom and restraint, Richard Kashirahamwe.
Kashirahamwe, the “Muhuza”, as his name suggests; the Mediator for those who know him well, has just left us for a destination known to believers. He has gone to the Most High, where a well-deserved place is reserved for him: at the right hand of the Father.
If Earthlings could testify before the court of Heaven, some would say without a shadow of a doubt that this ultimate reward is well deserved for Richard, so much so does he remain the symbol of a dignified man, a Mushingantahe in the true sense of the word; a guardian angel for his family, and in particular his wife Anita and his children, whom he brought up with respect and uprightness.
In the face of adversity, illness and bad weather of all kinds, his answer was always courage and determination. With this simple, affable yet high-flying man, everything seemed natural. His face always imbued with unfailing serenity, his eyes that spoke to you in a clear, unambiguous language; eyes that didn’t need to be exorbitant to better express disagreement! His eternal smile and even-tempered disposition; that discreet, childlike yet measured joy that comes from people with that treasure within them called friendliness and resilience – that’s Richard.
Richard’s thinking was clear, straightforward and profound. Always with a touch of humor and rational reasoning; Cartesian and sometimes undiplomatic, when something exasperated him. We thought he was destined for the bar, non-political politics or a career as a man of God. No, none of that, but it was all simply characteristic of a person who abominated hate, evil and lies.
Richard communicated tactfully and courteously, managing to get his messages across even in tense moments without ever raising his voice.
No one will forget his interventions at some of our meetings, when after stormy debates, especially within the Alliance des Burundais du Canada which he helped to found and grow, we were still searching for a line of conduct. His words would come as if to guide and conclude everything, and in a direction that few of his companions suspected; he often hit the nail on the head.
He had one of those speeches that takes the words right out of your mouth, so much so that it makes yours clearer and offers you a way out you’ve been looking for but in vain. Richard could say anything without ever being carried away by passion; without any desire to put his arguments before those of others as if to mock them, in the light of those people full of themselves; those people with a quick verbal trigger.
Friendship, mediation, sound analysis and social relations were his ideals and his main interests.
Richard was also, and above all, a great patriot and a very responsible and respected man. The proof is in all the noble and delicate causes he defended tooth and nail during the crisis his country has been going through in recent years, not hesitating to contradict certain preconceived ideas, even when these were held by some of his greatest friends.
A very generous man, Richard was always ready to help others. Among other eloquent facts, this great man gave of himself without counting the cost, despite his increasingly fragile health in recent years and especially in his final days. How many times, even when frail, did we not see him brave long journeys, even at night, when called to duty?
How many times has he put his hand in his pocket to help friends and even acquaintances in need? Not to mention the many occasions when Richard volunteered to lend a hand to the community to further this or that cause; to organize this or that event to promote his culture!
On hearing of his death, a wise member of the Alliance des Burundais said: “The family has just lost one of its greatest pillars, the community too, and even the country in which he was born. He was a Mushingantahe in the broadest and deepest sense of the term”.
Another lesson in courage, determination and resilience, Richard fought valiantly and discreetly against the illness that had just taken him. This brave Mushingantahe never showed anyone that he was suffering. On the contrary, he often tried to bring comfort to others whose suffering aroused his eternal empathy.
Another important fact that cannot be ignored, even if it might seem quite normal: Richard had gone to Burundi to bury his very close uncle and his father that same year. However, no one knew that fate was leading him along a path he had not taken for many years, to bid farewell to relatives, friends and acquaintances in his native land whom he would never see again.
Dear Richard, may the earth be light to you and may the Lord grant you the rest you so richly deserve.
Those who knew you will remember you, ad vitam.
September 2, 2021, Alliances des Burundais du Canada