The Genocide Memorial - 15 Years

After a full week of meetings, we spent Saturday (yes... still behind, and now I have to pay for internet access at the London airport... but I wanted to catch you guys up on everything... and not forget, myself :).)

Where was I? Oh right, Saturday. The Kigali Genocide Memorial... wow. I had heard about the genocide in Rwanda before I came, but I really knew very little. I hadn't even seen Hotel Rwanda, because I heard it was really sad... and I didn't really want to know about some Rwandan Hotel (okay, I didn't really know what the movie was about).

We had been told that we HAD to go to the Genocide Memorial while in Kigali so that we would have a better understanding of what the people of Rwanda had gone through. We had been told to go the same day we arrived, but I'm glad we didn't. Having a fresh reminder of the brutal tragedy might have tainted our view. The whole week we had seen the hope, positive forward movement, and unity of the people of Rwanda. I'm glad I got to see that as it was without this shadow of pity or guilt over my eyes... but it did give me far more respect for how far they have come and everything they are doing to rebuild their country.

We found out we went there the day of the 15th anniversary of the genocide ending. And there was an incredible march of people, all wearing purple bandanas to pay respects and remind all of Rwanda that they would never forget.

The memorial was incredibly well done- starting at the beginning and identifying every single warning sign that this horrible tragedy was coming. It went on to discuss how well planned and efficiently executed the genocide was- 1,000,000 people killed in 100 days is no accident... not to mention the lives left destroyed through HIV/AIDs, orphans, and widows. The most shocking aspect was the brutality of the killing- women and children were actually targeted in the hope that the tribe would not go on.

But more, the memorial was serving to educate all people so that this would never happen again. One thing I especially liked was that they not only focused on the Rwandan Genocide of 1994, but they also had exhibits of the Armenia, Namembia, the Holocaust, Cambodia, and Kosovo. The point was extremely clear to all of us - genocide was not a Rwandan problem, a tribal problem, or a civil war. Genocide is a human problem that we need to be aware of and looking for warning signs.

My only similar experience is the Arpatheid museum I went to in South Africa... and my gut reaction was nearly the same. I am horrified by what people will do to people. The way that we treat each other is sickening. The hardest part of the entire memorial was the last section, where they showed the children that had been killed in the genocide... a wall of photographs clipped to strings.

What is hopeful about Rwanda is that they are healing by not allowing people to forget. The growing city of Kigali (seen at left) actually overlooks the memorial. And from the city, there is no mistaking that building on the hillside. Sadly, not all of the victims have been found or identified yet... the mass graves that victims have now been buried in at the memorial are still open, and they are still clearing more land to make room for more. (The pictures of the mass graves are above). We saw fresh graves, fresh flowers, and fresh tear stained tissues surrounding the mass graves. They are still trying to bring all of the victims home, and ensure through education, planning, and action that Rwanda never forgets it's past... which brings me to the slogan we saw everywhere:

Rwanda is you and me. One People. One Country.