Location: Kigali, Rwanda
Despite the beauty of the lush hills of Rwanda, and the progress visible in the streets of Kigali, it is impossible and, indeed, irresponsible, to forget the tragedy which ravaged this nation 15 years ago. As two students studying African conflict in school, we have seen and heard much of the Rwandan genocide of 1994, in which 800,000 people were brutally murdered in just 100 days. We have seen the radio station which broadcast inflammatory talk to fuel the genocide, and driven past the Hotel Milles Collines (made famous in “Hotel Rwanda”), but nothing was as moving as visiting the genocide memorial in Kigali. The memorial/museum moves from an academic history to a powerful story of the lives lost while the world watched silently. The last part of the museum was the most heart-wrenching. Upstairs was a memorial for children who lost their lives. The exhibit showed large pictures of smiling children, and had a placard for each child, telling about their life and death. Alexis, who, as a little girl used to ride around on her daddy’s shoulders, found a story about a similar little girl, described as a daddy’s girl, who was killed in the genocide, particularly upsetting. Another child, who’s final words were “Don’t worry, UNAMIR (the UN peace-keeping force in Rwanda) is coming” reminded us of the extent to which the international community failed the Rwandan people. For Brian, one little boy’s story will follow him forever. This boy, who, according to the placard, enjoyed playing with sticks, asked, in his final breath, “Mum, where should I run to?” before being shot in the head by the Interhamwe. Lastly, the memorial is the final resting place for 250,000 mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons. As we silently paid our respects at the mass graves, we came closer to understanding the true scope of the tragedy. As we mourned the failure of the international community 15 years ago, we are frustrated that the international community hasn’t learned from the loss of these lives. As we cried in front of the mass graves in Kigali, we knew that mass graves are still being filled in Darfur, where genocide continues, unabated. We hope and pray that the world will come to its sense, and stop the needless killing in Darfur. Outside the walls of the memorial is a bustling, but surprisingly clean and orderly city. Perhaps most encouragingly, the ethnic divides which one caused so much destruction have clearly begun to fade. Everyone we’ve talked with is not Hutu, not Tutsi, but Rwandan.
3 years ago