June 21

            Last Saturday, Stephanie and I walked for an hour to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre. I entered cautious and left speechless. There are no words to describe the tragedy that the Rwandan people went through during the 100-day massacre that occurred in the summer of 1994.

Kigali Genocide Memorial Entrance 

Kigali Genocide Memorial

            Upon entering, you walk into a very serene room to watch a short film that introduces the horrors of the genocide. After, there is a beautifully laid out exhibit that details everything about the genocide from the initial colonization of Rwanda to the horrific personal stories. After you read through the extensive history, you enter a dimly lit room with hundreds of photographs of victims that have been submitted by friends and families. This is eerie because the pictures were all taken fairly recently. Once you leave this emotional room, you can go upstairs where the memorial pays tribute to other genocides that have occurred in the world. This particularly struck me because of how supportive and conscientious Rwandans are of others who experienced the same grief and suffering.

            After, there’s a beautiful outdoor area where over 250,000 victims are buried. Stephanie and I witnessed a funeral procession occurring while we were paying our respects. The party was carrying two caskets containing men whose remains were finally recovered in order to be properly buried to honor their memory and life. This was unbelievably moving.

Section of the outdoor burial grounds

            Although it is impossible to describe my emotions after leaving, I can say that I felt an immeasurable amount of shame.  The extent to which the world cast a blind eye to the Rwandan genocide is inexcusable and deeply malevolent. Though I am not surprised in the least, it was extremely hard to read about the abandonment of hundreds of thousands of innocent lives.

            Another thing that struck me was that nearly every single person I pass when I walk down the street has a story. Not one individual was left unaffected by the genocide, and victims as well as genocidaires are everywhere. A person may walk past the individual who murdered their family every day on their way to work, and this is unimaginable. 

            I will undoubtedly be returning to the memorial before I leave Rwanda. What I learned has allowed me to gain a deeper appreciation for the work being done at WE-ACTx.

-E