Rwandans and friends of Rwanda all over the world will from April 7 to 13, commence the weeklong commemoration the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi that happened 29 years ago.
More than a million people died in the carefully planned massacre that lasted 100 days from April to July in 1994.
The commemoration events are expected to start with a lighting of the ‘Flame of Hope’ at Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, Gisozi by President Paul Kagame, which will burn for the 100 days.
The President is also expected to lay a wreath in honour of not only the 250,000 victims interred at the memorial, but also all victims of the Genocide. Later, a minute of silence will be observed countrywide.
As part of the commemoration guidelines issued by the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement, all flags will be flying at half-mast for the next seven days.
The 29th Kwibuka commemoration will run under the theme, “Remember, Unite, Renew.” Kwibuka is a Kinyarwanda word loosely translated to mean ‘remember.’
Locally, residents will converge at the village level to pay tribute to the one million Tutsis massacred in 1994.
Format changed
Unlike the previous years when the commemoration week would be marked with dialogues held every afternoon within the commemoration week, this year will only see one dialogue held on April 7, while other commemoration-related events will not exceed three hours as announced by the Minister for National Unity and Civic Engagement, Jean-Damascène Bizimana.
“During this period, we urge everyone to reflect on the victims of the Genocide and how they were killed. There shouldn’t be any entertainment activities during this commemoration week,” said Minister Bizimana.
Usually, apart from the official commemoration, Rwandans and friends of Rwanda conduct a walk to remember annually, but this year, there won’t be a national event.
Rather, the memorial walks that will happen will be held by individual groups and use sidewalks or one lane of the road without interrupting traffic as announced by Minister Bizimana.
As per the national plan, Genocide commemoration is marked at the village level and a national event is held every after five years. The national-level event will happen next year as Rwanda commemorates the genocide for the 30th time.
During the commemoration week, several tribute messages are expected to come in from around the world.
Philbert Gakwenzire, the president of Ibuka, the umbrella organisation for the survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi said; “During this Kwibuka, we should comfort genocide survivors but also work towards building a united society.”
The Executive Director of Peace and Love Proclaimers (PLP) Naswiru Shema, said: “we must remember the atrocities that were committed during the genocide against Tutsi and honor the memory of those who lost their lives. It is crucial that we never forget the events of 1994 and work towards ensuring that such a tragedy never happens again.”
He added that during Kwibuka, “we must reflect on the lessons that can be learned from the genocide. This includes understanding the root causes of the genocide and its consequences. we must take action to promote peace and prevent genocide from happening ever again here and beyond. May our efforts toward peace and love be a beacon of hope for a brighter future.
Meanwhile, at the National level, the official closing of the commemoration week will be held on April 13, at the Rebero Genocide Memorial with a commemorative function in memory of politicians who were killed because they stood against the Genocide ideology and refused to participate in the massarces.
