Genocide Memorial

April 7^th- April 13^th was a week of mourning in Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda. This year’s theme was “Remember the Genocide Committed against the Tutsi: Support the Truth and Restore our Dignity.” The mourning will last for 100 days to mirror the hundred days of mass killings that happened in 1994. During the genocide memorial week, everyone in my village attended memorials everyday. We meet in the afternoon for several hours to hold discussions, about the history of Rwanda and also the recovery process and how Rwandan is moving forward. In the evening we all met and had a bonfire and heard testimonials from survivors, listened to songs, prayed and remember the lives lost in the genocide. The first day of the memorial on April 7^th  we walked around the village and stopped at various locations that atrocities happened we ended the memorial at a river which was used to dispose of bodies of those killed in the genocide. The last day of the memorial genocide survivors whose family members were lost in Mamba Village ( the village I live in) were invited to come back to there hometown and pay respect to there lost family members. There was a church service at the memorial in Mamba, genocide survivors gave testimonials and a re-burials were conducted of bodies found in mass grave sites. During the genocide in 1994 the international community stood back and watched but did nothing to help prevent or stop the mass executions. The United Nations has now designated April 7^th as an international day of reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda. To remember the victims of the genocide reflect on the crime of genocide and other related crimes against humanity and resolve to “Never Again” allow genocide to occur.

(  For those who do not know the history of the 1994 genocide I suggest the following books The Graves Are Not Yet Full by: Berkley Machete Season by Jean Hatzfeld.  My Father, Maker of the Trees( How I survived the Rwandan Genocide) by: Eric Iruzumugable or movies  “Sometimes in April,” 2005 HBO, “Frontline: Ghosts of Rwanda,” 2004 Frontline,  “100 Days,” 2001 Broadcast Feature Facilities Ltd. )