First Lady Jeannette Kagame on Sunday launched the Garden of Memory, a green space located in the Nyanza sector of Kicukiro district which commemorates the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Twenty-eight years ago, a genocidal government dragged the country into genocide that killed over a million innocent Tutsi from April to July 1994.
Each year, Rwanda devotes a week of commemoration to the victims from April 7 to 13, but the country continues to pay tribute to the innocent victims until July 3, the eve of Liberation Day when the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF Inkotanyi) overthrew the genocidal government. .
“It is often said that a garden is a sign of life,” said the First Lady at the launch of the Garden of Memory in Nyanza de Kicukiro.
The setting up of the garden started at the beginning of April 2019.
In this place, 28 years ago, the blue helmets of the UN abandoned the Tutsi in the hands of the genocidaires who exterminated them.
Thus, the garden is adjacent to the Nyanza Memorial, the final resting place of over 97,000 genocide victims.
“Even though the garden we are launching today enshrines our heavy history, when you open your eyes and see the beauty of this verdant garden, you feel relief in your heart,” the First Lady said.
She said it reflects the “Rwanda that we have built over the past twenty-eight years, which stays even greener in the dry season.”
The First Lady addressed the guests who understood… and said that among other things, there was a need to have a program that teaches young people about the history of the country that led to the genocide.
The content of this program would include testimonies from Genocide survivors.
She also said it was important to continue the battle against genocide denialism which fuels ethnic hatred.
“We will oppose the poisoning of our country and the land that nurtures this garden,” she said.
The First Lady reiterated Rwanda’s determination to never stop seeking information on the victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi and to celebrate the efforts of these heroes (living or buried) who fought to defend the right of every Rwandan to live in peace in Rwanda.
She further explained the significance of the key feature of the garden with Umunyiya, a symbol of resilience, the swamp which served as a hiding place for many and the stones which represent the victims of the Genocide, including those whose whereabouts are unknown. find the killers who concealed information.
In this speech, the First Lady paid tribute to the survivors of the Genocide.
“May you use this garden for comfort,” she pleaded. “May you use this garden to enrich your knowledge of our history.
Ms. Kagame encouraged all participants to join all Rwandans in telling the world a real “Never Again”.
