The Management and Staff of BK Group Plc, on Friday, April 23rd held an event to commemorate the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, particularly remembering 15 members of their staff that were killed during the genocide against the Tutsi.

The commemoration ceremony took place at the bank’s headquarters in Kigali and was attended by officials of the bank, IBUKA, representatives of victims’ families, among others.

The participants took part in various activities including lighting of candles as a sign of hope, observing a moment of silence to remember the deceased loved ones, and listening to speeches about the country’s dark history.

Diane Karusisi, the CEO of BK, pays tribute to the employees of the bank slain during the Genocide against the Tutsi

Speaking at the event, Egide Nkuranga, President of IBUKA, the umbrella body of associations that support genocide survivors gave a brief background about the Genocide, and how it was planned before it actually materialized in 1994.

Egide Nkuranga, the President of Ibuka addressing the participants during the commemoration event

He further spoke about the significance of commemoration, saying it assists those who lost their loved ones to keep their memory alive.

He added that remembering the victims of the genocide is a way of giving justice to them.

"The first justice that should be given to those who lost their lives during the genocide is remembering them,” he said.

"It is also a way of fighting genocide ideology, since today there are some people who promote false narratives, aimed at denying or minimizing the genocide,” he added.

Ambroise Rugambwa, who represented the families of BK employees slain during the genocide, speaks during the commemoration event.

Speaking on behalf of families of the deceased BK employees, Ambroise Rugambwa called for more efforts to educate the young generations about the dangers of genocide ideology, and this, he said should start within families.

Dr. Diane Karusisi, BK Group Chief Executive Officer told the audience that commemoration is "very necessary” to restore dignity and value to the innocent lives that were lost during the genocide, since they did not have to die in the way they died.

Diane Karusisi, the CEO of BK, participating in candle-lighting as a sign of hope. Dan Nsengiyumva

"It is also a time to support the survivors and those who lost loved ones. We need to tell them that they still have a family and a country,” she said.

"We don’t want anyone to lag behind. A person with sorrow hardly stands up and works for the nation. So, the time of remembering is a time of supporting our people so that they can get better and play a part in the journey of building the nation,” she added.