Nyange heroism site in Ngororero District will soon be transformed into an educational centre where the youth can learn good values and fight against any kind of divisive ideology.
This was aid by Godelive Mukasarasi, the Vice-Chancellor of Chancellery for Heroes, National Orders and Decorations of Honour (CHENO) during a visit to Nyange Secondary School, where a project has been established to preserve the acts of heroism that occurred here 25 years ago.
This school was in 1997 attacked by extremist insurgents who asked students to separate along ethnic lines, but they refused and in the process six of them were killed on the spot, while 19 sustained serious injuries.
These former students have since been decorated as national heroes under the Imena category while part of the school has been converted into a museum through CHENO under the funding of Rhineland-Palatinate/Rwanda cooperation.
Once the learning centre is complete, it is expected to contribute to the continuous efforts to keep and preserve human values, especially the heroism spirit demonstrated by the Nyange students.
Mukasarasi commended Rhineland-Palatinate, a German territory, for cooperation and considerable contribution and support in the execution of this exhibition project.
"I thank you for building three classrooms and funding the exhibition centre, we also appreciate the long-lasting and continuous partnership between the Government of Rwanda and the Rhineland-Palatinate,” she said.
She assured them of continued collaboration with the different stakeholders in order to preserve and promote this site and to ensure that the future generations are well educated through it.
"We wish that this partnership could be extended and continued to accomplish other useful activities on this site and also if possible on other sites of the Heroes in Rwanda,” she added.
Norbert Neuser, president of the new board of the Jumelage Association of Rhineland Palatinate said that this site is only a starting point on the contribution of fighting divisionism in general.
"I think that might help us in the future but we have to be active in the future in order to continue to eradicate any kind of discrimination and we should learn from the past,” he said.
Commenting on expected outcomes he said that this project will contribute a lot in educating students even beyond Rwanda about discrimination among other lessons.
"The results might be that in the future, Rwandan students and their counterparts from Germany and the world over have this site here as a good chance to remember, and think about actual problems of discrimination,” he said
Moreover, he said that it would be a learning place for them and help in fighting discrimination.
‘Nyange Heroes Museum’ is the home of 47 heroes categorized among the Imena category 39 of whom are living heroes and is scheduled to be inaugurated as a museum officially in October this year.
A delegation from Rhineland-Palatinate visit the Center
Visitors in a mini-museum where a project has been established to preserve the acts of heroism that occurred here 25 years ago at Nyange Secondary School. Courtesy.