The University of Kigali has on Friday, May 13 paid tribute to the victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi laid to rest at Kigali Genocide Memorial.

Varsity staff, students and other members of the institution had a guided tour at the memorial site, where over 250,000 Genocide victims are laid to rest. They also held discussions reflecting on commemoration in the memorial’s auditorium.

The tour aimed at facilitating students understand how the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi was prepared and executed to exterminate over a million lives in  just 100 days.

"Our school is made up of youths, most of which were born after the genocide. So, we wanted to bring them here so that what they often read and hear comes to the reality of their mind,”explained Sam Aine, Board Chair of the University of Kigali.

Varsity staff, students and other members of the University of Kigali arrive at Kigali Genocide Memorial to pay tribute to the victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi.

"Second, some of our staff and students are not Rwandans, so we also bring them here so that they can understand the value of unity that we Rwandans have built for the past 28 years ago,” she added.

The Vice Chancellor of the UoK, Professor Robert Rugimbana also called for a catalyst in the education system, as he echoed views of peacebuilding.

He said what transpired must never be forgotten and certainly should never happen again.

In order for this to be realised, he called for peacebuilding education to be incorporated in the Rwandan education system.

"To achieve peace and unity, at least one catalyst must lie in our education system...that is, what we teach in and how we teach the history of Rwanda. The all-important aim of imparting this knowledge is to ensure that what transpired in this nation over a period of three grisly months of that ill-fated year of 1994, should never happen again anywhere in our world,” he added.

Varsity staff, students and other members of the institution had a guided tour at Kigali Genocide memorial . Craish Bahizi 

University of Kigali has a diverse community with staff and students from different parts of the world. One of students who talked to The New Times, Emery Ichimanishatse, said there are a lot of things he learnt from the memorial, which his country can also acquire.

"There are some things that happened in my country but were not remembered. We need to sustain the history so as to teach the next generations, as well as helping those who were affected,” he observed.

Apart from visiting the memorial, UoK has also other in-campus programs to train students on peacebuilding studies as once every student is admitted at the

university; they undergo a course on the history of Rwanda.

Mourners light candles during their visit to the memorial on May 13

The tour aimed at facilitating students understand how the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi was prepared and executed to exterminate over a million lives in just 100 days.