Owing to Rwandas history of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, this is a place the world should visit and learn from, to avoid a repeat of the brutal killings. The remarks were made by a visiting Tanzanian Bishop Zackary Kakobe during his tour of the Kigali Memorial Centre at Gisozi on Thursday. Kakobe is the founder of the Bishop Zackary Kakobe International Ministries (BZKIM), and also the founder and overseer of the Full Gospel Bible Fellowship Church, based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He jetted into the country on Wednesday afternoon, to attend a prayer crusade at the Amahoro petit stade in Remera. dubbed ‘Harvest Africa 2015’, the crusade which was officiated this year, is expected to become an annual event. It was organised by Apostle Francois Nkurunziza, the founder and leader of the International Mission for the Restoration of the Nation by the Gospel (MIRNE), and the community of Bethel Churches in Rwanda (CEBR). “By touring the memorial site we’ve been given a glimpse of Rwanda’s dark history, but thank God something good has come out of this tragedy. But it is now evident that everybody’s story about what happened is changing for the better,” said the evangelist. He described the period of Genocide as “backsliding of Christianity”. “This is a very sad story, especially christians in one way or the other took part in the Genocide, which is contrary to the teachings of the Bible. Christianity as a whole teaches about love.” He attributed the end of the Genocide to the invisible hand of God: “RPF did a lot, but if you trace history, you find that there was the power of God.” Bishop Kakobe added that it was now time for Rwandans to put the pain of the past behind them. “My message to Rwandans is that there is a time for weeping, and a time for joy. I believe that this is now the time of joy for Rwandans. God is wiping away the tears of Rwandans. I believe that Rwanda is a place where everybody in this Great Lakes region, Africans and the world at large could learn from, so that Genocide never happens again.” He also donated $3,000 (2.3 million) towards upkeep of the memorial, saying it should be kept for posterity, to serve as a lesson and reminder to the generations to come. “We want to encourage each and everybody in and around Africa to make sure that this memorial is updated, knowing that it is not there just for the sake of Rwanda as a nation, but a memorial for the world.” The Harvest Africa 2015 mass evangelism crusade drew evangelists from Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, DR Congo, and Tanzania. It started on September 7, with seminars, revivals meetings and a women’s conference at the Bethel Church in Remera, Kigali, which will lead to a healing and miracle crusade at Amahoro Petit Stade starting September 11th to 12th. “The missionaries who brought the gospel to Africa did their part, but it’s now time for African clergy to begin where those missionaries stopped and continue spreading the gospel to the African continent, and even around the globe,” explained Apostle Francois Nkurunziza, the host. “Coming together is a way of creating networks and a framework where they will be cooperating to spread the gospel to the continent and to the rest of the world.”
