Kwibuka23: Rwandan youth urged to take part in Remembrance Walk

Preparations for this year’s Walk to Remember are going according to plan, Marc Gwamaka, the Director of Peace and Love Proclaimers (PLP), the organisation that coordinates the event, said. Speaking to The New Times, yesterday, Gwamaka said besides Rwandans inside the country, their compatriots in The Hague, The Netherlands and Accra in Ghana had confirmed their participation in the annual event. Initiated in 2009 by Peace and Love Proclaimers, Walk to Remember is an annual event that seeks to mobilise Rwandan youth and their peers around the world to fight genocide ideology. The main event takes place in the Rwandan capital Kigali, while other walks are also held in different countries around the world. This year’s edition will take place tomorrow, April 7 – in the afternoon – hours after the commencement of the weeklong official commemoration of the of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi. Gwamaka, who said they used various mediums, including social media platforms, to raise public awareness about the upcoming walks, called on the youth to come out strongly and participate in the event. He said he expects many Rwandans and friends of Rwanda to participate in the event, particularly in Kigali. He added that besides the Rwandan Diaspora communities in The Hague and Accra that have already confirmed, more Rwandans elsewhere around the world are expected to partake in the walks throughout the 100 days of commemoration. The Genocide lasted for about 100 days, from April 7-July 3, 1994. “It will take individual and collective strength to rebuild the Rwanda we want – a step at a time,” Gwamaka said. This year’s edition has not changed in the organisation. As with previous such events, mourners will gather at Parliament Buildings in Kimihurura between 2p.m and 4p.m before walking in a procession to Amahoro National Stadium, where a night vigil will be observed. The night will include, among other things, name reading of those that lost lives during the Genocide and testimonies from survivors. Walks to Remember have previously been held in several countries around the world, including Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania, Nigeria, India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Belgium, China, Malaysia, and Rwanda. President Paul Kagame has previously taken part in the Kigali events. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Kwibuka23: Rwandan youth urged to take part in Remembrance Walk