Rwanda's memorial sites and the stories they tell

Seven days throughout, during the week of mourning as we commemorated the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, rain was pouring nonstop as we traversed the country visiting the six major memorials to pay homage to victims that were laid to rest there. Officials tour former classrooms that have become final resting place for victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi at Murambi( Sam Ngendahimana) This wasn’t a tour; it was a visit to genocide memorials, by a team of media practitioners and some young genocide survivors—who went from one place to another paying tribute to not only to their fallen relatives but victims of the genocide. But one thing was consistent, rain kept pouring. To someone who was not in the country in April 1994, they would perhaps guess that rain made life even harder for the ‘wanted Tutsi” back then—who had to hide from both Interahamwe militias on a killing spree and the rain. However, one iconic survivor and a resistor of the genocide, known as Aroni Gakoko, from the mountainous Bisesero told Sunday Times that rain was “partly a savior”, for it would disrupt Interahamwe’s hunt for the Tutsi for some good time and the Tutsi, on the other hand would be able to reorganize and find ways to hide or perhaps fight back, as was the case was in Bisesero. Of the six memorial sites we visited, each one of them has a unique story. Much as Bisesero has a story of resilience and resistance, thousands of Tutsi were killed, as was the case was in the different places—though each with a different story. Our reporter, Athan Tashobya writes about the untold experiences from each of the five memorial sites he visited during the mourning period. Ntarama Genocide memorial Bugesera district is one district that experienced what many describe as the unspeakable acts of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The district is the only one of the 30 districts in the country that hosts two major memorials; Ntarama and Nyamata memorial sites. Family members of victims lay flowers to honor the victims of 1994 Genocide at Ntarama (Sam Ngendahimana) Ntarama, specifically, is a testament of how merciless the killers were. The memorial was a catholic parish and in the backyard was a one-classroom block of what used to be a nursery school. Inside the nursery school, you will see stains of blood on the walls. According to survivors and several narrators, young kids who sought refuge in the nursery, were swung by their legs and smashed onto the walls by Interahamwe militia—a kind of killing that was described by genocide survivor as the “most violent” attack during the 100 days of the Genocide. In this case, the killers claimed that they did not want to waste their bullets. During this attack at Ntarama church, some victims were tortured until they died; the wombs of pregnant women were cut open as the Interahamwe claimed they wanted to see how an unborn Tutsi baby looks like. Some survivors of Ntarama massacre have pinned Francois Karera, a former leader, as the one who commanded the soldiers and Interahamwe who attacked Ntarama church killing an estimated 5,000 people Murambi Genocide Memorial What was meant to be a technical school—a skilled development center—was turned into killing center in Nyamagabe district, 126 km south of Kigali City. At Murambi, you not only see preserved bodies of the victims but also evidence of French conspiracy during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. Mourners tour in Bisesero Genocide memorial (Sam Ngendahimana) Murambi memorial is a resting place of 50,000 victims of the genocide. The former technical school classrooms now hosts the preserved bodies of the victims that are kept in open space for visitors to witness the scale and nature of the death that the victims experienced. It’s in this school that a large number of victims were killed and close to 1,200 bodies were preserved together with their property like clothes worn by victims as proof of the Genocide that took place in the area. The most shocking reality though is a one place just behind those classrooms; a section consisting of trenches where bodies of the victims were thrown after they were murdered and a volleyball pitch which was set up on top of those mass graves as French troops tried to hide that fact. Besides those graves was a place where the French flag raised since the area was near a military camp for French army that was serving under Operation Turquoise. This place has now been turned into a Memorial Garden. Bisesero Genocide memorial As much as 40,000 Tutsis were killed in Bisesero hills, the “Abasesero” people, as they are much referred to, are known for their bravery in resisting the former government soldiers and Interahamwe militiamen. Gakoko, one of the prominent resistors and fighters told Sunday Times that, “as soon as we heard that Genocide had begun in other parts of the country, all men in Bisesero came together to devise means of resistance rather than fighting as individuals.” Indeed, during the month of May 1994, residents from neighboring sectors came to take refuge in Bisesero, mainly at the top of strategic Muyira hill. As mass killings of Tutsi increased by the day, people trekked from miles away to take refugee there. As killings drew by, the Bisesero residents had prepared enough to fight rather using sticks, stones and spears. “We fought on and killed so many of Interahamwe and government soldiers who were killing Tutsi. We confiscated their guns but unfortunately we didn’t know how to use them. I think that is one reason we lost the battle because we couldn’t fight battalions of government soldiers loaded with big armory,” Gakoko added. One Eric Nzabihimana, a former teacher and survivor from Bisesero is still of the view that: “Had it not been the arrival of French soldiers, Interahamwe wouldn’t have defeated us”. The French entered Bisesero on 13th June claiming they had intentions of keeping security and stopping the Genocide. Upon their arrival they spoke to Nzabihimana, who had been a teacher at the time and knew French. Pictures of the victims of 1994 Genocide archived inside Murambi Genocide Memorial in Nyamagabe (Sam Ngendahimana) According to Nzabihimana, at the sight of French soldiers, Tutsi in Bisesero came out of their hiding with belief that they were to be rescued from the killers. He says the French army instead claimed they would come back after three days to rescue Bisesero residents. “As soon as the French soldiers left, the Interahamwe came back to finish us. The French did come back about three days later but they found almost everyone dead. Just a few young men survived,” Nzabihimana recounted. Currently the Bisesero Genocide memorial whose construction started in 1997, is full of human skulls and bones of 50,000-60,000 bodies. Nyarubuye Genocide memorial Nyarubuye memorial, located in Nyarubuye sector, is the resting place of over 58,000 victims and is regarded as one of the places where ‘horrifying massacres’ of the Tutsi took place during the Genocide. Tutsi who had sought refuge at Nyarubuye Catholic parish were attacked by Interahamwe militia, almost all were butchered save for about 18 of them who survived. According to Florentine Nyirakamana, a guide at the Nyarubuye memorial, Interahamwe camped at the church and held some Tutsi hostage, “killing one at a time. Some of the Tutsi were cut open and their hearts were roasted and eaten by the killers,” she said while pointing at a small oven where the roasting is believed to have taken place. Inside the memorial, there are dirty clothes with dry bloodstains, believed to have belonged to the Genocide victims. Nyanza Ya Kicukiro At the outskirts of Kigali city, in Kicukiro, at a technical school—formerly known as Eto Kicukiro—peacekeepers failed the test of trust, survivors from that place say. At Eto Kicukiro, the UN forces (UNAMIR) are said to have abandoned over 2,000 Tutsi to the mercy of blood-thirsty Interahamwe extremists. On April 11, shortly after the withdrawal of the UN peacekeepers from the former ETO-Kicukiro (now IPRC-Kigali) compound where the Tutsi had taken refuge, the Tutsi were attacked by the militia and forced to walk up to Nyanza where they were brutally killed, along with thousands others. Their remains were later interred at the Nyanza Genocide memorial. The memorial is home to the remains of 11,000 victims, including bodies that were recovered from neighboring areas. During the night vigil to pay respect to the victims buried at Nyanza memorial, Donatille Mukabalisa, Speaker of the lower chamber of parliament, revisited that infamous moment when the, “United Nations abandoned Rwanda in its hour of need when it withdrew its peacekeepers from the country, effectively leaving those that were being hunted at the mercy of the Interahamwe militia and the ex-FAR.” Whether the world has learnt from this failure or not, it is left for analysts to tell but according to the president of the umbrella organisation of Genocide survivors, Ibuka, Prof. Jean Pierre Dusingizemungu, he is certain that “The world has not learnt from past tragedies.” editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Rwanda's memorial sites and the stories they tell