“In everlasting remembrance of those who died in the Genocide against the Tutsi”. These are the words of Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. They wrote them in the guest’s book at the Kigali Genocide Memorial when they toured the site on Wednesday morning. The royal couple is in town for the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which climaxes Friday and Saturday – having been preceded by four specific forums (Youth, Women, Business and People) as well as several other side events. “We remember all the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The Kigali Genocide Memorial is the final resting place for more than 250,000 of the approximately 1 million victims of the Genocide,” they later reflected on their official twitter handle. The victims that Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla honoured on their maiden visit to Rwanda were men and women, children, the elderly, professionals, farmers, the homeless and other vulnerable individuals whose lives were brutally cut short by a bigoted, genocidal regime. Some of them had their families completely wiped out, others left behind destitute and traumatised children, widows and parents who were broken and hopeless and questioned the very foundation of human life. That’s only 28 short years ago! Today, Rwanda is unrecognisable from the bruised basket case it was in the years that followed the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The people of Rwanda have since taken it upon themselves to rebuild their lives and country and forge a common, optimistic future together. Everywhere you look life has changed remarkably, explaining why life expectancy of Rwandans has since increased from 49 years in 2000 (and just 26 in 1994) to 69 years. This has been possible thanks to the unity of Rwandans, security and a commitment to the values of good governance, inclusion and equality, and integrity, among others. It is a demonstration that where there is unity and a sense of purpose humans can overcome whatever challenges they face. Indeed, today, more than ever, the world needs to come together to confront a myriad of challenges it faces; from climate change, to extremism and violence, to public health threats, and unemployment and economic hardship. These are some of the issues that the Commonwealth leaders, who are convening in Kigali this week for their first meeting in four years, are expected to confront with a view to come up with common strategies on how to move forward. Together, these 54 nations, home to one-third of the world’s population, can impact Mother Earth in a great way, at a time the world needs more than just voices of reason, but concrete, positive actions.
