St Augustine school honours Genocide victims

RUSIZI - St Augustine Secondary in Giheke Sector, Rusizi District, yesterday, reememberd teachers and students of the school who died in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Some students said they learnt about the genocide through the annual commemoration. “Commemoration is vital. It reminds us of the hatred, divisionism that sparked the horrible Genocide against the Tutsi. If we forget or pretend that nothing happened, the Genocide could be repeated. On the contrary, commemorating keeps the Never Again banner high,” said Headteacher, Marceline Muhimpundu. Students hailed the commemoration for teaching them about the sad history that marked Rwanda. “Remembering the genocide reminds us that we have blood and flesh, just like our fellow students who got massacred here just because they were Tutsi. Remembering helps us build a nation and school without discrimination or ethnic divisionism and Genocide ideology,” said a student. Students vowed to keep the 17th commemoration theme by upholding the truth and valuing each other. Giheke Sector Executive Secretary, Jean Marie Leonard Murenzi, hailed RPF for stopping the Genocide against the Tutsi. He also called upon teachers and parents to ensure proper upbringing of youth, especially since they participated in the 1994 killings. Murenzi requested the youth to give a deaf ear to false doctrines that haters of Rwanda circulate on the internet. The school also commended the government for taking care of survivors’ needs. Giheke memorial site is home to 857 victims of the genocide. Ends