Genocide photo exhibition held in Nairobi

The Commemoration month of April brings about difficult memories for Rwandans and friends of Rwanda, but these remain very important days as well, as they allow all of us to pause and not only remember but honour our loved ones, said the Ms Yamina Karitanyi, the Acting High Commissioner in Nairobi during the official opening of a photo exhibition on the Genocide.She said the effort was necessary “to ensure we educate others, tell the truth and arm humanity with facts so as to fight violence and denial.” The high profile event was attended by Sahle-Work Zewde, Director General of the United Nations Office in Nairobi, ambassadors, high commissioners, UN staff, the Rwandan community in Kenya and Friends of Rwanda.The 18th year’s commemoration was held under the theme, “Learning from our history to build a bright future”. The guiding theme is very much in line with President Paul Kagame’s vision of post Genocide Rwanda which reads as follows: “My vision of Rwanda is a united country that is integrated into the sub region family of nations, a country that is developed and has eradicated poverty, a country that is democratic, and above all, a stable country at peace with itself as well as its neighbours.We are the first generation charged with the responsibility to rebuild post genocide Rwanda. This is our promise to posterity and to the world.”As we continue with the task of rebuilding our country, Rwandans put greater emphasis in educating the youth for them to have better understanding and appreciation of their history so they could commit to a society free of the discrimination, divisionism and genocide ideology that almost destroyed Rwanda, and instead work together to build and participate in a united, democratic and prosperous Rwanda, Zewde said. “We thank the United Nations Office in Nairobi for having made available their beautiful venue and services in order to make this exhibition a reality, and to have agreed to partner with Rwanda in relating the history of the Genocide against the Tutsi.”She also thanked Willy Nkuraija for making available the exceptional work of the German photographer, Guenay Ulutuncok “who was kind enough to donate to the Government of Rwanda the set of pictures being exhibited here today. As it is said, a picture is worth a thousand words. There is no better way to express the agony that our people lived, so we thank the artist for succeeding in expressing those emotions so clearly.”She noted, “ I once again thank you all for having taken time out of your busy schedules to come and be with us to commemorate the lost lives and reflect on the tragedy that our beloved country witnessed in 1994.”

National

Genocide photo exhibition held in Nairobi