‘Walk to Remember’ held in Uganda

Hundreds of Rwandans living in Uganda, last Saturday, participated in a ‘Walk to Remember’ as part of the events organised to mark the 18th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.The walk was organised by a youth anti-Genocide group - Peace and Love Proclaimers (PLP) and Rwandan students studying at Kampala International University (KIU).Carrying banners with messages denouncing Genocide and calling for its prevention in the world, the youth were joined by mourners from other countries in a one hour journey at Kansanga, a Kampala suburb. Later, the mourners gathered at the KIU main hall, where Rwanda’s High Commissioner to Uganda, Frank Mugambage underscored the importance of the walk in emphasising the Never Gain concept.“It does not only remind us of the Genocide that was perpetrated against the Tutsis 18 years ago, it also brings us together to reflect on how we have been able to deal with the calamity that befell our country,” Mugambage said.He, however, told the audience that it is not proper to wait for such commemoration events to take action against Genocide.“We must, as we remember the past, not forget to focus on the future because that is what guarantees the sustainability and well being of the society,” he added.The audience later listened to an emotional testimony from Olive Muteguzi, a student and Genocide survivor who resisted drowning herself in Lake Muhazi, after she had been surrounded by interahamwe militia in 1994.KIU Director of Academic Affairs, Dr Wilberforce Tindyebwa, commended the RPF leadership for having stopped the Genocide, adding that the country had now registered tremendous economic recovery.Dr Higiro Semajege, one of the elders of the Banyarwanda community in Uganda, briefly took the students through a history of Rwanda and what led to the Genocide.Meanwhile, last Friday, hundreds of members of the Rwandan community in Uganda also gathered at Kampala University (KIU) for a night vigil.

National

‘Walk to Remember’ held in Uganda