The Rwandan Genocide: 21st Anniversary Commemorations in the Muhanga District

 On April 6^th 1994, President Habyarimana of Rwanda, President Ntaryamira of Burundi and several senior government officials were killed when their plane was shot down on approaching Kigali international airport, the country’s capital (Holzgrefe & Keohane, 2003: 15). This event sparked off the most horrific and deadliest genocide since the Holocaust of the Nazis during the Second World War, in which an estimated 800,000 to 1 million people were killed in a carefully planned massacre that lasted 100 days from April to July.

In the years since, the Rwandan people have commemorated the Tutsi genocide every year for a one week period between the 7^th and 13^th of April. However, for many the genocide is remembered for the whole 100 day period. On April 7^th (2015), President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame lit the ‘flame of hope’ at Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, Gisozi. This flame will burn for 100 days.

During this period of genocide, many people attend public meetings in local areas and attend events at memorial sites across the country. The vast majority of those who attend have been directly affected by the genocide, remembering their loves ones and close relations who perished during this catastrophic and immensely shocking period in 1994.

Although there was no specific theme to mark the 21^st anniversary commemoration, the genocide events were held under the ‘Kwibuka pillars of Remember, Unite, Renew, with a special focus on combatting genocide ideology and denial…’ (Musoni, 2015)

On Tuesday 7^th April 2015, the opening day of the commemoration period, Paul Kagame gave a passionate, heart-felt speech at Amahoro National Stadium in Kigali. Our Muhanga ICS team listened to this speech as well as some speeches from local government officials at the Muhanga Youth Centre. This was a very emotional time of mourning and remembrance for everyone present.  

On the Wednesday 8^th our group assembled at the RDIS Hall for a meeting with locals from the area. During this meeting the facilitator spoke of how the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) stopped the genocide and prevented further losses of lives of innocent Rwandans. The challenges the RPF faced, such as limited weapons, food and transport were also touched on. The inability of the UN soldiers to act and prevent genocide was highly criticised by most of those who participated in the meeting’s discussions. The audience was also invited to get involved with the meeting, participating in questions, comments and sharing some personal experiences.

On the Thursday afternoon, we attended the Binunga village genocide commemoration meeting with our RDIS facilitator, Jean-Marie Vianney Sindikubwabo, who delivered the main speech. The meeting’s main focus was looking at how Rwanda has recovered and achieved so much since the genocide. One survivor from this village gave a moving testimony on how he has forgiven and reconciled with his neighbour who killed his own children during the genocide. They were sitting next to each other during the meeting and now have a good relationship. This one testimony demonstrated the power and importance of forgiving one another, no matter how grave and painful the crimes committed may be. For Rwanda to successfully move forward and develop, fostering the values of forgiveness and reconciliation in Rwandan society are absolutely paramount. Today, genocide victims and perpetrators work side by side as a country mourns and remembers this terrible chapter in its history.  

On Friday there was a genocide commemoration meeting at Muhanga football stadium. Symbolic and comforting songs were sang by church choir groups, some church pastors spoke on Bible verses to relate to the genocide and there was a workshop which discussed how genocide can be prevented from happening again. The main themes of forgiveness and unity were particularly encouraged. The Rwandan government has been keen to focus on positive things such installing street lights in communities, health insurance for all citizens and Umuganda, monthly community service for all those 18 years and over. There are also many Rwandans who still live outside the country, whom the government intends to help to further enhance the unity which is expressed across Rwanda.

C.S. Lewis once said, “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”

References:

Holzgrefe, J.L. & R. Keohane (eds), 2003. Humanitarian Intervention: Ethical, legal and

political dilemmas. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Musoni, Edwin, 2015. “21 years later, Rwanda remembers.” The New Times, published on April 7^th. Available at: http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2015-04-07/187642/ (Accessed 21^st April 2015)

The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame

Church choir at Muhanga football stadium

Genocide Memorial Meeting in Kigali

Weeks 3 and 4

appetising!

We have had a very exciting and varied couple of weeks. We have not only broadened our agricultural knowledge through learning how to construct a kitchen garden, but we have expanded our culinary tastes through sampling a Rwandan delicacy, fried flies. Emily and Rhianna were convinced that these flies tasted like sorely missed bacon, but perhaps this was just out of desperation. We also celebrated the end of Honore’s university exams with a wild party which included banana cake, banana juice and Honore’s dancing debut.

Our work in the communities has been split between finishing the energy efficient stoves and making kitchen gardens.  It’s probably fair to say kitchen gardens are a lot more physically demanding than making stoves. Our first attempt was fairly slow as we were getting used to the new techniques and methods. Perhaps most challenging was cutting down trees and carving them into wooden posts and pegs using a small, blunt machete.  Wildly swinging at a tree and hoping for the best was our initial tactic, to the amusement of the villagers. Joel and Ed were most successful with this and are slowly becoming accepted by the villagers as fellow tree fellers.

You are probably wondering – how exactly do you build a kitchen garden? Well, here’s a little rhyme to make things clearer…

Clear a space in the soil

(this requires significant toil),

puncture the earth with holes,

and then insert wooden poles.

Consult with Honore

‘cause he knows the best way,

to wrap the poles with sack.

We've really got the knack!

Use rope to tie it tight

pull with all your might!

Repeat for level 2,

then you’re half way through.

Shovel soil into the spaces

And don’t splatter on-looking faces. (*cough* Allen *cough*)

Sprinkle manure on the top,

and look forward to the crop!

the team with the second kitchen garden

Thanks Allen for the mud make-over!

On a more serious note, kitchen gardens are important because they allow people to grow a wider variety of crops all year round. This provides people with the ingredients for a more balanced diet. The crops grown in the kitchen garden can be watered using unclean water as by the time the water reaches the roots of the crops it has already been filtered by the soil. We have made friends with two boys from the village, Peter and Ernest, who have been helping us to make the kitchen gardens and we invited them to come to our lessons at Zion Hill school so they can improve their English. We were so excited when they turned up for the lesson, albeit 2 hours late, and we are looking forward to teaching them again next week!

a finished energy efficient stove in use!

We have also been working in the RDIS office by proof reading important documents and writing a questionnaire on the benefits of energy efficient stoves. We also completed the stoves we made last week by covering them in cement, a task which the perfectionists in our group loved!

We would like to say a big thank you to our friends and family for their continued support and prayers!  We have seen answers to the prayer requests we posted last week, specifically about the weather. Despite rain clouds gathering, the rain held off and we felt the first drops only when the last shovel of soil had been added to the kitchen gardens!

Easter In Rwanda

PASIKA NZIZA!  - HAPPY EASTER!

Good Friday

Our first experience of Easter in Rwanda was very different to what the UK volunteers are usually used to. We were invited to a Good Friday service at Zion Hill Church (which actually resembles a hill like Mount Zion in Jerusalem!) by our RDIS facilitator, Jean Marie, a Rwandan preaching legend who with his abundant enthusiasm, brought the church service well and truly to life with a captivating sermon. The UK volunteers all had help understanding the sermon from the in-country, Rwandan volunteers, so between us we could work out most of what was being said. Not only did we have a fantastic sermon, but also witnessed and took part in Anglican worship like we have never witnessed before. Within moments of a member of the congregation getting up to lead the worship, did we find ourselves dancing and singing together with most of the church at the front. Even the white-robed Anglican pastors joined in the joyous worship!

                                   

Easter Saturday

We woke up early on Saturday morning to embark upon a hike in the hills which dominate the Rwandan landscape.

After a short, but back-breaking and very bumpy journey to the start of our walk, we joined many locals who every week gather at the hill’s summit to pray and worship in the midst of the stunningly beautiful Rwandan countryside. We were lucky enough to experience some clear skies on our walk, which gave us great opportunity to take some incredible pictures, spend some quality time together outside, and relax on our day off. We also took some time to pray together and worship as we stood amazed at the beauty of God’s creation. 

 

Easter Sunday

Our morning was spent at the English Church service at Gahogo Anglican Church. We celebrated the resurrection of Christ firstly by leading the worship, and then hearing the story of Mary Magdalene discovering that Jesus had risen from the dead.  Our contribution to the service was increased further as, quite to our surprise, Emily was asked to read a bible verse, which involved donning the white robes and joining the pastors at the front. The service was closed by sharing communion together.

Our Easter meal wasn't the traditional roast that some of the UK Volunteers may have been hoping for. Instead, our conversation and fellowship made up for the slightly flavourless main course of beans and rice. Fortunately the day was saved by Rhianna and Emily whose apple crumble was out of this world, (out of this country maybe) as the Rwandans were surprised and slightly disappointed at the idea of cooked fruit!

For the UK volunteers, we found that cutting out the western traditions at Easter, mainly Easter eggs and over eating, was a good way to reflect on what Easter is really about and we found time over the weekend to appreciate the gift of Jesus dying for us.  The Rwandan volunteers also had a slightly different Easter as they were dragged out on a hike (‘who does that!?’ to quote our team leader Mateso) and made to eat strange food.