Visiting the Genocide Memorial

From Annie we didn't really know how to leave again, as the motos had dropped us far from the main roads. We ended up calling our trusted taxi driver, who took some 20min to come for us, but came when he said he would. We drove straight to the Genocide Memorial.

Rwanda had a major disruptive event happening as recent as 1994, when the Hutu majority called for all of the Tutsi minority to be killed. Husband's killed their wives, friends killed each other, people set their neighbor's house on fire... In 100 days of genocide in 1994 over one million people died, while the global community stood by and did essentially nothing to intervene.

The genocide memorial was opened in 2003 as a permanent reminder for the world to better identify situations similar to those that led up to the boiling point event, and make sure it is never repeated again. During the genocide, a lot of kids lost their parents, which is one of the main factors why Rwanda nowadays is such a forward thinking and innovative country.

Now there are a lot of businesses run by 30 year olds, who are reinventing how business works. There is a thriving tech scene, and Rwanda is actively working to establish itself as the tech hub of Africa. And they are doing well on their journey!

The genocide memorial is a powerful display of how horrible humanity can be. It illustrated in both text and pictures all the events before, during, and after the 100 days. It is definitely a must visit when in Kigali. Over 125 000 people are buried at the memorial ground in mass graves.

We had been advised of this, but our moods were definitely very somber when we left the museum. All I could do is shake my head at the brutality that us humans can conjure up when led by immoral leaders.Read more