This morning I met up with my new friends John and Tristan Miller to go see the Genocide Memorial. We all three hopped on motos and headed through the hills across Kigali as the memorial is somewhat removed from the random hustle and bustle that characterizes Kigali City Center in general.
Nothing I had heard or read about the 1994’s genocide had prepared me for what I would see this morning. The two-hour experience at the memorial and museum was the most moving and thought provoking experience I have ever had. As all three of us sat in the shade after walking amongst a burial ground containing over a quarter of a million Rwandan victims, three women staggered out of the museum’s building, eyes filled with tears, utterly inconsolable. There wasn’t a dry eye between us – the three umuzungu still there. I think it was at this moment that we all realized the legacy this unspeakable act had left – even sixteen years later, many Rwandans still struggle to understand and cope with the killings – neighbor against neighbor, priest against congregation. The country and its people have made a remarkable recovery, but there is still much work to be done.
Speaking of work, Tristan, the aforementioned Aussie from the earlier post, is currently embarking on a project to raise money for charity. Check out the marathoning madman here:
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