Kigali Genocide Memorial

The Genocide Memorial is one of six major centres in Rwanda which commemorates and explains the 1994 Genocide.  It is a powerful exhibition centre.  100,000 Rwandas were buried near this site.  The building itself was opened in 1999.  Within can be found the history of Rwanda, preceding the genocide with a children’s memorial, including life-size photographs with intimate details and even their favourite toys, their last words and details of how they died.  There is video testimony from survivors.  The Windows of Hope are stained glass windows with the African sun illuminating their colourful designs.

The Genocide lasted between 7 April and 15 July 1994, beginning the day following the assassination of the then President, Juvénal Habyarimana (1937-94), which led to a power vacuum.  The scale of the Genocide caused shock throughout the world, though no countries intervened to stop it.