Genocide – by Patrick, April 7th

Today is my birthday. It is also the 15th anniversary of the first day of the genocide that took place in Rwanda in 1994. On this day, one group of Rwandans began killing another group, and within three months over one million people had been murdered.

We went to the Kigale Memorial Center, a place dedicated to remembering the genocide. It explains the history of the genocide, with words and with pictures. There are videos where survivors of the genocide give their testimony. There is a room containing the photographs of many victims. There is a room containing the skulls and femurs of a few hundred victims, and where their names are read out loud on a continuous audio track. There is a room dedicated to the children of the genocide. Under each child’s picture is their name and some personal information about them – their favorite food, their favorite pastime, their hero, their last words, and how they were murdered.

Outside are the mass graves of over 200,000 people. No individual markings. Just huge cement blocks, each covering the combined remains of tens of thousands of people.

This morning we went to the national memorial service in a suburb of Kigale. Along with tens of thousands of Rwandans, we listened to speakers and singers share their perspective on the genocide. Much of it was in Kinyarwanda, the Rwandan language, but some parts were in English. The feeling and the intention was self-evident.

First was a man missing an arm who gave his testimony. His wife stood by his side while he spoke. Giving testimony is an important part of the healing process for victims.

An American man who lived in Kigale at the time of the genocide spoke. He explained how he and his wife made the difficult decision that she and their children would leave the country for safety, but that he would remain. He explained how ordinary, unarmed Rwandans stood at his gate, and protected him from men armed with guns and machetes, using words alone. They spoke the names of the armed men they knew, and talked of how they knew one another, and how their children played together. In this rare case, it was enough to keep them alive. In most cases, it wasn’t. Now the American man speaks to hundreds of American school children each week, educating them on the horror of genocide.


Paul Kagame, the President of Rwanda, spoke of the need to continue to move forward, and to build a new future for Rwanda. He also spoke about the need to remember, and the people who try to deny that the Rwandan genocide occurred, or who claim that Rwanda now exploits the guilt of the world to its benefit.

Many people in the audience were crying. For those who lived through it, who were injured, or who lost loved ones, the genocide is still very recent and very real. What I wasn’t prepared for was the screams. Some people’s anguish was so great that they began to wail. Many were helped away by Red Cross medics or other attendees. This was not isolated, and overlapping cries of anguish continued throughout as a tormented accompaniment to the proceedings.

This week is an annual week of remembrance in Rwanda. Each day work stops at noon, and communities come together to talk about the genocide. There is a different theme each day. How to build a better future. How to make sure this never happens again. How to help the many children who were left parentless, and who, even today, continue to lead their households.

I knew that a genocide had occurred in Rwanda. I had no appreciation of how horrific it was. I still don’t understand how a country of nine million people that murdered one million of its own citizens can move on. Many of the people who live here participated in the genocide, people who we interact with each day. Many others did nothing to try to stop it. All are guilty, but only a few can be prosecuted.

There are many victims here. This is visible in the many people with disabilities and scars that we see on the streets, and in the faces of those who have injuries other than physical ones. They are the ones who survived. Somehow they continue on, co-existing with their neighbours who tried to kill them, or who abandoned them. How they can get up everyday, and go about their business, and look into the eyes of those who murdered their families and friends is something that I have great difficulty understanding.

There are other genocide memorials in Rwanda. A church where ten thousand people were murdered. A school where hundreds of students, including many small children were killed. In this case, as if to ensure that no one can ever deny the genocide occurred, the bodies of the victims including the children were left in place, covered with lime to preserve them. We decided not to go to these places.

It was a difficult way to spend my birthday, but I’m glad to have been here.

For those who don’t know the history of the genocide in Rwanda, there is a brief summary below.

Rwanda was a German colony until its defeat in World War I, when it was granted to Belgium. The Belgians played on ethnic differences to divide and conquer the population. Based on questionable religious and anthropological theories, they divided the population into two main tribes – Hutus (‘hoo-tooz’), the majority of about 85%, and Tutsis (‘toot-seez’), the minority. In some cases, the assignment was done based on the number of cattle a family owned. The Belgians concentrated power in the hands of the minority Tutsis, to keep control over the Hutus. After Rwandan independence in 1962, the Hutu majority came to power, and retaliatory policies were introduced to put restrictions on Tutsis. Inter-tribal tensions continued, with periodic outbreaks of violence. In 1990 a civil war erupted between factions drawn along tribal lines. This continued until a ceasefire and power sharing agreement was being established by the President of Rwanda in 1994, but some in the Hutu majority were dissatisfied with this.

On the Rwandan President’s return from a peace conference on the night of April 6th, 1994, his plane was shot down while landing at the Kigale airport. Extremists among the Hutu dominated political and military ranks began to execute a well-planned final solution to the Tutsi issue. On April 7th, the moderate Hutu Prime Minister was also murdered along with ten UN peacekeepers from Belgium, prompting Belgium to withdraw its troops entirely, thereby making it possible for the genocide to begin.

Rwandan army and Hutu militia groups called ‘Interahamwe’ began a systematic campaign of looting, torturing, raping, and killing Tutsis across the country. Tutsis were executed wherever they were found by shooting, but more commonly with machetes or clubs, along with any Hutus suspected of sympathizing with them. Tens of thousands were murdered each day, and the streets piled up with bodies. Those who took refuge in schools or churches were executed nevertheless; in some cases whole churches were detonated or burned with people inside.

The United Nations Assistance Mission to Rwanda (UNAMIR), led by Canadian Lt. General Romeo Dallaire was present, but was powerless to stop it. Despite his warnings and requests for assistance from the UN, he had only 250 volunteer peace keeping troops from Ghana, and was under orders not to use deadly force. The world did nothing to intervene, despite clear evidence that a genocide was occurring.

The focus on exterminating the Tutsis was the Hutus undoing. The Tutsi dominated Rwandan Democratic Front (RFP) took advantage of the anarchy to counter attack, and pushed the Rwandan military and Interahamwe out of the country. This was done by a small minority against overwhelming odds, without any assistance from the international community.

Rwanda was devastated by the civil war and subsequent genocide. Bodies had to be buried quickly in mass graves. Dogs had to executed on mass because they had developed a taste for human flesh. There were hundreds of thousands of injured, orphans, and refugees.

Justice is being sought through an international court established in Arusha, Tanzania (also the home base for our Kilimanjaro climb in June). Due to the large number of perpetrators, local tribunals called ‘gacaca’) have also been adapted in a unique form of community justice. Many of the guilty escaped the country, but many remain. Because so many Hutus (men, women, and children as young as ten) participated to a lesser extent, as a practical matter, they will remain unpunished.

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8 thoughts on “Genocide – by Patrick, April 7th

  1. Nice to hear from you – I enjoyed your lesson on Rwanda – maybe you should come home and take up teaching – you seem to have a real passion for education and sharing what you’ve learned – I thoroughly enjoyed the history…..we continue to miss you both, our good neighbours – Diane we met your sister (finally) face to face (we had been waving hello for quite some time). Up close, I could definitely see the resemblance of you two as sisters. I’m glad that you’re still safe and enjoying your travels – I am still envious of you both and wish you continued adventures as you travel the trip of a lifetime. Are you dancing? If you want to know what’s happening in our boring end of the world, it looks like the Canucks have secured first place in their division and the playoffs are beginning fairly soon, the Bacon brothers(Gang Members) have finally been arrested (you talk about violence, although we haven’t experienced anything like Rwandan genocide,we seem to have had a gang murder every week for the past month or so) we’re heading into a provincial election (let the propaganda begin..)we’ve had a couple of sunny days last week which have inspired our cherry trees, tulips and daffy’s to finally emerge- up until this point, I think that our flowers chose to act as groundhogs….(nope,didn’t see my shadow so we’ll stay buried for another couple of weeks.) We are celebrating Easter this weekend….I’ve already seen the easter bunny in our back yard – he’s eating our moss and clover…Whoever you hired to do your gardening/lawn-cutting while you’re gone, fire him…he’s making us look bad…..Until next time, live the dream!Sandee

  2. Hi Patrick and Diane,Hello from all of us at Norah’s house on Easter Sunday. We were leaving you a “Happy Birthday” comment and it sounds as though it is a birthday you will not soon forget. Such tragedy and emotion – I cannot fathom! You have reminded us all of the world outside our little bubble. Thanks for the incredible updates and really, really “Happy Birthday!” Love…the family

  3. We are really enjoying your well written blogs you guys. Can almost taste & feel everything you are doing.In reality, we can't really imagine what you are experiencing. Stay safe.Likely, you will be authors or humanitarians when all this is over.Moe & Arlene

  4. Your words and embedded emotions bring back similar feelings we experienced during our visit to Dachau in Germany.

    You said “How they can get up everyday, and go about their business, and look into the eyes of those who murdered their families and friends is something that I have great difficulty understanding.” As difficult as it is to understand we should be grateful that people can live together and move ahead without further violence. Not having the ability to forgive and carry on have caused decades of problems in other parts of the world. It is good to see that there is hope and peace but that only comes from understanding.

    Take care,

    Werner and Henny

  5. Thanks again for your well written accounts of your travels. I,like Sandeeee… enjoyed your lesson in Rwanda. I remember some of the news from around the time this was happening but not undertanding really what was going on. It is such a tradegy that we can’t all live together in peace isn’t it. I Pat you should become a writer when you return. Your blogs are like a book that you can’t put down. more please….

  6. Again, I am inspired by your accounts and in depth characterization of past events. Humans are capable of such madness but can also be so loving and accepting…unfortunately there will always be factions amongst our midst that will stop at nothing in acquiring ultimate power. A friend of mine was over last night and I told him about your adventures and he was very well versed as he spent several months in Tanzania when he was only 14 years old and his mother in involved with books without borders and arranges for several container loads of children’s books to be delivered and travels there for three months every year. I’m enjoying a new found education just by signing into your travel blog…thank you for enlightening me..it provides me with greater perspective about the world we live in.

  7. Hi you guys.
    Thanks for your recent update. Must say, we were getting quite concerned after not hearing from you in some time, however, Arlene then pointed out to me that you are now with friends & likely wouldn't have much time to update things.
    Sunds like you are having a ball & staying in some rather very nice places (for the area). Diane keeps on amazing Arlene mostly & Patrick, you should become a writer when you get home.
    Thanks for the update & stay safe.
    Moe & Arlene

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