Remember

(Visual graphic from https://www.kwibuka.rw/)

 

Good Friday is a day of silence for Christians worldwide, the day when the death of Christ is remembered. This year, Good Friday was on 7 April. Here in Rwanda, 7 April is a day etched in the collective memory. It is the day of the start of the genocide against the Tutsi, 29 years ago now.

In 1994 a ruthless massacre took place. The immediate trigger was the shooting down of the plane in which the then president was returning from peace talks. The plane's debris landed in the garden of the presidential villa.

However, the cause was much more complex and had its roots in years of abuses, attacks, discrimination, exile, bad governance both before and after the colonial period. On 8 April, 10 Belgian paratroopers were killed. Belgium decided to withdraw its troops from the peacekeeping force that was already here, making the UN peacekeeping mission even more flimsy than before. It opened the door to an unprecedented and very well planned massacre that would last for three months.

The genocide against the Tutsi is commemorated every year, already for 29 years. Banners reading "Kwibuka 29" hang from most institutions and businesses. These remain up until July, the full three months of the genocide.

The first week, is a week of silence and modesty. All flags hang at half-mast. A lot of commemoration activities take place, but at the same time, the population is asked not to organise any other mass events. There are clear guidelines (Kwibuka.rw). No music should be played in shops, bars, hair salons, etc. No sports matches take place. There are no weddings. International football matches are not projected on big screens for large groups. There are no concerts, film screenings, etc.

It is a silent week.

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