Few weeks back, the remains of 547 victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi were laid to rest in Kicukiro – my home.  I can never comprehend it all and it is always heartbreaking to say the least because more than 23 years, we are still finding our loved ones! 

Moments like these remind me of how far we have come in rebuilding our country after the horror of 1994.  They also remind me of the work that remains knowing that some go to sleep at night knowing they can help find remains but still keep quiet.  I cringe when I hear someone can be so heartless to deliberately construct a house and put a driveway on top of the remains of a loved one of a fellow Rwandan, who already suffered to death!  How do we get so possessed to commit and live with such evil!!! And, how do some even join forces with people who killed and still want to kill us!! 

Additionally, how is it that people don’t understand that we must always remember to honor our loved ones and make sure NEVER AGAIN remains a reality in our Rwanda!!  No matter what noise is out there or what heartless people who don’t see it as politics, we must give a voice to those who passed by speaking about what happened and boldly doing what it takes to remember and educate.  Moments like these remind me of this past April 21st, when someone told me, to my face, that my out of office commemorative message was offensive in that I was bringing politics to work stationery.  For nearly six years of writing a commemorative out of office note, which this year read, 

“Commemorating our loved ones lost during the Genocide Against The Tutsi alongside fellow Rwandans. I’m not on email and shall respond when back online on Monday April 10th. For urgent matters, please SMS me.”  

No sooner had this man uttered and displayed his heartlessness than my eyes welled up and all that good emotional intelligence went out the window.  It took everything to not utter any insult during this humiliation.  At the end of it, gathered myself to leave his office, and go for a staff get together.  When I got back to my hotel room, I couldn’t stop crying with my always supportive husband on the line.  After those tears, two things were abundantly clear 1) I MUST do more to tell/support telling of the stories of our loved ones and what happened in Rwanda. 2) It was time to move on and out.  

Commemorating is NOT politicking! It CANNOT BE because commemoration is exactly what we should be doing to keep the memory of our loved ones alive and ensure genocide never happens again.  Only we can preserve and honor the memory of our loved ones. We must continue to remind ourselves and the world what happened here so NEVER AGAIN remains a reality in our Rwanda. 

For you who take offense to what we do to commemorate, shame on you!!  Know this we CANNOT and SHALL NOT stop.  We shall make sure our children and generations after them always remember and renew commitment to NEVER AGAIN!  It is NOT politicking and we shall not standby as you undermine how we choose to remember!