By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Rwanda on Friday commenced the commemoration of the 29th anniversary of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi ethnic group, a dark spot in the East African country’s history that left over one million people dead.
This comes as President Paul Kagame calls for self-determination to build a better and more prosperous country through unity, hard work, and perseverance.
Kagame made the remarks at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the final resting place for more than 250,000 victims of the genocide, in the capital Kigali.
“Today, we gather to honor the continued sacrifice of survivors and remember all those we lost during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, which means people were being targeted and killed for who they were,” Kagame said.
He added, “We have incredible strength coming from this history that informs us and tells us that you should never allow anybody else to dictate to you how you live your life, and that is Rwanda today.”
Kagame highlighted that Rwanda has undergone a transformation and that from the beginning, the people of Rwanda understood the need to cultivate and preserve a spirit of togetherness, which has given them hope for a better future.
He said denying genocide is dangerous, and it is crucial to oppose any attempts to rewrite history, adding that the most important lesson the country has learned is to transform its challenges into opportunities and also use so little to do a lot.
“There is nothing Rwandans cannot overcome through unity, hard work, and perseverance. We will forever be very grateful to those friends and partners who stood by our side, and some continue to do so in the search for justice as well as in development,” the president said.
Earlier, Kagame, along with first lady Jeannette Kagame and other dignitaries, laid wreaths at the memorial before lighting the flame of remembrance to mark the start of the genocide mourning week.
This year’s genocide commemoration is observed under the theme “Remember-Unite-Renew”. Throughout the mourning week, the Rwandan flag will be flying at half-mast in honor of the victims.
