My first weekend in Rwanda was really something that I will never forget. I personally felt the effects of the tragedy that feel on this great country in 1994. Engineering world Health organized our first excursion together as a collective group. It involved visiting the Millennial Village, the Nyamata memorial center, a woman’s collective, a farm, and a unity and reconciliation center. We also were able to watch a soccer game between Rwanda and Mozambique at the end of the day.
Although I did not know very much about the details of the Genocide in Rwanda before my trip here, I learned a great deal while visiting the Millennial Village and the Nyamata Memorial Center. There are no words to describe the pain that the Rwandan people went through during that time. Millions of innocent men, women, and children were slaughtered, and whole families were lost. This will be an account of my personal experience visiting The Nyamata Memorial site and the Unity and Reconciliation Village.
The Nyamata Memorial site was a small and simple Catholic Church, smaller than any of the churches that I have celebrated Mass at. Of course, because of the sorrow that came with the church, we were asked not to use photography in the memorial. During the tragedy, churches were a place of sanctuary for all who felt in danger. Those who took shelter there were under the impression that the perpetrators would not attack a place of worship. Unfortunately, the souls inside the very church I stood in were mistaken.
As we walked into the memorial center, the first thing I noticed were the bullet holes, missing bricks from grenades, and clothes on the pews of the church. There were about 20 to 30 pews covered in clothes of the victims of the mass murder. I started to choke up as I saw more and more clothes of infants and small children. Our guide, after a few minutes letting us soak in the images, directed our attention to the ceiling. As I looked up I saw dark stains along one section of the steal rooftop above me. “Those are the blood stains of some of the victims”, said our guide with sorrow.
That sight alone was what made an impact in my mind. There is no way to describe the pain that I felt merely looking above me. There were many images through out the memorial that depicted the suffering of the victims. But no other sight haunted me as that blood stained ceiling.
We were taken underground into a small tomb that was in the middle of the church. Walking down the stone steps into the tomb, I saw a large glass case protecting skulls, femurs, and other bones of the lost. Our group stood in respectful silence. After a few words from our guide, we departed and walked behind the church towards two mass graves.
I was utterly surprised that those who look over the bones were allowing visitors to enter a resting place. As I walked in I initially felt extremely uncomfortable. Not because of what I was witnessing, but because I felt like an intruder in someone’s home. However, after experiencing the sights, smells, and lack of sound in the tomb, I felt at peace. I understood that these victims are well cared for and honored. As a visitor, I am able to have a small idea of what these poor souls went through and how much their history means to the Rwandan people.
After the genocide, the government imprisoned the perpetrators. When they were released, they went out to seek forgiveness from the survivors. We were honored to visit a Unity and Reconciliation Village near the memorial site. Now, to show that this great country is healing, most of both the survivors and the perpetrators live together in small villages like the one we visited. The village had a motto, share everything.
As we entered the small village, we were welcomed with a great performance. The villagers were singing and dancing. The music was wonderful and the dancing was hypnotizing. After the welcome, we listened to translations of testimonies from real survivors and participants of the genocide. It was amazing to see people from the both sides of the story stand together and talk about their own experiences. To show their appreciation for our visit, the villagers shared their banana beer with our group. Although it was 14 percent alcohol and a very unique flavor, it was a very kind gesture.
The entire experience proved that the Rwandan people have shown the ultimate example of forgiveness. I was inspired, not only to forgive, but also to share, love, and, most importantly, be grateful for anything and everything that I have.
The rest of my weekend was great, but nothing compares to the lessons that I learned from the strong people of this nation.