In recent years, the commemoration of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi has revamped to incorporate ‘Remembrance’–of over a million people who were massacred in that period, with ‘Celebration’–of survivors of the same atrocity, for their contribution to the transformative journey of Rwanda, three decades later.
Through sharing their testimonies, they have not only educated masses about the dangers of hate speech but also empowered young Rwandans like Dominique Uwase Alonga to document the country’s history as a celebration of its resilience, strength and courage.
Last year, Uwase, and her team: ‘Imagine We’ embarked on a journey to, “figure out what really happened to our nation,” findings meticulously curated and compiled into a memoir: 30 years, 30 stories.
Written in two languages: French and English, this coffee-table book is a collection of stories by survivors of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, Organizations, Business owners, Perpetrators, as well as religious bodies, who all laid a foundation for its successful debut on 30th, April 2025 at Kigali Convention Centre.
At its core, the book aims to “preserve and amplify authentic first-hand experiences for prosperity, whilst educating the world about Rwanda’s history and celebrating its extraordinary recovery.” This was showcased in a mini-exhibition–Senses and Memory, by Alain Sabineza that ushered guests into an ‘imaginary’ journey of Rwanda’s traumatic experience during the event.
Using thirteen objects, he depicted the thirteen week period over which the genocide was practiced. These included a Rotary telephone–symbolizing the ‘hopeless’ attempt of victims in quest for help, a Vintage AM/FM radio–a medium of rampant hate speech that fostered divisionism, Sheets of classical music notation–to demonstrate the sombre symphonies of old masters haunting melodies before dawn.
The Insects (cockroaches) on the other hand were a symbol of indignity and humiliation that paved way for depravity, while the Roadblock, Identification card and Machete denoted the inescapable death, a pronounced sentence and weapon of painful horrors respectfully. Not to mention the Church altar as a place of solace turned home of sacrilege.
The bridge and Nyabarongo River at the exhibition portrayed a crossover, hill to hill over which countless were thrown, whilst the Papyrus/Sorghum and Corn/Beans were means of survival for victims in form of hiding places and food respectively, before the ‘Inkotanyi’, represented by military attire would later come to their rescue.
Furthermore, the launch entailed Key note speeches and panels of discussions with representatives from partnering organizations like; MINUBUMWE (Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement), AEGIS Trust, Kigali Genocide Memorial (KGM), Never Again Rwanda, BK foundation, the Embassy of France in Rwanda and Institute Francois, in addition to survivors of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, who stressed the significance of 30 years, 30 stories memoir.
Addressing the guests, Alphonse Munyentwali, the country director AEGIS Trust expressed his deepest gratitude to the survivors for their courage in sharing their personal testimonies, contributing to Rwanda’s journey of resilience and remembrance.
He stated that, “their stories are not just historical records, instead powerful acts of resilience that educate future generations and serve as essential tools in the fight against denial of genocide ideologies.”
“At the core of AEGIS trust, our mission is the preservation and amplification of these testimonies. At the Kigali Genocide Memorial, survivor accounts form the foundation of our work in education, peace building and memory preservation initiatives,” remarked Munyentwali.
Dr. Joseph Nkurunziza, the Executive Director Never Again Rwanda, echoed the same sentiments, noting that through sharing their stories, the country’s history is preserved, but most importantly, its people are ‘healed’.
“To make sure that we have sustainable development, we need to have a healed society,” he said. Adding that, “leaders come from society. Thus, we need to allow people to share their stories as a form of therapy through self expression.”
Quoting research, Dr.Theoneste Rutayisire the Executive Director of the Department of Research and Policy development at MINUBUMWE applauded Rwanda’s level of resilience at all levels–family, individual, community and institutional. He however acknowledged that more effort is desired particularly at family level, if the country is to achieve a trauma free generation.
“Much as we’re working relentlessly to reunite the country through projects like ‘Itorero’, ‘Ndi Umunyarwanda’, and policy making programs, parents too need to play their role in raising their children, refraining from ‘I’m too busy with work’ excuses.”
Rutayisire declared that Rwanda’s population is predominantly composed of the post-genocide generation who are vulnerable to all kinds of content from social media. Hence parents ought to guide their children on how to adapt to such ‘traumatic’ information through one-on-one dialogues.
Meanwhile, business fraternities like BK foundation are also taking part in empowering the young generation with the required knowledge to prevent the atrocities that befell the nation three decades ago from reoccurring.
By partnering with ‘Imagine We Publishers’ to bring to life such a masterpiece, Ingrid Karangwayire, the executive secretary of BK foundation remarked that, “they employ over two thousand young people who need to be taught about their ‘scary’ history in a way that is ‘appealing’ and 30 years, 30 stories does exactly that.
Among the contributors, is renowned artist and poet, Hope Azeda who for years has used art as a tool to commemorate the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi as well as bring healing to the survivors, perpetrators and the post-genocide generation.
Azeda not only contributed to the publication of the memoir, but also graced its launch, participating as a panelist alongside genocide survivors: Sonia Mugabo, Ihumure Irma and Mudacumura Fiston, who shared how they have found healing through their respective domains.
According to Dominique Uwase, founder and CEO Imagine We Publishers, everyone, irrespective of their profession, has a collective responsibility to rebuild Rwanda. “ We cannot partake in the joy, without partaking in the pain,” she stressed, urging young people to carry on the mantle of their history.
“As young people, we often doubt the relevance of our role and responsibility of carrying the mantle of our history, thinking we’re too young to ‘understand’. However, if you ever wondered ‘Should I’, let the answer be ‘Yes’,” she stressed.
The book–30 years, 30 stories is now available for purchase at Imagine We publications in Kagugu and on their website. Make sure you grab your copy and read about Rwanda’s history, as told by Sonia Mugabo, Sina Gerard, Ihumure Irma, Hope Azeda, Christian Ntwali, among others.
