Friends and Family,
Happy Monday! The past two days could not have been more different. Sunday we traversed the country and attended the pre-colonial museum as compared to Monday when we attended a national memorial. We stared our day with a 2 hour drive from Kigali to the museum located in the southern part of Rwanda. The museum was divided into three parts. The first was a series of huts to demonstrate the compound of the Rwandan king over various centuries. Our guide took us through the customs that it takes for an individual to enter and approach the king. The next section was a barn with about 7 calfs and 9 cows. However, these were no ordinary cows. They had huge horns like those of a buffalo, and they were called loyal cows and are a sacred animal to the Rwandese people. Our final stop was the home of the final king from 1931 to 1959 before he was killed and the nation switched to a republic.
Once we ate our lunch, we were back on the road for another 45 minutes to our final destination Huye/Butare, another major city in Rwanda in the south. We will be staying at the Emmaus Hostel run by nuns until Wednesday when we return to Kigali and resume classes. After arrival and everyone settled into their rooms, a majority of us ventured into town for free time. A few of us stop at the bank to exchange money while others went into a local market to buy snacks and banana wine, a Rwandan speciality. However, do not be fooled as it is not as sweet as your expect it to be.
Today was certainly a rollercoaster of emotions for everyone here. We traveled 45 minutes to Murambi, a memorial site for victims of the genocide. This was not like the previous memorial we went to. Murambi was an actually killing site on April 21, 1994, and approximately 50,000 individuals were killed here. Individuals had sought refuge in their churches but were redirected to this school, that was still under construction, where their pastors claimed they would be safe and have access to resource. Little did these people know, the military surrounded them on all the hills and attacked making it impossible for anyone to escape of survive. The museum is once again divided into three parts. The first goes through the history of Rwanda and the genocide. The second illustrates what happened at Murambi. The final takes you through the 21 classrooms and has preserved bodies of those killed. There has been much debate as to why the memorial is set up this way as it is heartbreaking to see a little under 1,000 bodies of victims of all ages on display. I, myself, questioned why they chose this type of memorial. However, it wasn't until walking through that I realized that it's meant to demonstrate the horrific and unimaginable series of events that unfolded in the school. 
None of us had seen anything like this before and I strongly believe that it was a turning point in everyone's perspective of the genocide as a whole. There's something about being at this site that grounds and connects one to those that lay there. Most of our knowledge thus far has come from personal accounts or lectures. However, to see the number of bodies ranging in sizes from babies to grown adults allows us to visual the masses that were affected. We returned to Emmaus and had another Peace Circle. Hollie set these up after each memorial as a way for us to focus on our mental health while we are here, and from the deep conversations we are having, they are definitely working.
Here are a few links in case any of you were curious in learning more about Murambi. Please be advised that the images you may find may startle and upset you. We have learned that feeling guilt and being overwhelmed is normal. However, do not bottle your emotions and speak to your son or daughter who may being willing to shed some more light on our visit.
http://maps.cga.harvard.edu/rwanda/murambi.html
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/rwanda/southwestern-rwanda/attractions/murambi-genocide-memorial/a/poi-sig/1462162/1331546
Have a fantastic week!!
Amanda Fontana
No comments:
Post a Comment