A group of volunteers in a peace rally marking the Rwandan Remembrance Day Event
The 1994 genocide in Rwanda against the Tutsis will forever remain in the minds of people, especially Africans. Rwandans all over the world set aside April every year to commemorate the genocide that saw about 1 million Rwandans dead.
Interfaith Mediation Centre (IMC) and other well-wishers, in the continuous effort of peacebuilding, commemorated the Rwandan Genocide in Kaduna. The highlights of the day were:
- A walk from the Interfaith Mediation Centre office to Police College Round about and back to the office.
- A drama presentation on the need to learn from the Rwandans and promote human rights.
- Speeches by dignitaries who graced the occasion, including the High Commissioner of Rwanda to Nigeria, Stanislas Kamanzi, who plead with Nigerians to imbibe the culture of Tolerance and dialogue in their community.
- This was done to create awareness for the people of Kaduna and Nigerians to ensure we promote peace wherever we find ourselves.
This event took place in Kaduna, Nigeria on the occasion of the visit of His Excellency the Rwandan High Commissioner to Nigeria to the IMC. The Cooperation Circle commemorated the Rwandan Genocide Memorial with Rwanda.
In response to the High Commissioner’s address, the URI Trustee, Elisha Yero, drew analogies of the Rwandan genocide and atrocities to humanity with the Kaduna Religious Killings that left mass graves in some places, and also led to the famous Kaduna Peace Agreement of Religious Leaders. He further advocated for collaboration with Kigali Genocide Memorial administration and agencies to establish similar sites in one of the mass graves located in Kaduna, to be known as the Kaduna Religious Killings Memorial. This is very important, in that whenever they are commemorated, people will usually leave with a new resolve of 'NEVER AGAIN' will there be such senseless genocide and atrocities to humanity.
Members of IMC during the peace rally in Kaduna
