A short ceremony was held at the Civic Centre by Newcastle City Council and the North East Rwandan association to remember the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the genocide against the Tutsis in 1994.
Remembering those who lost their lives in Rwanda
The weather was bright but windy as people met to remember those who lost their lives in the terrible genocide in Rwanda, which saw about one million people, mostly Tutsis, massacred in around 100 days.
It was an opportunity for the Rwandan community in the North East to come together and pay their respects, along with several other people from in and around Newcastle.
The ceremony
It began with a few words from Zara Uwimana, the MC from the North East Rwandan Association, and its vice-chair. Zara eloquently reminded us of all why we were there and what we were remembering.
The next speaker was the chair of the North Eastern Rwandan association, Musa Hassan Ali. He gave his thanks to the people of Newcastle, for the warm welcome he and other Rwandans had found in the city. Ali also poignantly said that although it was 30 years since the genocide, for many of those present, it was almost like it had happened very recently,
He also noted that the Rwandan flag would fly next to the Civic Centre for 100 days up to 4th July, while a memorial stone would be unveiled on 1st June to remember the victims of the genocide in Rwanda and Ali also expressed his hopes that such a terrible event won’t happen again.
Then there was a short speech by the Lord Mayor Veronica Dunn, who talked of having a strong feeling of Deja-Vu. She talked of how time and time again we have genocidal events happening. Dunn said that we should be angry about what happens and that everyone should be respected for who they are. Consequently, it is important to remember what happened in Rwanda. The Lord Mayor stated that we should never forget what happened in 1994 and that it was a delight to work with the North East Rwandan association and get the memorial stone agreed.
Walk of Remembrance
The ceremony was followed by a Walk of Remembrance down Percy Street to One Strawberry Place where there was a thank you speech from Zara Uwimana. She emphasised again that we should all remember what happened and particularly thank the youth of the Rwandan community for their involvement in the day.
On a screen there was the word Kwibuka, followed by the English words – Remember- Unite – Renew.
There was then a short and very informative documentary about the roots of the genocide and how they went back to at least the 1970’s. It was a warning from history and a reminder of how such a terrible genocide came about.
This was followed by a discussion about the memorial stone, to be unveiled on 1st June.
Important we show respect to the Rwandan community
It is important that we respect the Rwandan community and remember their pain. The Eastern European Roma community are also being remembered in a similar way this year.
It is good that the city council is remembering communities linked to the city in this way and perhaps there will be further communities remembered in the months and years ahead. I know that the Rwandan community in and around Newcastle certainly appreciate the support they have received from the people of Newcastle.
