On 1 June, a beautiful Saturday lunchtime, a sizeable crowd of people assembled outside Newcastle Civic Centre for the unveiling of a memorial stone for the victims of the Rwandan genocide against the Tutsis in 1994.
The stone has been the initiative of the North East Rwandan Association (NERA) which does a lot of work in the region telling people about the Rwandan genocide of 1994 and helps to prevent something similar happening in the future. Chair of the association, Musa Hassan Ali said:
“NERA has been a great help for many Rwandans in the North East. with the help of local authorities, communities and a lot of schools and community centres who want to learn about Rwanda.”
This ceremony followed Newcastle City Council raising the Rwandan flag on 7 April at the Civic Centre to commemorate the atrocities that took place in Rwanda 30 years ago, showing respect from Northeast people, supporting Rwandans and that people here are mourning with the local Rwandan community. More can be read about that event here.
Now NERA, in collaboration with local authorities, has a memorial stone to commemorate the genocide. Ali said:
“It will be somewhere where we can put flowers. People come from London to Newcastle and see that it is a sanctuary city, a welcoming city and where they share the sadness of the Rwandans.”
Lessons of history
Before the stone was unveiled, Newcastle Lord Mayor Rob Higgins commented that the stone was about learning the lessons of history. He praised the tremendous work that had gone into having the stone produced and placed near the Civic Centre. The Lord Mayor also said that he would be inviting school children in the city to visit the Civic Centre, during his year holding the office and would be showing them the memorial stone and helping them to learn lessons from what happened in Rwanda in 1994.
Thanks from the Rwandan High Commissioner
Then we had a short speech from H.E. Johnston Busingye, the Rwandan High Commissioner, who said that he loved Newcastle and talked of how he had been following the journey of the memorial stone and that he was now, “very happy and proud to know that there is a stone in a strategic place” and that, “what happened in Rwanda can happen elsewhere if we are not careful”. He finished by thanking the people of Newcastle for accepting the Rwandan community in the city.
Then the stone was unveiled to warm applause, before a number of wreaths were placed next it and people were invited to sprinkle flower-seeds over the wreaths.
Reflections
The second part of the ceremony involved numerous reflections from notable people, including local councillors and a local MP.
Talking about what the day meant to him and other members of the Northeast Rwandan community, Ali said:
“It is really special for people whose families had the experience of the genocide against the Tutsis in 1994. It is really important for people in Newcastle to know what happened in 1994”.
The stone will provide a necessary focal point for remembrance for many members of the North East Rwandan community. It will also be a reminder for the rest of us about what can happen when hatred and fear take over from love and rationality, in our hearts and in our minds. Let our thoughts and prayers be with the Rwandan community at this anniversary time and let us always reject those who would wish to spread fear and hate among us.
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