Kigali: From Gisozi’s Memorial to Campaign Against Genocide Museum, HRH Princess Lalla Asmaa Pays Tribute to Memory of Rwandan People

Kigali – Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Asmaa, President of the Lalla Asmaa Foundation, visited Tuesday in Kigali the Memorial dedicated to victims of the the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda, as well as the Museum of the Campaign Against Genocide.

At the genocide Memorial, located in Gisozi on the suburbs of Kigali, Her Royal Highness laid a wreath of flowers in tribute to victims of the genocide perpetuated against the Tutsi, then observed a minute of silence in presence of Dr. Jean Damascène Bizimana, Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, in charge of genocide memorial, according to a press release from the Lalla Asmaa Foundation.

Welcomed by Alfonse Munyantwali, director of the Memorial, Her Royal Highness paid her respects at the burial site where more than 250,000 victims are laid to rest; the wreath was laid in accordance with Rwandan traditions, the same source notes.

Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Asmaa then toured the site, where she visited exhibitions that chronicle the history of the genocide and give a voice to survivors, as well as the area dedicated to the memory of murdered children.

Inaugurated in 2004, the Memorial is a space for reflection, learning, and education: it houses the Genocide Archive.

Beginning on April 7, 1994, over the course of about 100 days, more than one million people were murdered in Rwanda, according to Rwandan authorities. Every year on this date, the country begins 100 days of commemoration, known as Kwibuka, which means “to remember” in Kinyarwanda (Rwanda’s national language). Since 2018, the United Nations has observed April 7 as the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Asmaa then visited the Campaign Against Genocide Museum.

Inaugurated in December 2017 by President Paul Kagame, the Museum is located within the Parliament building, in the former headquarters of the National Development Council, which, beginning in December 1993, in accordance with the Arusha Accords, housed a battalion of the Rwandan Patriotic Army. It recounts the history of the Campaign that brought the genocide to an end in July 1994.

Through these visits, Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Asmaa demonstrated the respect of the Kingdom of Morocco, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, for the Rwandan people, their history, and their path towards reconstruction and unity.