Our visit to the Genocide museum was the first thing we did
the first morning. Needless to say
we were enveloped in some very graphic words and images. Many difficult things to look at that included pictures of piles of people hacked to death. From my reading before hand and my
visit to the museum it was obvious to see the negative impact of the German
then Belgian colonialism. “The
War” or the genocide was not the beginning of conflict but the culmination of
decades of practices that were harmful to the social and cultural norms that
had allowed Hutu’s, Tutsi’s and Twa to live together for generations prior to
European influence that was divisive.
This included the influence of the Catholic Church. We somehow think that the Africans just
began to hate each other one day, when in fact the West had much to do with the
conflicts.
Of course there is never just one force at work in these
things. Lots of forces conspired
to create tension and suspicion.
Also interestingly the same kind of Genocide happened in Burundi in the 1970s
but with the tribes in the reverse from Rwanda.
Over 250,000 people are buried at the site of the museum in
mass graves. One striking room is
full of pictures of people who were lost along with items of clothes, personal items, and piles of skulls and femur bones. A section of the museum relates many of
the genocides that have happened in history. Jews in Germany, Bosnia, and the Armenians are a few of
these examples. It is sobering to
see what kinds of things humans can do to one another.
I have yet to meet one Tutsi or Hutu. The common and emphasized practice now is to not differentiate
between people groups. All are Rwandans. I only find kindness, care, and
warmth. Beautiful, striking, and
lovely people. I have been
welcomed. I have found peers in ministry. I have found a vital church. That is exactly what I expected to find. Picturesl 1. the museum grounds, 2. Several mass graves, 3. Part of the name wall