Kigali genocide Memorial Tour
Kigali genocide Memorial in Gisozi is a respectful and important site that was open in April 2004. It’s a large, modern white building with terraces, visible from across the valley and easy to find when driving along Boulevard de Nyabugogo. Outside, there is a peaceful rose garden dedicated to those who lost their lives.
Inside, the memorial honors all victims, especially children, with displays that includes their names on a wall and photographs. While on a Kigali genocide Memorial Tour, you’ll be guided by local guides sharing stories about the genocide, showing bones, skulls, and graves of the victims. This is meant to remind visitors of the tragic events and to dispel false claims the genocide didn’t happen.
The Memorial ground is a burial site for over 250,000 people killed in a space of just 3 months in 1994. Many remains continue to be discovered around the country and are brought here for proper burial. The site was established by y Kigali’s mayor and funded by the city’s tax revenue, showing how the community came together to honor their loved ones.
Sadly, the genocide memorial was largely ignored by the international community at the time, and the violence continued unnoticed for months until it was too late to stop it. Visiting this memorial is not only about remembering the past but also about helping Rwanda rebuild socially and economically. It aims to teach future generations about the dangers of hatred and division, especially to young people, and to support those still healing from the trauma. Many survivors still struggle to find peace, and the destruction of property and businesses during those times left lasting scars.
Other memorial sites to explore while in Rwanda
Murambi Genocide Memorial Centre
The Murambi Genocide Memorial Centre, is located near the town of Murambi in southern Rwanda. This Memorial Center is one of six major centres in Rwanda dedicated to remembering the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. The others include the Ntarama Memorial Centre, Nyamata Genocide Memorial Centre, Bisesero Memorial Centre, and Nyarubuye. During the 1994 Rwandan genocide, a terrible massacre took place here. When the violence started, many Tutsis tried to find safety in local church, but the authorities tricked then into going to a technical school, promising they would be protected by French soldiers. Once the victims arrived, no water or food was provided. This was done to ensure the people were too weak to resist. After defending themselves for a few days using stones, the Tutsi were overrun on April 21.
French soldiers disappeared, and Hutu militia attacked the school. Around 20,000 Tutsis were killed there, and most of those who escaped were caught and killed the next day when they tried to hide in a nearby church. The government claims about 50,000 people died, but this number isn’t supported by the evidence from the site, where many bodies have been exhumed. It’s known that large pits were dug to hide the bodies, and a volleyball court was built over some of these mass graves to hide what happened. Among the remains on display are those of children and babies.
It’s believed that only about 34 people survived the massacre here. The site was turned into a memorial on April 21, 1995, and contains around the memorial was founded on 21 April 1995 and contains 50,000 graves. Some experts note that the bodies displayed were brought from other areas, not necessarily killed at this specific site, although the victims at Murambi were originally buried in mass graves nearby in 1996.
Bisesero Genocide Memorial Centre
The Bisesero Genocide Memorial is a national memorial that remembers the tragic events in 1994 when many Tutsis lives were lost. Around 40,000 people were killed where the memorial now stands. Bisesero Genocide Memorial Centre is located on Muyira hill in the small village of Bisesero, which is about 60 km of road away from Kibuye. The genocide in Rwanda started in 1994, and in Bisesero, thousands of people fought to defend themselves. they even asked for help from French peacekeepers, the soldiers were not given permission to intervene and left, leaving the people vulnerable. Sadly, about 40,000 Rwandans in this region lost their lives.
This memorial site was established four yours after the genocide, in 1998, when Rwanda’s then-president laid a stone to mark the site. It is one of the six major memorial centers across Rwanda that honor those who died in the 1994 genocide. The others are the Kigali Memorial, Murambi Memorial, Ntarama Memorial, Nyamata Memorial, and Nyarubuye Memorial. In 2012, four of the memorial centres: Bisesero, Gisozi (City of Kigali), Murambi, and Nyamata, were officially recognized as national monuments and are maintained by the country’s National Commission for the Fight against Genocide. As visitors approach the center, they are invited to partake in an experience that blends remembrance with education. Through the poignant artifact and exhibits housed within the unassuming structures, the echoes of fractured skull and skeletal remains bear silent testimony to the magnitude of the horrors that transpired in this very land.
Ntarama Genocide Memorial Centre
Ntarama genocide memorial it is an hour’s drive from Kigali. It is a former catholic church where 5000 people were massacred. It is much smaller than the other church genocide memorial sites because it was a small village parish. Just like the others, the Tutsi’s came here for refuge assuming that it would be safe but were shocked by attacks from the Hutu militias, who in some place accessed the building by removing bricks one by one. During the genocide, people were killed at this church by the police, soldiers and local volunteers. They used grenades, spears, clubs and machetes. The government in charge would send ‘clean up squads’ to the sites of massacres to hide the evidence. The bodies of the dead would be hastily buried in mass graves. The people inside, who had tried to escape, were killed in nearby fields while the majority were killed inside the building of the church. When the government changed, they decided not to bury the bodies. The bones of those who had died outside were stacked on tables, but the bodies of those inside were left where they were murdered. For many years after the massacre, visitors could smell the rotting flesh from inside the church. But, by 1997, all that was left was the sad remains of the bodies left after a massacre.
Nyarubuye genocide memorial site
The Nyarubuye genocide memorial site is located about 140 kilometers from Kigali and is actually a Catholic church. During the 1994 genocide, around 2,000 Rwandans were killed there. It is believed that Sylvestre Gacumbitsi, who was the mayor at the time, helped supply weapons and encouraged Hutu militias to commit terrible acts like rape, maiming, and killing of Tutsi people. Unlike other memorials such as Ntarama and Nyamata, Nyarubuye was restored and continues to function as a church.
Nyamata Genocide Memorial
The Nyamata Genocide Memorial is a national memorial and World Heritage Site in Rwanda that remembers the terrible events of 1994, when many Tutsi people lost their lives. It’s built around the old church in the town of Nyamata, about 30 km south of the capital of Kigali where thousands of Tutsis were killed. The remains of 50,000 people are buried there. The memorial is one of one of the six remembers the terrible events of 1994, when many Tutsi people lost their lives.
The genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda began in April 1994. Many Tutsi people gathered in churches, which were considered safe places. About 10,000 people gathered there and locked themselves in. The attackers made holes in the walls of the church so that grenades could be thrown into the church, after which the rest were shot with guns or killed with machetes.
Most of the victims’ remains have been buried, but some personal items, like clothing and identity cards, are still kept there. These cards helped identify whether someone was Tutsi or Hutu. After the attack on the church, many others in the surrounding area were also killed. Overall, about 50,000 people are believed to have died and are buried at this memorial.
Where to stay in Kigali?
If you’re looking for a place to stay in Kigali, there are plenty of good options to choose from. Some of the top hotels include the Kigali Marriot Hotel, Kigali Serena Hotel, Hotel Des Millie Collins, Radisson Blue Hotel Kigali, Onomo Hotel, Hilltop Hotel and may others. Attractions and Things to do in Kigali.
