Rwanda has kicked off preparations for the 20th commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsi.
A series of functions will be held to remember one of the worst mass slaughters in the history of mankind.
Over one million Tutsi and moderate Hutus were killed by the genocidal regime.
The regime would later be toppled in 1994 by the Rwanda Patriotic Front led by Paul Kagame.
The launch of Kwibuka20 (“remember” in Kinyarwanda) will take place on 7 January 2014 at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre.
The event will be marked by the lighting of the Kwibuka Flame (flame of remembrance) which will then travel through Rwanda’s thirty districts before returning to Kigali on 7 April 2014, the commencement of the national mourning period.
Community conversations will take place in each district, offering Rwandans the opportunity to reflect on the events of 1994 as well as the country’s journey since.
The Kwibuka Flame symbolises remembrance as well as the resilience and courage of Rwandans over the past twenty years.
Rwandan diplomatic missions around the world will also hold events to mark the launch of Kwibuka20 early in the New Year.
MINUJUST
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