{In order to commemorate the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the management and staff of Tigo Rwanda gathered together for a night vigil to remember and honor the more than one million innocent victims.}
The commemoration event, which is part of the ‘Tigo 100 Days of Love’ campaign, was graced by the Minister of Youth & ICT Jean Philbert Nsengimana as well as the Executive Secretary of Muhima Sector, John Ruzima.
In his address to the gathering that included survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, John Ruzima asked everyone to take the time to remember the events of 1994.
“In 1994, Rwanda was seen as a failed state. But today, everything has changed due to the policy of unity and reconciliation. Whereas the pre-1994 government spread nepotism, sectarianism and hate, today the Rwandan leadership has changed all that. The former failed state is developing in every way. Let us remember the Genocide while building ourselves and our country”, Ruzima said.
In a short address Tigo Rwanda CEO, Tongai Maramba, said;
““As we move forward with developing the country, it is crucial to remember and honour the lives that were lost in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. This is the first time that we, as the Tigo team, are coming together to commemorate together through a vigil. This commemoration period is a time for us to see how we, as individuals, can give back to our community”.
“During this commemoration period, teams from every department will plan initiatives that aim to support the most vulnerable in our community, including genocide survivors”, he ended.
This year’s ‘Tigo 100 Days of Love’ campaign is a continuation of the commemoration activities of previous years that included providing shelter to widows, supporting orphanages and giving livestock to vulnerable Rwandans around the country.
In his keynote speech, Minister of Youth & ICT Jean Philbert Nsengimana said that Rwandans had the responsibility to build a new Rwanda.
“Genocide was the culmination of decades of imposed identity. Today, we have a new identity; one of being Rwandan. We are in a country where opportunity is available for everyone. But we cannot take these opportunities for granted. During this commemoration period, we need to figure out what we need to do to develop our country”.
Addressing the issue of genocide ideology, Minister Nsengimana informed Tigo staff that technology is used to propagate genocide denial and revisionism.
“We need to use the technological tools at hand to combat this genocide ideology”, Minister Nsengimana ended.
After Minister Nsengimana’s address, a movie titled ‘Kinyarwanda’, was screened as part of the vigil. The movie tells the story of hope, redemption and religious tolerance in the midst of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. It premiered at the 27th Sundance Film Festival in January 2011 where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award.
This vigil follows Tigo Rwanda’s participation in the ‘Walk to Remember’ on Saturday 9 April.
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