The commemoration event began at the bank’s head office in Kigali, where management and staff laid wreaths at a memorial bearing the names of the 33 employees who lost their lives in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
After paying tribute to the victims, BPR Bank leadership and employees proceeded to Nyanza Genocide Memorial, where they honoured the victims buried there and received a historical briefing on the events that took place in the area during the genocide.
They were taken through the specific history of Kicukiro in 1994, particularly at the former ETO Kicukiro, where many Tutsi had sought refuge.
On April 11, 1994, United Nations peacekeeping forces (UNAMIR) abandoned more than 3,000 Tutsi who had taken shelter at ETO Kicukiro, withdrawing and leaving them vulnerable to attacks by Interahamwe militias and government forces, who subsequently killed them.
Speaking during the commemoration, BPR Bank Rwanda Managing Director Patience Mutesi said remembering the Genocide against the Tutsi is a responsibility for all employees, as it is a way of honouring the victims.
“Commemoration is our collective duty and a commitment to honour the victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi, while continuing to protect the truth so that future generations never forget,” she said.
IBUKA Vice President Blaise Ndizihiwe called on young people, especially artists and workers, to take responsibility in remembering the genocide and to actively confront those who continue to deny or distort its history.
“Young people often remain silent and do not openly acknowledge that the genocide happened, or assume others will speak about it. No one will tell our history for us. Preserving our history is not the responsibility of IBUKA alone, but of all of us,” he said.
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