Author: Nicole Kamanzi Muteteri

This garden which sits on nearly 3 hectares, has 15 main features all depicting troubles that victims went through during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

The first section of this garden is named ‘Ubusitani Bwumye’ translated as ‘Airid Garden’.

It is composed of stones representing over a million victims killed in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The garden also has trees that are normally grown in the desert to represent the soldiers of Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPA) that fought the Liberation Struggle and stopped the Genocide despite hurdles they went through.

The other part is named ‘Ubusitani Butoshye’ translated as ‘Flourishing Garden’. It comprises one hundred trees representing the 100 days of the Genocide during which over 1 million victims were brutally murdered.

Of these trees, one was planted by First Lady Jeannette Kagame while others were planted by Rwanda’s friends and the survivors of the Genocide against the Tutsi. All the types of planted trees hold a great significance to the history of Rwanda.

They include Ficus thonningii used by Rwandans to make different household items.

Other trees include Erythrina planted as a sign of defense and beauty among others.

This garden also features artificial water bodies including rivers and swamp to depict the ordeal endured by Tutsis who were dumped in rivers and others who survived from their hiding places in swamps among others.

Sorghum field is another feature of the garden representing hiding places for Tutsis during the Genocide.

The garden also has a mass grave in memory of Tutsis killed and dumped in holes across the country and a venue for commemoration activities with the capacity to host 6000 mourners.

The inaugural ceremony of this memorial garden was attended by different dignitaries including First Lady Jeannette Kagame who provided funding for its construction, the Minister of the National Unity and Civic Engagement, Dr. Jean Damascène Bizimana and the Mayor of Kigali City, Pudence Rubingisa.

The idea of building this garden surfaced in 2000 but the implementation delayed owing to efforts to gather more ideas to reach the best outcome.

{{Intervention of French visual artist and photographer}}

The idea to construct this garden was introduced by Bruce Clarke who visited Rwanda for the first time as a photographer. Arriving in the country, he got inspiration to show the real image of Rwanda after the Genocide against the Tutsi to the world.

The French photographer and visual artist was also among participants of the inauguration ceremony. The project was implemented in collaboration between relevant stakeholders.

Speaking at the occasion, Clarke revealed how the idea to establish the garden came to his mind.

“I visited Rwanda for the first time in August 1994. That time, I was a photographer. I had been mandated by a certain number of civil societies coordinated by Rwandan community in France to make photo reportage of what life was like after the Genocide,” he said.

Clarke went on to explain that he was sent to Rwanda as a photographer because there was still confusion about the image of Rwanda after the Genocide.

“In Europe, we were getting a lot of images of the aftermath of the Genocide. However, these images weren’t taken in Rwanda. They were coming from Congo, Tanzania and other places outside Rwanda and were basically of the families who escaped with the killers,” he said.

“That is why it is so important to document what was happening inside Rwanda at that time because what we saw from the images coming from Rwanda, were that the victims were absent from the picture. What was actually happening was that history was being re-written in newspapers or on television in Europe,” he added.

After coming to Rwanda, Clarke was touched by the bitter history of the country and mulled ways to showcase it through art.

As Clarke revealed, he started thinking of drawings or sculptures but finally realized that none of them would explain the depth of this history.

“In the first two, three years which followed my first visit, I started thinking ‘what role can art play in a memorial process? What role can art play in posing an act of memory? The challenge was immense at the time because they had seen so many more priorities. There was one thing that motivated me. It was the thought that art symbolically gave back to humanity to people and that was what had been confiscated during the Genocide,” he said.

Clarke also narrated how he first thought the garden would have a million stones representing the number of victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi which was adjusted after discussions with others. The idea was broadened and resulted into the memorial garden with different sections.

He thanked the people who were involved in the project’s implementation, particularly, First Lady Jeannette Kagame.

“We built this with the help of the First Lady and Imbuto Foundation. At that time, 22 years ago when we were here, we were with Mrs. Jeannette Kagame. I am glad that after all this time, we are together even today,” he said.

The Minister of the National Unity and Civic Engagement, Dr. Jean Damascène Bizimana commended Clarke for his contribution to this project.

He said that the Government of Rwanda will make possible efforts to ensure that the garden is used for the right purpose.

This Memorial Garden is a symbol that will show the hard times that Rwandans went through in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the country’s resilience journey after the Genocide and the impact of nature which served as a hiding place for hunted victims.

It is considered as a bridge to link Rwanda’s past to its future as it has great significance to remembrance, education on the tragic history endured by Tutsis, how they survived and rebuilt themselves.

It is expected that Rwandans, especially the youth will be visiting this garden for free to learn from their country’s unpleasant history, reconciliation process and resilience journey.