{"id":2000114255,"date":"2026-06-02T22:53:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T20:53:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000114255"},"modified":"2026-06-02T23:08:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T21:08:41","slug":"kagame-praises-macrons-humanity-and-frances-journey-toward-historical-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/kagame-praises-macrons-humanity-and-frances-journey-toward-historical-truth\/","title":{"rendered":"President Kagame praises ‘humanity’ of Macron and France\u2019s journey toward historical truth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

He made the remarks on June 2, 2026, during the inauguration of Les Archives, a memorial dedicated to the victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi, where he was accompanied by First Lady Jeannette Kagame and other dignitaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his address, Kagame reflected on his personal experience of displacement and Rwanda\u2019s history of repeated tragedy, noting what he described as a \u201ccycle of thirty years\u201d between earlier violence in the 1960s and the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cThe events of the Genocide against the Tutsi are within living memory. And so the work of memory necessarily begins with the word of survivors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kagame stressed that survivors themselves carry the burden of history, describing them as \u201cliving memorials, not only by virtue of the visible scars of the body, but also the indelible wounds of the spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking about the significance of the newly unveiled memorial, he said it plays a critical role in preserving truth for future generations: \u201cThe memorial before us is powerful because it sets the truth in stone and protects it from the heartlessness of time, by instructing the living.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kagame added that the memorial is not about validation, but respect, saying it stands as \u201ca mark of respect for the dignity of Rwandans and our history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turning to relations with France, Kagame commended President Emmanuel Macron for his approach to historical responsibility, stating: \u201cPresident Macron, I want to commend you on both counts: courage and humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He referenced France\u2019s acknowledgment of its past during Macron\u2019s 2021 visit to Rwanda, noting the recognition that France \u201ccould have stopped the genocide but did not,\u201d and describing such acknowledgment as more meaningful than an apology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kagame also praised earlier steps taken by France, including historic remarks by former President Nicolas Sarkozy, and efforts by journalists and researchers who helped document the truth of the genocide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said Rwanda\u2019s engagement with its past and international dialogue has contributed to what he called an \u201cirreversible journey towards truth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kagame further emphasized Rwanda\u2019s internal responsibility and resilience, saying the country has chosen to confront its history directly and invest in educating younger generations to prevent repetition of past atrocities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He concluded by stressing that overcoming history requires political will, adding that the unveiling of the memorial in Paris represents a deeper commitment to peace, understanding, and remembrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The memorial was inaugurated in Paris on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
President Kagame has hailed Macron for ‘humanity’ and the role played by his country to preserve memory of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
President Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame honored victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi at the unveiled memorial in Paris. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Paul Kagame has emphasized the central role of survivor testimony, and historical truth in preserving the memory of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, as he joined French President Emmanuel Macron for the unveiling of a memorial in Paris.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2000114256,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[151,70],"byline":[160],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000114255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics-48","tag-editors-choice","tag-main-home-ighlight","byline-theophile-niyitegeka"],"bylines":[{"id":160,"name":"Th\u00e9ophile Niyitegeka","slug":"theophile-niyitegeka","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":3}],"contributors":[{"id":160,"name":"Th\u00e9ophile Niyitegeka","slug":"theophile-niyitegeka","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":3}],"featured_image":{"id":2000114256,"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5-2049-1a996.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1000,"height":667,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5-2049-1a996.jpg","width":150,"height":100},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5-2049-1a996.jpg","width":300,"height":200},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5-2049-1a996.jpg","width":768,"height":512},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5-2049-1a996.jpg","width":1000,"height":667},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5-2049-1a996.jpg","width":1000,"height":667}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000114255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000114255"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000114255\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000114261,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000114255\/revisions\/2000114261"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000114256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000114255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000114255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000114255"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000114255"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000114255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}