Candles For Rwanda

May God give you hope…I will light a candle….

May God give you hope…I will light a candle….

was in Rwanda is 1999. I was only there briefly but in that short time I met some wonderful people. I taught at the Kigali International School and I remember how open, attentive, eager to learn and how hopeful these children were. I remember one boy, a man actually, that I will never forget. His name was Bosco and he was 23 (I was about the same age). He had fled to Kenya and returned to continue is education. He turned up with all he owned and was ready to learn. He walked with a cane due to having injuries incurred during the massacres. He was truly an inspiration. He wanted to be a doctor. I hope he has fulfilled his dream.

I spent time in Nyamata Memorial Crypt, immersed myself with the local area and spent time with survivors. I heard accounts of absolute horror coupled with accounts of sheer human spirit in the face of adversity.

I would also like to pay tribute to Charlotte Wilson who was murdered in Burundi at Christmas 2000. She was a fellow volunteer who truly immersed herself in working and living for Rwanda. Her life was tragically taken away much too early. She was an inspiration to me and others. She is very much missed. I will always remember her.

Rwanda is very close to my heart and I will never forget the people I met there. It is a beautiful country with a very sad history. I am proud I can say I have been…however brief my time there was.

Imana aguhe umugisha.

I remember the first time I heard of the genocide, years after it had happened, and that is when I finally opened my eyes.  I could not believe that this tragedy, this inhuman evil had actually happened and not one person with the power to stop it, did.  I pray for all the people, who endured and survived and hope they can forgive us.  I will light a candle and hope to continue to remind all, that it is still happening now, in Darfur.

Dear compatriots, dear friends,

In April 1994, Rwanda has endured the Tutsi genocide. The stains, scars, memories of it are still alive in our heads and hearts. It is a terrible thing to carry but how else can it be?

What should be remembered, in April, should be our families, our lives and our strength in going through this and rebuilding our hearts, minds and cities. And we know that the old feelings, the disagreements and conflicts are always lingering not too far at this painful time of the year. But allowing them to come in is defeating the purpose.

Let’s remember in peace and dignity and let’s not allow our deaths to become a charity business and a lucrative slogan of a minority whose actions are not quite in touch with the harsh reality of the survivors.

Rebuilding a new Rwanda is a task that must welcome each and everyone or it will be like making new ruins right in place of the old ones…

Know your history and move forward, the future is now.

Dear all, we are commemorating the death of more than 1million rwandese tutsi during the 1994 genocide. Day after day they were killed by their neighbors, classmates, relatives because they were different from them. For a 100 days people wished they were born different, they prayed for a miracle and were longing for a light of hope!
So I ask you wherever you are take a minute of silence for the million of Rwandese that perished, pray for God to give strength and healing to those that survived but most of all light a candle for Rwanda.
But I would like you to reflect a little bit on some issues.
In Rwanda more than a million people died by the cruelest means possible because they were born different. Eventhough your case might not go as far as what happened In Rwanda I would like to ask you how many people you hate because they were born different. How many people do you discriminate because they do not have the same opinion as you do so therefore you take them as being less human than you?
Rwanda case is similar to many cases around the world like racism in the US, catholic/protestant in ireland and many others issues around the world. Genocide starts from the mind.
So as we are remembering the loss of our loved ones let us stand together to fight against hatred and division. But we must first renew our mind,
So brothers and sisters in Rwanda muhumure, take care of each other and as the survivors are mourning let us embrace compassion and love for them for it’s never easy to loose relatives and family and friends to such horrors.
Let us stand together and say “never again”. “ never again will we agree to be divided by lines like race,gender etc” “ never again will we agree to stand still while injustice is being perpetrated, “ never again will we be drawn to the point of hating a brother/sister for what he did not choose to be”

May God bless you all, May God bless the souls of Rwanda

We, the Rwandan youth, regardless of our pasts, multiple backgrounds, beliefs or aspirations, are inevitably determined by what we make of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsies.  Candles lit are symbols of  the hope the whole world awkwardly wishes for Rwanda, we are the sheer embodiment of it.

It is what we do that will eventually make a difference. Because we owe it to our beloved ones, the departed.

I will never forget.

I.

We shall never forget what happened,lets put our hands together and rise as a nation, as future leaders of Rwanda,lets rise and pray for Rwanda,work together as Rwandans and continue to build our country….

May the LORD be with all the Rwandan Families all over the world during this difficult time,May he also grant us the strength,lets hold each other’s hand and strengthen our hearts……never again  as i light my candle..Elvis, my beloved brother this is for you!!!We wll always love you,!!!