On 1 February, the Aegis Trust had the pleasure of welcoming to the Kigali Genocide Memorial members of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) who were in Kigali for the YPO annual global summit.
Before embarking on their tour of the Memorial, Aegis CEO Freddy Mutanguha introduced them to some of the work done here. “We piloted peace education in 2008. When we began, there was no formal teaching about the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda,” he said. “Today, what began as a pilot at the Kigali Genocide Memorial now impacts the educational experience of 2.5 million Rwandan students every year.”
The YPO visit started with laying wreaths at the mass graves which are the final resting place for a quarter million victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The visit continued with a tour of the Memorial’s permanent exhibitions detailing the history of the genocide and its consequences. YPO members then had the chance to meet residents of a reconciliation village which is home to both survivors and perpetrators.
Maria had nine children before the genocide, eight of whom were killed, along with her husband. After the genocide she lived with her mother and other survivors in the Gashora refugee camp before being housed in the reconciliation village. “After the genocide, life wasn’t easy but with the help of the new government, we were able to slowly recover and I am now a neighbor of people who killed my family members,” she said. “I have come to forgive them and we are living in peace with each other.”
Philbert took part in killing Maria’s husband and children. He fled to Congo in 1995. Upon his return, he did time in prison for his role in the genocide. There he came to be part of the ‘Prisoners’ Fellowship Program’. With the help of this program, after his release, Philbert was able to approach those whose families he had killed to seek forgiveness. “It wasn’t an easy journey for Maria and I, but she welcomed me in her home and she was patient with me,” Philbert told the YPO members. “She even asked her remaining daughter not to hate me very much and to hear me out.” He added, “I helped her plan her daughter’s wedding and when the time was right, her daughter became the godmother of one of my daughters. This greatly touched me; I am responsible for her becoming a widow and for her daughter becoming fatherless.”
Several YPO members shared reflections on the conversation, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to witness firsthand the remarkable progress that has been made in Rwanda since the genocide. They acknowledge the resilience and determination of the Rwandan people in overcoming immense challenges and rebuilding their nation.
“If peace and reconciliation can be achieved here after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, then peace and reconciliation can be achieved anywhere,” Freddy noted to YPO members as he invited them to take part in peacebuilding and become agents of change not only in Rwanda but around the world.
