Inside Kigali Genocide Memorial and other Rwanda Genocide Memorial Sites + Entrance Fee
A detailed guide to Kigali Genocide Memorial and Rwanda Genocide Memorial Sites + Entrance Fee. The memorial facilities honoring the 1994 Rwandan genocide are dispersed across the nation, with some being more visible than others. Approximately 800,000 individuals lost their lives within a hundred days beginning in April 1994. The museums include artifacts like as the bones, photos, and clothing and shoes of the victims of the genocide. The purpose of the genocide museums is to bring attention to the atrocity of genocide and to urge people to do the right thing so that it does not happen again, not just in Rwanda but globally. For those who have survived, it serves as a connection to loved ones who have passed on and a haven of comfort and grief. Guests drop by at various points throughout the year, but April marks the annual national mourning period.
Listed below are a few of the most important Rwanda Genocide Memorial sites; your schedule and the locations of these facilities will determine which ones you can request to visit.
Rwanda Genocide Memorial Sites
Kigali Genocide Memorial Center
Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, Rwanda
The Kigali Genocide Memorial, situated in Rwanda’s capital on the graves of around 250,000 Tutsi Genocide victims, serves as a memorial, a learning center, and an annual destination for tens of thousands of visitors, including politicians, celebrities, and schoolchildren from Rwanda.
Ranked among Africa’s top ten must-see attractions in Tripadvisor’s 2015 “Travellers Choice” awards.
The Memorial was founded in 2004 by the Aegis Trust in response to a request from the Rwandan government. Aegis is still employing its services under a contract with CNLG, Rwanda’s National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide.
As a site of commemoration for survivors and education for younger generations and broader Rwandan society, the Genocide Memorial—which includes exhibitions, memorial gardens, educational facilities, and the Genocide Archive of Rwanda—plays an essential role within Rwandan national, social, and cultural identity. Additionally, policymakers on a global scale can benefit greatly from the knowledge found there as they work to enhance the reaction to mass tragedies and the efficacy of prevention measures.
Plan Your Visit
In honor of the Tutsi people of Rwanda who lost their lives in the 1994 genocide, the Genocide Memorial serves as a site of reflection and education. As a venue for educational programs that foster peace and reconciliation, it provides an impactful experience for those who visit.
Murambi Genocide Memorial
Visit to the Murambi Genocide Memorial Site
The most distressing memorial to visit is the Murambi Genocide Memorial, which is located on the grounds of the former Murambi Technical School, close to Murambi town. The display of the remains of genocide victims makes the visit quite painful. Assuming they were a friend or relative, it’s not hard to spot a survivor. It was a trap, but the French had told the Tutsi to take refuge in the technical school under the guise of protecting them. They gathered there, but the militia attacked and there was no food. Several mass graves may be found at the site, which also features exhibition rooms housed in old classrooms.
Plan Your Visit
In honor of the Tutsi people of Rwanda who lost their lives in the 1994 genocide, the Genocide Memorial serves as a site of reflection and education. As a venue for educational programs that foster peace and reconciliation, it provides an impactful experience for those who visit.
Nyamata Genocide Memorial
Charles visits Nyamata Church Genocide Memorial in Rwanda
Located in Bugesera, 30 km south of Kigali, the Nyamata genocide memorial site occupies a building that was once a church. There are memorials here for the 25,000 people who perished in the Rwandan genocide. Following the memorial to the Murambi genocide, this is among Rwanda’s more somber locations.
Because churches were once considered safe havens, it is tragic that many Tutsi people congregated here thinking it was a safe haven. This structure was more of a death trap than a place of living, and they had no idea. Tutsis sought refuge in the church, but were startled to find Hutu militias armed with machetes and hand grenades tearing open the doors. On the church pews, amidst the blood, you can see the victims’ national ID cards and clothing. The blood of the many victims of the atrocity is still visible on the alter fabric. There are mass graves outside the church that you are welcome to view.
Plan Your Visit
In honor of the Tutsi people of Rwanda who lost their lives in the 1994 genocide, the Genocide Memorial serves as a site of reflection and education. As a venue for educational programs that foster peace and reconciliation, it provides an impactful experience for those who visit.
Nyanza Genocide Memorial
Nyanza Genocide Memorial Rwanda
The Nyanza Genocide Memorial is situated in the Kicukiro area of Kigali city, on the grounds of the Ecole Technique Officielle. Commemorations of the genocide, which take place every April, typically use this as their starting point. More than 10,000 victims of the genocide are buried there; as the killing continued, Belgian UN peacekeepers left their posts. It is a tragic tale of bureaucracy that the United Nations forces did not fly these Tutsi people to safety, leaving them vulnerable to their slaughter.
Plan Your Visit
In honor of the Tutsi people of Rwanda who lost their lives in the 1994 genocide, the Genocide Memorial serves as a site of reflection and education. As a venue for educational programs that foster peace and reconciliation, it provides an impactful experience for those who visit.
More of the Genocide Memorial Sites
Bisesero genocide memorial: Located 60 miles from Kibuye, Rwanda, the Bisesero genocide memorial is said to be the site of the deaths of forty thousand people. At this memorial site for the genocide, visitors can learn about the Tutsi people’s fight back against the Hutu on the Bisesero hills, where they resisted the Hutu with rocks and sticks.
Ntarama genocide memorial: You may reach the Ntarama Genocide Memorial from Kigali by driving for an hour. The site of the atrocity that killed five thousand people was a former Catholic church. Due to its humble origins as a tiny village parish, this church genocide memorial site pales in comparison to the others. In the same vein as the others, the Tutsi sought sanctuary here, believing they would be safe. However, they were taken aback by the assaults of the Hutu militias, who managed to gain access to the building by systematically removing bricks.
Nyarubuye genocide memorial: Located 140 miles from Kigali, the Nyarubuye genocide memorial site is a Catholic church where 2000 Rwandans were killed. Reportedly, the district’s former mayor, Sylvestre Gacumbitsi, had a hand in arming Hutu militants and inciting them to rape, maim, and kill Tutsi civilians. While the memorial centers at Ntarama and Nyamata remain empty, the church at Nyarubuye has been renovated and is now a place of worship for locals.
