genocide memorial

to view a few pictures from the first genocide memorial, click HERE (click on any picture to enlarge the set).

i will never, ever be able to get my head or heart around this. without any question, demonic forces were at work. some of the killers themselves have said that they were overtaken by spirits.

the tour we did took about 1.5 hours. you held the walkie talkie type device up to your ear and typed in the number for each section of the exhibit. it covered every aspect of the genocide and truly was fascinating. that is probably not the right word, but it was very informative to describe all the factors that went into the genocide -- political, economic, religious, social, and cultural.

a few of the pictures, with mass concrete slabs, were mass graves. friends and relatives still come and place flowers.

from here, we went to the hotel rwanda. it now operates under a different name. we had lunch next to the pool. a long, long way from 16 short years ago.

we also visited a second remote memorial. in the dreariness of a rainy day, with no other visitors, we alone were guided through the church where 10,000-11,000 were massacred. the young man who told us the story, charles, spoke very quietly. he was one of 7 to live to tell what happened there that day. see the post 'unimaginable' for more.

april 7th is when the genocide began. every year, that days mark the beginning of a month long memorial. if you think of it on that day --when you flip the calendar, write a check, or mail a birthday card -- say a prayer for the hearts of all those who still feel the pain daily. like simba.