Today we had another long drive to Murambi Genocide Memorial Center. We were told this was the hardest genocide memorial to go to in Rwanda. Also something that made it a little more difficult was that Carl or Drew hadn't seen it yet. Once we got onto the dirt road leading to the memorial I looked around to see beautiful mountains, green lands, and landscaping. We passed lots of kids coming from and going to school. Every kid we pass while being here either joyfully screams at us as we wave or waves back with huuuge smiles on their faces. It never gets old. People get so excited here when we wave at them. Teenagers aren't always as excited but hey they're only human and we all know what that age is like----right Mom?
So we were finally at the Center which is just surrounded by such gorgeous lands. It's awfulness in the midst of great beauty. So now for details: The center was a school during the genocide and this is the place where Hutu extremists and French soldiers lured Tutsi so they could systemically kill them. There were mass graves built on the grounds where we stood...The buildings were blown up with people in them and there were so many people murdered on the grounds where we were now standing. The first building we went into was build specifically for the memorial which held the history of Rwanda and of the genocide. There were also stories of survivors that were really great to read. There was a section with some graves under the ground that contained bodies that were preserved with lime. We couldn't see them but after being taken outside we all had seen enough of them.
After the first part of the tour we were lead to the back of the memorial which were all buildings that have been preserved since the genocide happened, all part of the school that was there. There were small rooms all next to each other. We walked into the first room where I was very taken aback to see tons of corpses. They were all preserved with lime so you could really still see specifics on the bodies. I had to plug my nose because the smell was not a good one. The smell also made it even harder to keep myself under control being around all these bodies. The bodies were a yellowish color because of the lime and I could see facial expressions, bodies in uncomfortable positions, and body size. There were so many bodies in each room. I couldn't help but to go in each one. I felt it would have been disrespectful not to enter each one. It was really difficult to see all these bodies so together and "real" looking still. I took my time in each room and looked at as many bodies as I could. I thought about possibilities of their sex, age, favorite sports, if they had kids...etc..which was so emotional. The hardest thing to look at were two bodies, one tiny body in the arms of a bigger body. I couldn't help assuming that it was a mother holding her child. That was just terrible to think about. Either they were killed by grenade, machete, or buried alive together. So many questions go through my head when I picture this. What really drives someone to do that to another human? And it's especially hard to believe it happened here in Rwanda because it's a peaceful, gorgeous place. For a genocide to happen here....ridiculous. We get so many loving looks, and welcoming waves from people here. Maybe it's just cause they are so surprised to see "Mazunga" (meaning "foreigners" in Kinyarwanda). But still, the waving ain't like that in America that's for sure. After going into all the rooms containing bodies we went to the a part of the site that was a place the French threw dead bodies or buried people alive. They covered the mass grave up and put a volleyball court over it.........Yuck.
I'm really glad I got to see this memorial because it changes how I look at the world and it makes me want to spread hope, love and peace that much more. There are so many people that I wish could see Rwanda and all these places for that reason.
After the genocide memorial we headed to Buture to watch some women African drummers. This was a nice positive event after our intense first part of the day. We watched these drummers in the rehearsal space theater of The University of Rwanda. These women could catch the attention of anyone. Their sound and stage presence were breathtaking. They use the drums to be a symbol of empowerment and it definitely showed. The ages of these women ranged from 18-44 years that were a mix of survivors, perpetrators and bystanders from the genocide. The fact they are all playing together and collaborating like nothing like that ever happened is proof that music and the arts can be used to unite people and become one. There's so much diversity coming together for a greater purpose. They slammed on those drums for a good 1/2 hour and after they were done they taught us some stuff. My arms were calloused, tired and shaking after 5 minutes. The lesson was very fun. This group of women own an ice cream place in the town of Buture. So naturally we went to have a lil ice cream after our drumming session.
It was a great day. Can't wait to take all I've learned home with me.
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