The Kigali Genocide Memorial includes three permanent exhibitions, the largest of which documents the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. There is also a children’s memorial and an exhibition on the history of genocidal violence around the world. The Education Centre, Gardens, and Genocide Archive of Rwanda form part of a meaningful tribute to those who perished, and provide a powerful educational tool for visitors.
EXHIBITION 1
The first part of this exhibition gives an outline of Rwandan society before colonisation, including the unifying features and the harmony that existed before colonisation as well as a flavour of the hardships of everyday life. The second part details the planned nature and horror of the Genocide against the Tutsi, as well as stories of survival, rescue and from those who stopped the slaughter. The first part of this section details the post-genocide reconstruction that has taken place in Rwanda and how justice and reconciliation has been fostered.
EXHIBITION 2
The second exhibition is called ‘Wasted Lives’ because some of the massacres documented there have not been recognised as genocide by international law. The atrocities examined include Namibia, Cambodia and the Balkans as well as the Holocaust.
EXHIBITION 3
The Children’s Room is dedicated to the memory of children killed in the Genocide against the Tutsi. This section shows how a generation’s dreams were stolen by genocide and remembers the thousands of children and infants slaughtered by genocidaires.