Remembering.

All of the groups had breakfast together this morning on the 4^th floor of the hotel then headed out to the Kigali Memorial Centre.

The Kigali Memorial Centre is a museum that is dedicated to the genocide of 1994. A Documentation Centre is also on the grounds with permanent records of the genocide, such as testimonies and pictures.

Surrounding the centers are gardens that feature themes of unity, division and harmony. Mass graves are the main focus of these gardens. There are 285,000 bodies buried on the grounds – twice the size of Waco, a fact pointed out by Maxey Parrish, leader of the G.M. team. A wall of names is given for those whose remains were identified.

 The Memorial Centre contains three different exhibits – an exhibition focusing on the genocide in Rwanda, another called “Wasted Lives” that tells of other genocides that have occurred throughout the world and through time and a children’s exhibit that has pictures and facts about children who were killed in the Rwandan genocide.

 Video interviews with survivors puts a personal face on the results of the genocide. The same people tell their stories throughout – about seeing their family members die before their eyes, how they survived and the effects of the genocide on their lives.

A video clip was just a silent film of clips of the bodies that were found in the streets after the mass killings. Mutilated bodies of all ages were shown – attempting to make those who weren’t able to experience it feel the horror of it all.

One room contains photos that family members have brought to the museum of those who have died. This is their attempt to memorialize those who they lost. A visitor can walk along the walls covered in photos and try to imagine those who faces stare back at them – how it felt when they realized they were dying and how their family must have felt incomplete without their presence.

The “Wasted Lives” exhibit featured genocides across the globe – including the Holocaust and the genocides in Cambodia and Bosnia, among others. One of the main facts that shocked the students was that the US has never acknowledged the genocide that occurred in Turkey.

The Children’s exhibit focused on those children whose lives were cut short by a machete or other forms of murder. Large photographs hung from the ceiling showing a child’s innocent face. Underneath the photo was the child’s name, the age they were when they died and facts such as their favorite activities or best friend.

One little boy’s last words were not to worry because the UN soldiers would save them.

After encountering this mass of information on the loss of lives, students gathered outside to reflect and recover. There we were able to hear a student from the UK speak to us who works for the Aegis Trust. He told us how we could help to end genocide and bring attention to the events that are occurring currently – such as in Darfur.

Tonight the G.M. and Y.S. teams had church at the home church of Zachary where they sang “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” in inkinyarwanda.

The S.W. and Religion team had dinner with the Baylor alum who works for the microfinance bank that they visited last week.

Tomorrow we leave the city of Kigali for rest and relaxation at Lake Kivu.