Visit Kigali genocide memorial centre – Kigali city tour Attractions
Visit kigali genocide memorial centre – This is the best place to learn about the worst human tragedy to affect the country and one of the most awful historical times for Africa. If you only have a few hours, one of the best things to do in Kigali is visiting the Genocide Memorial.
You should spend at least 2h at the Kigali Genocide Memorial to make sure that you have enough time to listen to all the audio guide recordings, read the text at the exhibits and walk the outdoor areas.
The visit starts at the reception where there is an introductory video featuring a few Rwandans whose lives were forever changed by the Genocide. You then proceed to the main building where several exhibits and an audio guide will follow a chronology of events across the museum from the time of Belgian colonialism to today’s reconstruction efforts.
The Genocide Memorial is the right place to start your Rwanda travel because it will also set straight a lot of the traditions, customs and way of life in modern day Rwanda. It also provides an explanation and foundation for everything that you will see and notice as you travel across the country.
Talking about the Rwandan Genocide is really difficult. The history is tragic and the many ignored signs that warned the international community about it make one feel frustrated and helpless.
The only hope one gets visiting the Memorial and then traveling across Rwanda is that the country has taken it as a second chance to start from scratch and build a country all Rwandans can be proud of.
Inside the museum there are also some halls devoted to the victims of the genocide where over 100 photos of people are displayed. There is also a section about other genocides around the world and a last hall devoted to the children.
At the end of the visit, there is another short video featuring the same Rwandans from the beginning of the visit on a slightly more optimistic note.
Outside the main museum there are gardens and the actual memorial where the remains of thousands of Rwandans are buried. This is a real cemetery and so it is visited by the family and friends of the many victims who come to pay their respects. If you are visiting on a weekend, you will notice the many Rwandans visiting.
The outdoor areas also include a rose garden and a burning flame memorial that reminds the viewer of all those who died. There is also a library with research documents, a cafe and a small souvenir shop.
Visit Kigali genocide memorial centre – Rwanda’s infrastructure is in great condition. Locals congregate on the last Saturday of the month to work on community projects in what is called Umuganda. The streets are clean and tidy, pollution is low and even the poorest parts of the countryside or of Kigali have proper sanitation and brick houses with paved streets. Kigali is also safe, even at night and as a solo female traveller and a place that made me feel hopeful about the rest of the continent.
