The Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD Plc) joined families, survivors to remember former employees and clients of the bank and the former Housing Bank of Rwanda who were killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
The event was held at BRD office in Kigali on Friday, May 23, as part of the 32nd commemoration period. Participants laid wreaths at the bank's memorial monument, where the names of 32 former employees are inscribed and were read aloud in their honour.
The commemoration featured emotional tributes, survivor testimonies, and renewed calls to preserve historical truth, strengthen remembrance, and reject genocide ideology.
BRD also reaffirmed its commitment to documenting the lives of its former staff and clients while supporting survivors and their families.
Surviving and honouring their memories
Alphonsine Kamariza shared the story of her brother, Onesephore Sekanyambo, a former BRD employee who worked as an analyst. "He was like my father. Whenever I had a problem, I would go to him, and he would comfort me," she said.
Sekanyambo, his wife and children were killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Kamariza sought refuge at Saint Famille parish after going through a horror ordeal trying to get to the parish from her home.
"Entering Saint Famille was not enough. Interahamwe came in whenever they wanted. We hid under benches wherever possible," she said.
She recounted the atrocities inside. The former RPA-Inkotanyi ultimately stopped the massacres.
"It was the Inkotanyi who saved our lives," she said.
Kamariza expressed deep gratitude to BRD for continuing to stay close to her, her family, and the families of former staff and clients, and for how the bank faithfully honours her late brother's memory.
BRD leadership’s commitment to remembrance, truth and legacy
BRD CEO Stella Rusine Nteziryayo said the institution honours the victims not only as Rwandans, but as colleagues who helped build its foundation.
Addressing survivors, she acknowledged the depth of their pain: "You faced tragedies, the harshest calamity of all. But today we tell you to take heart, live. Being alive is itself an asset, what remains is to live well."
Nteziryayo emphasised that remembrance must go beyond annual events. She revealed that BRD is conducting research and preparing a publication documenting former staff and clients killed during the Genocide to preserve their legacy.
She also urged young people to learn from history, particularly the role of the RPA-Inkotanyi in stopping the Genocide and rebuilding the country.
Evode Ndatsikira, representing the Genocide survivors’ umbrella organisation Ibuka, called on anyone with information about victims' resting places to come forward to ease the suffering of survivors. He also warned against historical distortion.
"Starting with that priest [Wenceslas Munyeshyaka] mentioned in the testimony, there are people who still try to rewrite history and claim that those responsible were innocent," Ndatsikira said. "But testimonies like these ensure the truth remains alive."
Youth urged to protect Rwanda’s future
Author and genocide survivor, Yolande Mukagasana urged young people to reflect on the values passed down to future generations, contrasting past divisive upbringings with the need for equal rights.
"Youth, this responsibility is yours. Rwanda must never be lost again, nor return to where the Inkotanyi rescued it from," she said.
Marie Alice Kayumba Uwera, the Executive Director in charge of National Unity and Community Resilience at MINUBUMWE, concluded by urging the youth to reject divisionism.
"When Rwanda was abandoned during the Genocide, the Inkotanyi, though so young at the time, rescued the country and helped rebuild a nation founded on unity," she said.