Ntarama Genocide Memorial has become the third memorial site in Rwanda to host a dedicated history museum, which is part efforts to preserve the memory of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and educate future generations.

The museum was inaugurated on May 30 by First Lady Jeannette Kagame.

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The launch followed a wreath laying ceremony in memory of more than 5,000 victims laid to rest at Ntarama Genocide Memorial in Bugesera District. The memorial was a church during the Genocide and civilians who had fled there were killed and bombed by government soldiers and Interahamwe militia.

Ntarama is the third memorial to have a dedicated history museum after Kigali Genocide Memorial and Murambi Genocide Memorial in Nyamagabe District.

The museum preserves the history of the Genocide against the Tutsi, with a particular focus on the massacres that took place in Bugesera. It also places those events within the broader national history.

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Veneranda Ingabire, the Executive Director of Memory and Genocide Prevention at the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE), said the museum tells the story of Rwanda before, during and after the genocide.

"The museum shows how Rwandans once lived together in harmony and how that unity was gradually eroded through divisive ideology," she said.

"It also explains how the genocide was planned and executed in Bugesera, how the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) stopped the killings, and how the country embarked on a journey of recovery and rebuilding."

Ingabire said the museum will serve as an important educational resource for young people, researchers and local and foreign visitors.

She noted that preserving evidence, testimonies and historical records is essential in ensuring that future generations understand the causes and consequences of genocide and contribute to preventing similar atrocities.

Speaking after the inauguration, First Lady Jeannette Kagame encouraged public especially youth to visit the museum and other sites that preserve Rwanda&039;s history.

"I encourage you to visit this museum as well as other places that preserve our history," she said at the youth forum Igihago cy'Urungano, which followed the inauguration.

"Even as we remember and grieve, today we do not only remember the dark history we went through but also reaffirm our commitment to protecting our unity and building the Rwanda we want," she said.

According to MINUBUMWE, the government is implementing a programme to establish museums at eight national genocide memorials.