Rayon Sports visit Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre

Rayon Sports FC players and officials on Wednesday visited Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre and laid a wreath in honour of the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. During the visit, Rayon Sports president Denis Gakinya said, “As you know this week and the coming three months, Rwanda is commemorating the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. “That is the reason why we decided to bring along the players who were born before the genocide and after as well as the foreigners to understand the history and what happened during that year.” “Rayon existed before the genocide and the club was affected by the Genocide, which is why we need to recognize and remember the history in our day to day life so that lessons can be learnt.” The club has promised to create an archive so that history is not forgotten and plans are underway to commemorate for the next 100-days. Midfielder Kevin Muhire, one of Rayon Sports’ youngest players, said it is very important to know the history of the country. “What happened is tragic and horrifying; therefore, we need to use sports to fight the genocide ideology,” he said. Over a million people were killed during the genocide that lasted 100 days, and Ugandan striker Davis Kasirye, who was visiting the Genocide Memorial Centre for the first time, expressed shock at what he saw. “It is my first to be in Rwanda during this period, in Uganda, I last saw this through TV and movies, but to get all this information first hand is great lesson. We should pray it does not happen again,” the Rayon forward expressed his grief after the team was taken on a guided tour of the site. editorial@newtimes.co.rw