Rwandan poets are using their art to commemorate the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Zuhla Bagirinka and Benigne Better Uhiriwe shared their poems with The New Times. Below are the poems respectively: Bravery still leads 30 years ago, fear , illusions and astonishment of what befell Rwanda, Taught us that with or without support, You can still rise and fight for your name. We are proud to be Rwandan. We are building and building, as if bullets of destruction, hate and violence never tore us. We are the spirits cheered by our history In anger we say: Wabayeho, wishenguka komeza urugendo We are proof that we can still walk even when our limbs were tied for so long. We couldn't believe we would once look left and right to inhale Inseko ya benekanyarwanda Choosing greatness comes with a prize, Rwanda has been shaken, Bana Ntimuhogore Dore U Rwanda Rubahetse Ruzabahoza, We are faces honoring resilience that emerged from tragedy. We shall stand against denial, Our rememberance will always inspire unity- And a commitment of a brighter future together. May we Remember, Unite and Renew. Thirty Years Such a long time ago and yet to memory it feels like yesterday. With extreme efforts bodies were concealed, for their stories to never be told and yet it seems we can’t help but dig in the present. Our united front sings that there is still more to find To each other, we whisper of those faces that left us too soon. For in a hundred days each household lost a next of kin. As young ones wonder why our elders sweat to fight a war that ended. For our eyes never saw the bloodshed. For a handshake is just cordial. And yet in folktales we are told that the mind can never be won over. That our battle is to change the narrative To be brutal in stamping the truth. For our fathers saw And spent a lifetime telling. We got told that our differences should pit us against each other. And we forgot our genesis that told of a great Rwanda Such a price to pay even to those born after As the journey unfolds, we witness the mend Of the forgiveness we extended. And heroism of those that can hit back and still choose to pat a shoulder To look at each other like old friends, for we could never win as foes. To this day we are still unearthing graves that could never be marked. And with final peace we give them, there comes a certainty that we triumphed. Our history was tainted, and yet we became painters of a vision of joy. There is still hurt of what could have been, and wounds of what could never be reversed But we thrive to let go of a past that should never repeated To fight for a future that will echo.
