Located at the Parliamentary Buildings, the Campaign Against the Genocide (CAG) museum is home to different monuments that give meaning, in different forms, the four-year liberation struggle that was led by Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) forces. The four-year liberation struggle ended on July 4, 1994, which also put a stop at the Genocide against the Tutsi that was perpetrated by the vanquished government. According to Medard Bushana, the museum manager, these monuments convey a strong message to the visitors. “A monument is a sign of what has happened in the past and can help someone to learn history whether explained or not. When we tell history with the help of these monuments, visitors understand the whole of the museum in a very simple way,” Bushana said. To conserve these monuments, he continued, they on daily basis inspect them, brush them, and repair where they have been damaged. He revealed that the government is planning to build other monuments across the liberation trail that traces from Kagitumba, Gicumbi, Burera, Rulindo, Gasabo to Kigali. Bushana says that to start with, the choice of the venue for the CAG museum was not accidental. The Parliamentary Buildings, known in during the Liberation Struggle as Centre Nationale de Developpement (CND), was the home to RPF-Inkotanyi politicians who were in Kigali as part of a peace agreement with the Habyarimana government. CND also hosted some 600 RPA troops who were meant to offer protection to protect the politicians. He added, “One part of this building was a hotel where politicians stayed and the other part served as the workplace of parliament. The 600 soldiers didn’t live in the hotel. Instead, they dug caves around the building and lived there.” The 600 fighters – who formed the Third Battalion of RPA - went on to play a key role in the fall of Kigali and stopped the Genocide around the capital and its sarroundings. According to Bushana, this museum was built to fill the history gap of the whole liberation war. “People would visit Genocide memorials around the country, see how the Genocide against the Tutsi was planned and executed but miss another part regarding how RPA soldiers stopped it.” What are the monuments at CAG? At the campaign Against Genocide Museum, there are four monuments. We toured them with Medard Bushana and he explained to us what they symbolise. The Third Battalion Sick Bay One of the monuments is a preserved room that was used a field hospital during the liberation struggle. This is where RPA soldiers who were wounded, as well as people who had been rescued during the Genocide, were treated. The field hospital was equipped, staffed with RPA medics and secure, according to Bushana. The 12.7mm support weapon On 7th April 1994 at 3 p.m, RPA Chairman of High Command, General Paul Kagame ordered the 600 soldiers to stop the Genocide, rescue the victims and destroy the base camps of the genocidaire soldiers. The soldiers from 3bn who were at CND executed the command. Among them was Major (Rtd) David Rwabinumi, who is immortalised on this monument holding this weapon. According to available information, this gun was key in neutralising Ex-FAR par commandos from Camp Kanombe and the notorious Presidential Guards who were attacking from the eastern part of the Parliamentary Buildings. This monument was established to honour the contribution of this soldier to contain the attacks of genocidaires. “There is another RPA solder helping him behind him. We honour every soldier that helped on this battlefield,” he said. The main monument This one contains the whole message of the museum. The command that was given to the 600 soldiers had a target goal which was to stop the Genocide, eliminate the government of genocidaires and make peace in the country. According to Bushana, in stopping the Genocide, there were four main objectives; the RPA soldiers that were in the north had to meet up with the 600 soldiers that were isolated from other forces. The second objective was to destroy the base of the enemies for them to stop killing innocent civilians. When executed, it would be easy for RPA soldiers to rescue people until they defeat enemies and establish a new government of unity. The third objective was to rescue as many people as possible including children, women, and men and the fourth was to defeat the Ex-FAR and Interahamwe militia. These four objectives constitute the Campaign Against the Genocide and are visible in this monument. This monument has a soldier carrying a baby in one hand and a pair of binoculars in another hand. This solder represents a commander of the battle. He has rescued a baby and has binoculars which means that he wasn’t only looking at the battle; he was foreseeing and planning for what will happen after it. There are also soldiers holding guns and heading in different directions; one in front and the other on the right side. They symbolise different fronts on different directions that the RPA soldiers took during the Campaign to stop the Genocide. The middle direction represented the front from Byumba, Kigali-Ngali and to Kigali City. The east-southern direction was from Eastern Province to Southern; from Nyagatare, Gatsibo, Kayonza, Kibungo, Bugesera, Rwabusoro Bridge in Nyanza and to Huye. The northern direction was from Musanze (former Ruhengeri) to Rubavu (former Gisenyi) to make the enemies free. Also part of the monument is also a soldier who saves a man whose right arm is elevated. The man is celebrating after being rescued by the soldier. This symbolises one of the objectives of RPA soldiers which was to save as many people as possible. In the rear, another RPA soldier is bowing in front of a dead woman. That symbolises the fact that RPA didn’t save all the victims. It is this reason that we remember more than a million of Tutsis who were killed during the Genocide. Bowing for the woman and yet still in the battle is the symbol that RPA soldiers valued human life even during hard times. Overall, there are two strong messages from the monument; the symbol of a commander who saved a child means that he was looking forward to a brighter future for the country represented in the child. The second message is about the symbol of a dead woman. Whoever kills a mother basically kills a nation. It means that the killers didn’t care about the future of the country. A soldier on one knee holding a gun This monument symbolises a soldier revering his comrades who died during the Campaign Against the Genocide. This monument is set up in what they call Heroes Garden. There are chairs where, after visiting the museum, you sit, refresh and reflect on what you have learned throughout the journey and as well as what you can learn from RPA soldiers.
