Artistic reflection was used to commemorate the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in an event held on April 12 in Ottawa, Canada. The event titled Ku Gicaniro Canada” hosted by Peace and Love Proclaimers Canada, gathered young Rwandans, parents, Genocide survivors and their friends at the Shenkman Arts Center, for the commemoration of the Genocide that claimed more than one million lives. ALSO READ: Kwibuka 31: Our role to preserve the memory remains Peace and Love Proclaimers Canada which organized the commemoration event is an organization dedicated to promoting cultural awareness, community engagement, and the preservation of Rwandan heritage within Canadian communities. The mourners gathered for an evening of remembrance, dialogue, and artistic reflection to commemorate the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. A curated exhibition preceded the programme, offering attendees a space to walk through visual and written memory—not to consume history, but to carry it. Each artifact served as a quiet act of resistance against forgetting, the organisation said in a statement. Also read: Meet Ruzibiza, a-contemporary dance maestro and choreographer The event opened with a moment of silence, name reading and candle-lighting in honour of the Genocide victims. Art anchored the evening. Musical performances gave voice to grief and resilience, while a theatrical play reminded us that 'art remembers what history tries to forget,' said the organisers. Genocide survivor Godelieve Mukarukundo shared her testimony during the event. A documentary screening explored how the history of the Genocide can be taught to children. ALSO READ: Films to help you learn true story of the Genocide against the Tutsi Pascal Kanyemera, President of the Humura Survivors Association, emphasized the power of social media in fighting genocide denial and highlighted his organisation’s project to preserve truth and history. Genocide is not a spontaneous tragedy; it is a political crime, said Rwandan High Commissioner to Canada, Prosper Higiro. He said the in the years leading up to the Genocide, the government sowed division, fear among Rwanda and spread hate messages and violence against the Tutsi. He urged young people to uphold the values of unity, dignity, and truth, the same values upheld by members of the Rwanda Patriotic Front/Army, who sacrificed their lives for Rwanda's future. Danny Kalisa, the representative of PLP Canada reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to remembrance and youth engagement. The aim of PLP Canada is to create spaces like this—safe, intentional, and powerful—where young people can remember, reflect, and reconnect with their identity and history.
