Nyamata Genocide Memorial, one of four genocide memorials inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, remains a powerful symbol of remembrance, echoing the cries of more than 45,000 Tutsi who were brutally killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Located in what was once Nyamata Parish in Bugesera District, the site serves as an eternal resting place for victims who had lived under years of persecution, treated like prisoners in their own country. Today, the memorial stands in solemn silence, yet it speaks volumes—its walls, relics, and mass graves bearing witness to a tragedy that claimed over a million lives nationwide. What was once labeled a “zone of death” has been transformed into a sanctuary of memory—a place where no soul is forgotten. ALSO READ: Remains of 320 Genocide victims found near Nyamata memorial These painful truths were shared with staff and management team of the Rwanda Stock Exchange (RSE) and the Capital Market Authority (CMA), who visited the memorial on April 24 to pay tribute and express solidarity. A part of the memorial honors women victims, many of whom endured unspeakable sexual violence before being murdered. The church, now a central part of the memorial, holds the clothing and personal belongings of those killed inside and others exhumed from surrounding areas—victims who continue to be discovered to this day. The story of Annonciatha Mukandoli, buried within the church, serves as a tragic symbol of the cruelty inflicted. Her story, like those of thousands of others, remains a testimony to the barbarity that unfolded in this place. ALSO READ: Researchers tip Rwandan officials on importance of preserving Genocide memory Eric Muhaturukundo, a guide at the memorial, explained that since 1959, Bugesera was deliberately designated as a “no-life” zone. Tutsi were forcefully relocated to this harsh, infrastructure-less region, plagued by tsetse flies and heavy military control. Before the Genocide, a laissez-passer system restricted their movement. By 1994, safety and freedom had entirely vanished. Muhaturukundo recounted how in 1963, Tutsi refugees based in Burundi attempted a return through Bugesera, only to be met with violent resistance by the Rwandan army, then aided by Belgian forces. This incursion, followed by attacks in 1966 and 1973, triggered further persecution, with Tutsi denied education, employment, and property rights. In 1990, the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) launched a liberation struggle from the north. Made up mostly of 1959 refugees, the RPF demanded the right to return. The then government responded by arresting and killing civilian Tutsi, accusing them of being collaborators. Antonia Locatelli: A voice for the voiceless Among those remembered is Antonia Locatelli, an Italian national born in Bergame in 1937. She arrived in Rwanda in 1972 as a volunteer with the Swiss Hospitable Sisters of St. Martha and worked tirelessly in Nyamata to educate young girls. On March 9, 1992, she courageously spoke out on Radio France Internationale and BBC about the massacres unfolding in Bugesera—killings that left more than 500 dead in just one week. She accused the government of orchestrating the attacks, calling out their use of official vehicles and militias. That same evening, she was assassinated by a gendarme officer, Epimaque Ulimubenshi, in front of her school, where she had sheltered many Tutsi. Her grave lies behind the church in recognition of her bravery. On July 4, 2010, she was posthumously honored by President Paul Kagame with the Umurinzi w’Igihango medal on National Liberation Day. By April 15, 1994, over 40,000 Tutsi who had sought refuge at the church were massacred in a single day—a haunting reminder of the Genocide’s cruelty. One of the most disturbing acts remembered is the destruction of a Holy Mary statue, which killers claimed resembled a Tutsi woman—“beautiful, long-nosed,” they said—as if that justified their violence. Equally horrifying is the memory of how the church’s baptism area was turned into an execution site for children. Some had been hidden among the bodies. Killers poured chili powder on the corpses to detect survivors. If a child moved or cried out in pain, they were thrown against the walls or burned alive. “This time, they had no escape,” said Muhaturukundo. “They sought safety in the church, as they had done before. But this time, the killers used that to their advantage.” Intwaza: Mirrors of Rwanda’s resilience The visiting delegation also met 80 elderly widows and widowers of the Genocide—known as Intwaza—now living at the Impinganzima hostel in Nyamata. The facility, built by FARG and inaugurated by First Lady Jeannette Kagame in 2018, offers comfort and dignity to survivors whose families were completely wiped out. ALSO READ: Intwararumuri stands with Intwaza of Huye Impinganzima during Kwibuka 31 Pierre-Célestin Rwabukumba, CEO of the Rwanda Stock Exchange, said the visit was a powerful reminder that remembrance is not just about mourning—it is a moral obligation. “Kwibuka is part and parcel of our social fabric,” he said. “For Bugesera, with its particular history, it speaks volumes. And for the youth, ‘Never Again’ must truly mean ‘Never Again.’”
