Honest conversations about Rwanda’s history, including the experiences of survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, are essential to confronting genocide ideology and ensuring younger generations understand the dangers of division, participants at a Unity and Resilience Forum in Karongi District have said.

The discussions, held on Tuesday, October 13, brought together more than 600 participants from Karongi, Nyamasheke and Rusizi districts of Western Province to reflect on Rwanda’s journey towards unity and resilience and the challenges that remain.

Organised by Unity Club Intwararumuri in collaboration with the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE) and the Western Province, the forum was part of activities marking October as Rwanda’s month dedicated to unity and resilience.

"The remedy may be bitter, but it heals,” Minister of Health Sabin Nsanzimana said, emphasising the importance of confronting difficult truths rather than avoiding them.

"Whatever you tell the children, tell them the truth, even when that truth is difficult to hear,” he added.

Nsanzimana acknowledged Rwanda’s progress in rebuilding the country but said genocide ideology remained a concern in parts of the Western Province. He urged communities to engage in honest discussions and help young people understand the history that led to the Genocide.

Survivors’ experiences offer lessons

Personal testimonies featured prominently, illustrating how discrimination and persecution affected families before and during the Genocide.

Bernard Kayumba, a former mayor of Karongi District, recounted experiencing discrimination from childhood, including the targeting of Tutsi pupils at school. He lost family members during the Genocide and fled in search of safety.

A Hutu woman whose husband was among those who killed Kayumba’s father helped hide him and advised him to escape at night. He later found refuge in Bisesero, where Tutsi who had fled persecution continued to face attacks.

After surviving the Genocide, Kayumba resumed his education, studied law and eventually became mayor of the district where he had experienced some of the country’s darkest moments.

He said confronting the past remained difficult, particularly when some people had not disclosed where victims’ remains were hidden or avoided commemoration activities.

Judith Uwizeye, Minister of Public Service and Labour, recalled growing up in a family that maintained close relationships with Tutsi neighbours. However, she later witnessed ethnic hatred spread through discrimination at school and radio broadcasts that portrayed Tutsi as enemies.

During the Genocide, she said, her family sheltered people targeted by attackers despite threats against those who hid them. Uwizeye also credited civic education camps, known as ingando, with helping young people from different backgrounds develop a shared understanding of their national identity.

Pastor Isaïe Ndayizeye, Presiding Bishop of the Pentecostal Church in Rwanda (ADEPR), said he grew up in a family with both Hutu and Tutsi parents and viewed the two groups as members of one family, despite discriminatory teachings he encountered at school.

During the Genocide, his family feared for his Tutsi mother as relatives and neighbours were hunted. They eventually fled to the Democratic Republic of Congo before returning to Rwanda after learning that the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) had reached their area.

Ndayizeye later continued his education, eventually receiving a university scholarship.

Unity as a shared responsibility

Édouard Bamporiki, a member of Unity Club Intwararumuri, said confronting the past also required families whose members participated in the Genocide to acknowledge the truth.

He said children should not be held responsible for crimes committed by their parents but should be encouraged to reject wrongdoing and contribute to the country’s future.

"Rwanda is greater than all of us,” he said, stressing the importance of shared national identity and responsibility.

Jean-Bosco Ntibitura, Governor of the Western Province, outlined progress in restoring unity and resilience, including support for survivors, justice through the Gacaca courts and efforts to fight genocide ideology.

He cited a 2025 assessment that put the province’s unity and reconciliation score at 94.9 per cent. However, he identified continuing challenges, including genocide denial and minimisation, misinformation on social media, unresolved trauma among survivors and the need to locate victims’ remains and provide them with dignified burials.

Jean-Paul Niyoniringiye, a student at Rwanda Polytechnic (RP) Karongi College and a member of Unity Club, welcomed efforts to teach young people Rwanda’s history so they can pass it on to future generations.

"Today, we are very happy, and we commend the government for taking this step to ensure that we learn about this history while we are still young, so that in the future, we can also teach it to the generations that will come after us,” he said.

He said learning about the past would help young people preserve the country’s achievements and contribute to its continued development.

The October forums seek to help communities assess Rwanda’s progress since the Genocide was stopped and identify how individuals can contribute to safeguarding unity and resilience.