Photos

There are around 7 mass graves dug at the memorial hosting the majority of the 50,000 people. The government believes by putting the bodies and bones on display reminds people of the atrocities that were committed. Furthermore, their display enables no one to claim it never happened. The bodies are covered in lyme to ensure that they do not deteriorate any further, or atleast not as quickly.

To the best of my recollection, this was taken in the second or third room into which we entered. When I first asked the guide if it were ok to take photos, he actually encouraged it saying " take your photos, but I want you to show them, even if just your friends. People need to know what happened and that this is real". I was really uneasy taking photos at first, kneeling down to get certain shots or angles, I came very close to some of these bodies, too close for comfort. After the first couple of rooms, I kept on reminding myself what the guide had told us. Doing so enabled me to keep on shooting without actually registering what I was doing. On the drive home to Kigali, the car was eerily silent. It took another few days to actually allow everything we had seen sink in.

It is weird thinking that some rooms are more disturbing than others considering on first thought, it is all revolting. The rooms which can be distinguished from the others and therefore easily remembered are the rooms with only children "on display". Our technical "rules of war" set aside those who are not involved in the fighting, more specifically children for various reasons. What blows you away is the ability for these killers to painlessly kill children in front of their parents who were friends or neighbors to the killer.

I have another shot from the memorial which has more details on the memorial itself, so if you are interested or even if you are not, check it out. after all, as i was told "it is our responsibility as humans to help those in need".