Rwandans want UNESCO to list Genocide memorials

The Rwanda community in Uganda has called upon the United Nations United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to register the three genocide memorial sites in Uganda among the world heritage sites.

The three memorial sites in Uganda include Ggolo in Mpigi, Kasensero in Rakai, and Lambu in Masaka.

Alfred Rudodo an elder from Rwanda said the move will enable the world learn more about the genocide against ethnic Tutsi that claimed a million lives in 1994.

Rudodo was speaking during the 22nd commemoration of the 1994 Genocide at Ggolo memorial site in Mpigi district on Saturday.

"We want the world to understand the genocide against the Tutsi, the atrocity behind it, and to say never again and to mean it," he said.

He noted that selected among dozens of other memorials, the genocide memorial sites carry a rich history related to the mass killings of over a million Tutsi between April 6 and July 4, 1994.

"Over 4771 remains were buried in Ggolo and over 8000 were buried in Uganda after they were found floating on water," he said.

Rwandan university students and well-wishers clean Ggolo Genocide Memorial Site. Photo by Nicholas Kajoba

Ambassador Mugambage lights a torch during the commemoration. Photo by Nicholas Kajoba

Armed with slashers, pangas, brooms, hoes among others, the Rwanda community cleaned the Ggolo based memorial site before praying for their fallen comrades.

Simon Katana a student at Kampala International University said, "We have to keep these places clean for education and preservation of the memories of their sisters and brothers.

The Rwanda high commissioner to Uganda Maj. Gen Frank Mugambage said every year from 7th to 13th April, Rwandans the world over engage in several activities to commemorate the genocide.

"This is a moment to pay tribute to those who perished in the genocide. We also stand in solidarity with the survivors, as we step up the fight against genocide ideology.

It is a cause for which all humanity should associate with. It is a moral imperative to fight genocide ideology," he said.