Ubudasa Club members during a Genocide Memorial visit in Rukumberi sector, Ngoma district.
NGOMA – More than 30 years after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Lake Mugesera and the Rukumberi Genocide Memorial in Ngoma district remain powerful reminders of one of the darkest chapters in Rwanda’s history.
Thousands of victims who were killed in the surrounding area were dumped into the lake, while many others lost their lives in churches, homes and makeshift hiding places across the sector.
As Rwanda continues to place emphasis on preserving the memory of the genocide and educating younger generations, citizens, institutions and community groups are increasingly taking an active role in ensuring that the stories of survivors and victims are not lost to time.
It is within this spirit of remembrance and historical preservation that members of Ubudasa Club visited Rukumberi Genocide Memorial to learn about the area’s history, pay tribute to victims and contribute to ongoing efforts aimed at safeguarding genocide memory.
The group, composed mainly of entrepreneurs and professionals from different sectors, says preserving history is as important as preserving the country’s development gains, particularly at a time when the generation that witnessed the genocide firsthand is gradually growing older.
“We are different people who came together for a purpose. We support and mentor one another, but we also believe in giving back to the community. One of the ways we do that is by preserving our history and learning what happened in different parts of the country,” said Martin Frank Nyabudara, the Coordinator of Ubudasa Club.
Passing the Lessons to the Next Generation
Nyabudara emphasized that preserving genocide memory should not be left to survivors alone, saying young people must be actively involved in remembrance activities.
“This history should be preserved and will always be preserved. We need to bring up the young generation so that this memory passes from one generation to another,” he said.
He added that members of the club have a responsibility to share what they learn with their families, employees and communities.
“We are entrepreneurs and employers. When we learn these lessons, we go back and share them with our staff, our families and our friends. We encourage young people to visit memorials, learn the history and help preserve it.”
Decades of Persecution
Raymond Habimana, President of Ibuka in the sector, shared his personal experience.
During the visit, Raymond Habimana, President of Ibuka in the sector, shared his personal experience and the history of persecution faced by Tutsi families in the area.
“In my family we were 14 siblings, but only two of us survived,” he said. Habimana explained that many Tutsi families were settled in the area beginning in 1959 and faced discrimination and periodic violence long before the genocide.
“Long before 1994, they started categorizing people on lists and taking some of them to Akagera where they were drowned. The hatred against the Tutsi started earlier and was built over many years,” he said.
He recalled that discrimination was evident even in schools and intensified following the start of the liberation struggle in 1990.
Habimana also described how Interahamwe militia used deception to locate people hiding in bushes and how some terrified victims threw themselves into Lake Mugesera rather than face brutal killings.
According to him, thousands of genocide victims were killed and now buried at the area’s Genocide memorial. About 1,800 people were killed at the ADPR church and more than 2,000 others were murdered in different parts of the sector.
Ubudasa Club members visited Rukumberi Genocide Memorial.
Ngoma District Vice Mayor in charge of Economic Affairs, Cyriaque Nyiridandi Mapambano, commended survivors for their resilience and thanked Ubudasa Club for contributing to efforts aimed at preserving genocide memory.
“What happened here must remain alive in our national consciousness, not only to honour the victims, but to strengthen unity, reject genocide ideology in all its forms, and ensure that future generations inherit a history rooted in clarity, dignity and responsibility,” he said.
He said remembrance activities remain essential in promoting unity, combating genocide ideology and ensuring that the history of the Genocide against the Tutsi is passed on to future generations.
The visit concluded with a contribution from Ubudasa Club towards memory preservation activities at the memorial, reinforcing the club’s message that remembrance is not only about honoring victims, but also about safeguarding the truth for generations to come.
