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 | Rwanda Things To Do | Tips 1 - 10 of 44 |  | ||
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 | Ntarama church   |  | |
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 |  on January 14, 2005 |
The Church has been left pretty much as it was in 1994, the bones and belongings of the dead still lying among the aisles and the altar. I was trying to get some shots for the feature we were shooting, and wanted to get myself to a point near the altar, but simply could not make my way past the skulls, bones and the remains of the clothes of the victims from that day. Tattered pieces of cloth that still bore blood stains. |
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| Kigali Memorial Centre | | |
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 |  on December 13, 2004 |
During the genocide in Rwnada in 1994, over a million people were murdered. Some 250,000 perished on the streets and in the houses, churches and hospitals of Kigali alone. After the genocide, the Kigali City Council decided to dedicate a site for the burial of its people in a single place. Many mass graves were exhumed from around the city and the remains interred at the Kigali Memorial Centre in Gisori district. This is now their final resting place. It is a poignant symbol of the devastation that genocide brought to families across the city and the country as a whole. Open 10am to 5pm daily. Entrance by donation. The place is really heart breaking! |
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| Ntarama church | | |
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| on January 14, 2005 |
When the killings were underway, a large portion of the Tutsi-christian-minority, flocked to churches. Assuming that their Hutu attackers (the Interehamwe) and fellow christians, would not enter. That however was not to be. The killers found their conveniently rounded up and unarmed targets, and what followed was a bloodbath of immense propotions. The near 5,000 Tutsis taking shelter were were hacked to death with machetes and clubs. Soon the attention turned to the children, who were dashed to the walls one by one and killed. The stains from which can still be seen. The few that survived, by hiding amongst the dead, lay beside bodies from their own familes. Mothers, children, brothers... |
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| Remembering murder: Kigali memorial centre | | |
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| on March 1, 2008 |
The Kigali memorial centre was built to mark the 10th anniversary of the genocide. It contains ten mass graves- a site of burial for almost 250,000 victims, who were killed in the Kigali region. After the genocide, as mass graves were being discovered around the city, it was decided that a single monument/ burial place should be created, where the victims could be laid to rest with dignity. The memorial houses a children's section, a particularly powerful experience to read about the children- how they lived, and how they died. Amongst other things, it traces how things came to being so bad, how the ideology of genocide emerged, how the tragedy could have been averted, and how the world ignored the signs and warnings repeatedly. Some of the survivors of the genocide have been trained as guides at the centre. |
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| Ntarama church | | |
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| on January 15, 2005 |
It feels a bit odd, to call this a `must see activity', since its not exactly a tourist spot that i`m talking about, but considering how disaffected the issue was to the world, i think it couldnt go with a better title... We were aware that the Ntarama church was among the genocide sites. We knew it was going to shock us when we saw it, but werent prepared for the sights that lay in store. While we approached the site upon a little hill, there were no pointers to the acts that took place here in April1994. Seemed like a peaceful part of the countryside, but only till you reach a little board with some statistics, erected just outside the church compound. It read: `Ntarama church, Genocide site, +-5,000 persons'. |
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| Ruhengeri & the Gorillas  | | |
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 |  on July 6, 2005 |
In the northwest frontier region of Rwanda the five vocalnoes of the Volcanoes national Park loom upwards into the mist. The neighbouring DCR-Congo and Uganda can be easily reached from here. This is the gateway to the Gorillas and one of the seven wonders of the natural world.....if this is on your hit list visit now! as prices are going up to limit tourist numbers.......... SEE MY RUHENGERI PAGE........... |
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| Road to Ruhengeri | | |
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| on June 28, 2005 |
A road trip by minbus: private or local is a must. The scenery all over the countryside is of juxtaposed alpine landscape with bananas! The main roads are very well tarmaced and each turn is picture perfect. this was on my way from Kigali to Ruhengeri |
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| Ntarama church | | |
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| on April 30, 2005 |
The skulls that are still largely intact, most bearing the distinct machete crack, have been neatly arranged in rows on wooden planks, each one telling a painful story. A bizzarre reminder of the 100 days that history tried to ignore. |
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| GISENYI | | |
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| on July 7, 2005 |
Gisenyi on the northern shore of lake KIVU and metres from the Congo border has a tropical laid back feel ; but with cooler temperatures as most of Rwanda is 1500m above sea level. Good place to chillout and have a swim........ SEE GISENYI PAGE............ |
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| Gisozi Memorial Education Center | | |
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 |  on September 1, 2003 |
I have strong concerns about which pictures to post and which to keep private, though the Rwandan citizens who accompanied my group on our visits to the genocide sites encouraged our taking pictures and said, "It's important that people know what happened here." So, I do think that I would be remiss not to encourage other Americans visiting Rwanda to make a trip to the Gisozi Memorial Education Center in Kigali. It is not an easy tour. As the brochure says, "Gisozi...is the burial site of over 250,000 people killed in a three month period during the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. It is a symbol of the extreme and horrific consequences of ethnic division; the result of decades of hatred, impunity and systematic persecution of a minority group. ...to prevent such things, we need to learn how and why these tragedies happen...." |
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More Rwanda Tips
| Overview | General Tips Tips: 14 - Photos: 10 |
| Restaurants Tips: 9 - Photos: 2 | Hotels and Accommodations Tips: 21 - Photos: 16 |
| Things To Do Tips: 44 - Photos: 35 | Nightlife Tips: 5 - Photos: 0 |
| Off the Beaten Path Tips: 10 - Photos: 8 | Tourist Traps Tips: 2 - Photos: 0 |
| Warnings or Dangers Tips: 10 - Photos: 4 | Transportation Tips: 14 - Photos: 12 |
| Local Customs Tips: 13 - Photos: 12 | Packing Lists Tips: 3 - Photos: 0 |
| Shopping Tips: 1 - Photos: 0 | Sports Travel Tips: 1 - Photos: 1 |
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