Nyamata Memorial

Today is my first blip for a long time, and it's quite an important one.

Housemate Erika and I visited the Nyamata Genocide Memorial this morning with friend Ferdinand, whose family lived in the area. Nyamata memorial is a Catholic church that was a refuge for the local Tutsi population when the genocide started. After thousands sought sanctuary in the building and grounds, genocidaires stormed the building and killed everyone inside with guns, spears, clubs, grenades and explosives. Around 10,000 died.

Since then, the bodies have been removed and buried in graves alongside 30,000 others who died in the local area. Their clothes have been laid out on the floor and the pews, but otherwise the building is relatively untouched. The original door remains, with a hole blown through it and shrapnel damage on the walls and ceiling caused by the explosives used to open it. There are bullet holes and bloodstains on the walls and the altar, with the weapons of perpetrators and possessions of victims laid out. Below the church are the bones and bodies of 40,000, including the Italian nun who provided refuge and protection until she was killed by soliders. You can walk through the church and even down into the mass graves, where skulls, bones and coffins are lined up. Photos are not permitted inside as a mark of respect. This was taken when we left.

Nyamata is an important place - a difficult place to be, but an essential place to visit. An experience not soon forgotten.