Ntarama and Nyamata

Another emotional day in Rwanda…sometimes it feels like it never really stops. Today we traveled outside of Kigali to visit two former Catholic Churches, now memorial sites, where over fifteen thousand Tutsis were slaughtered during the genocide in 1994. Again, it’s really hard to describe such an emotional experience on a blog, but I’ll do my best.

The two churches, located in the small towns of Ntarama and Nyamata, were absolutely haunting. In late April of 1994, thousands of Tutsis had sought refuge in these churches to avoid the massacres that were sweeping through the country. However, within days Hutu militias attacked the churches and slaughtered everyone inside with grenades and machetes. Today, these churches are filled with the bones and clothing of those who perished. Massive piles of clothing sit on top of the pews and spill over into the aisles, toys and pens lie scattered on the floor, thousands of skulls (many shattered by machetes) are lined up in rows on shelves that surround the church, and the blood stained alter-cloth still lies on top of the alter. It is chilling. I can’t help but to be cynical on days like today. These innocent people fled to churches to seek help and refuge and ended up being slaughtered. I have always been cynical and skeptical about religion, but today really got to me….where was God? How can humans do this to other humans? And yet Rwandans remain faithful and notably devout. To be honest, it is just something I simply can’t grasp right now….

On the way back from the churches, we stopped at a river that flows through the beautiful green hills that surround Kigali. Today, the river seems so peaceful…it just winds along slowly through the tall grass. In 1994, however, this river was clogged with the bodies of Tutsis. Rwandans often come to this river to throw flowers and notes in the waters…their own way of remembering and honoring the dead. So I grabbed a little piece of paper from my notebook, wrote down some of my thoughts, and dropped it into the river. It was definitely a nice way to end an otherwise very emotional day.

So, overall today was pretty sad…I don’t believe that anyone can see the remains of fifteen thousand people, slaughtered in cold blood, and remain unaffected. The whole idea of genocide often seems so foreign, yet being here in Rwanda makes me realize how real it really is.

-Luke