Africa-Press – Rwanda. Ibuka, the umbrella organization of Genocide survivors’ associations, has recorded and documented testimonies from 250 elderly survivors, known as Intwaza, since 2023.
These survivors—most of whom lost their entire families during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi—currently live in special care homes known as Impinganzima, located in Huye, Bugesera, Nyanza, and Rusizi districts.
Launched in 2023, the project aims to preserve survivors’ accounts to ensure that valuable historical information is not lost. The first phase, focusing on Intwaza, is expected to conclude by 2025.
“We are collecting audiovisual testimonies from Genocide widows and widowers (Intwaza) who lost their spouses and children during the Genocide,” Ibuka’s president, Philbert Gakwenzire, told The New Times.
He noted that the audiovisual recordings have been completed and transcribed. Translation into French, from the original Kinyarwanda, is currently underway.
“We prioritised this group because they are more vulnerable. In the next phases, we will extend the project to other groups of survivors,” Gakwenzire added.
The testimonies are securely stored in a cloud-based system. Plans to publish them on a dedicated website are under review.
“Before publication, subtitles will be added. However, access will be carefully controlled, given the sensitivity of the content and the agreements made with survivors,” he said.
Ibuka also plans to document families that were completely wiped out during the Genocide—an urgent task as information about these families risks disappearing. More than 15,000 families were completely exterminated during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Jean-Damascène Bizimana, Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, emphasised the urgency of recording testimonies, noting that many knowledgeable individuals are aging or passing away.
Evode Munyurangabo, President of the Amayaga Genocide Survivors Foundation (AGSF), said that recorded testimonies could be incorporated into upgraded Genocide memorials that are being developed into museums.
He cited the forthcoming Ruhango Genocide Museum, which will feature a section containing documented evidence of the Genocide in the Mayaga region. The museum will also include walls bearing the names of victims and three memorial gardens.
“We need to document and preserve Genocide history for future generations,” Munyurangabo said.
Ibuka has also urged young people to actively engage in research on Rwanda’s history as a way to contribute to preserving evidence about the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
IBUKA has recorded and documented testimonies from 250 elderly survivors, known as Intwaza, since 2023. Photos by Craish Bahizi.
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