The sombre ceremony was marked by prayers led by different religious leaders, testimonies from Genocide survivors, as well as the laying of wreaths on mass graves at the site.
Rwanda's High Commissioner to Uganda, Amb. Joseph Rutabana told thousands of mourners that the same ideology which fuelled the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda continues to spread in neighbouring countries.
'We currently see it in the Eastern DRC, where local populations are mobilized to kill Congolese Tutsi (whom they relate to Tutsis in Rwanda). This is coupled by hate speech and other precursors of genocide incitement,' he said.
Rutabana emphasised that education remains one of the most powerful tools to preserve the memory of the victims and to combat the ideology that led to their deaths.
'It is important to reflect on the root causes and consequences of the Genocide so that not only Rwandans, but the world at large, take the necessary steps to punish the crime of genocide and prevent it from happening again,' he said.
Grief filled the air as mournersâ€"mainly youth and a delegation from the HUMURA Lake Victoria Warakoze Genocide Survivors' Associationâ€"sat in the tents, remembering the brutal and inhumane ways their loved ones were killed during the Genocide.
Alice Kaboyo, Uganda's State Minister for the Luwero-Rwenzori Triangle and the guest of honour, noted that the rise of misinformation and hate speech, particularly online, poses a serious threat to social cohesion and peace.
'Education must therefore be at the forefront of our efforts to combat these dangers. By fostering critical thinking, promoting human rights education, we can equip Africa's youth to reject division and violence and build a more inclusive society. Schools and universities must serve as spaces for dialogue, reconciliation and mutual respect,' she said.
A total of 10,983 victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi are buried in various memorial sites across Uganda. Kasensero Genocide Memorial site in Rakai District is the resting place of 2,875 victims; Lambu Genocide Memorial site in Masaka District holds 3,337 bodies; and Ggolo Genocide Memorial site in Mpigi District is home to 4,771 victims.
IGIHE
