The event brought together media professionals, government officials, and genocide survivors in a solemn ceremony to honor their fallen colleagues and reflect on the media's role, both harmful and healing, during one of the darkest chapters in the country's history.
Cleophas Barore, Director General of RBA, spoke of the devastating impact the Genocide had on the media sector. He emphasized that many journalists were killed not for violating professional ethics, but simply because they were Tutsi.
'Many journalists were killed not because they had broken professional or ethical rules but simply because they were Tutsi. Even if they had, the punishment was not death,' Barore said.
He underscored that laws governing journalistic conduct do not prescribe the death penalty for ethical breaches, stressing that professional accountability must never be confused with persecution.
Senator Emmanuel Havugimana also addressed attendees, reflecting on the dangerous role some media outlets played in fueling division and inciting violence before and during the Genocide. He issued a firm reminder that Rwanda has since drawn a line in the sand. 'We will not allow this country to burn again because of the media,' he stated.
Peacemaker Mbungiramihigo, a media policy analyst at the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), gave a personal testimony on the hostile environment that Tutsi journalists endured prior to the Genocide. He revealed that many were unfairly branded as traitors by their own colleagues.
'Tutsi journalists were regarded by their colleagues as accomplices of the Inkotanyi before the Genocide,' Mbungiramihigo shared.
A survivor himself, Mbungiramihigo found refuge at Hôtel des Mille Collines during the Genocide. In the aftermath, he went on to contribute to the rebuilding of Rwanda's media by working at Radio Muhabura and later at Radio Rwanda.
Scovia Mutesi, the Executive Secretary of the Rwanda Media Commission (RMC), emphasized that journalists must prioritize integrity and conscience over academic qualifications when fulfilling their duties.
She called on media professionals to remain grounded in ethical principles and resist being swayed by financial gain or other influences that could compromise their role.
'What should guide a journalist is not just the degree they hold, but the conscience they carry. We must refuse to be used for purposes that tarnish our country's image. Our responsibility is to inform, not to mislead,' Mutesi said.
As Rwanda commemorates 31 years since the Genocide against the Tutsi, the media fraternity continues to honor its own, those whose voices were silenced not for what they said, but for who they were. Their memory remains a call to uphold truth, unity, and responsibility in journalism.
Sam K Nkurunziza
