A memorial of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi was inaugurated in Perth, Western Australia, becoming the first ever in the Asia-Pacific region.

The memorial is the brainchild of the Rwandan Community Perth Inc (RCAP), an association of Rwandans living in Western Australia.

It will provide a place of remembrance and reflection and serve as an educational resource, teaching the wider community about the history of the 1994  Genocide against the Tutsi, RCAP said in a statement.

The event, held in Stirling Civic Gardens, attracted many dignitaries, including the Mayor of the City of Stirling, Mark Irwin, MPs from the Parliament of Western Australia, and councillors in the City of Stirling.

Reflecting on the role of the memorial in preserving the memory of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Meredith Hamat, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia said: “It is important that [the Rwandan] community continues to come together to commemorate the events of 1994, to gather at this memorial, and [...], to tell the story of the impact that has had and continues to have. Because without your commitment to telling that story and commemorating those events, the rest of the community may never learn and I think that would be a terrible, terrible outcome”.

Prior to the memorial unveiling ceremony, members of the Rwandan community in Western Australia, alongside friends of Rwanda, took part in the “Walk to Remember,” a march designed to galvanise action against genocide and mass atrocities worldwide.

They later gathered at Stirling Adriatic Centre where a solemn service was held to mark the 30th commemoration of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

On the threat that hate speech and genocide denial pose to Rwanda and the World, Rwanda’s High Commissioner to the Commonwealth of Australia, Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye, noted:  

“It is no secret that the tragedy that occurred in Rwanda in 1994 began with incitement to hatred, divisions, and discrimination. Left unchecked, the intensity of hatred, discrimination and genocide denial ratchets up and the resulting consequences are even deadlier. Thus, we must deal with the threat that hate speech, genocide ideology and denial of genocide pose before it gets too late to do anything”.