High Commissioner Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye joined members of the Rwandan community and friends of Rwanda in New South Wales for Kwibuka30, a solemn service to mark the 30th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Grief pervaded the venue at New South Wales Parliament as the names of genocide victims, who were relatives of some of the survivors present in the room were read out, followed by a moment of silence in their memory. 

In a moving testimony depicting the story of her survival, Frida Umuhoza, a genocide survivor and author of Chosen to Die, Destined to Live, underlined that the architects and perpetrators of the genocide were bent on wiping out all the Tutsi, but fortunately, their grisly plan was foiled by former Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) soldiers who stopped the genocide.

In his remarks, High Commissioner Uwihanganye praised the courage of Ms Umuhoza and other genocide survivors to share their testimonies, describing it as an effective tool to suppress genocide denial and trivialisation.

Recalling how the international community failed Rwanda in its darkest hour, the High Commissioner thanked Australian friends of Rwanda who attended the event, for their solidarity and support with Rwandans in paying tribute to the victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

“As Australians, joining us for Kwibuka is an act that we are very grateful for”, High Commissioner Uwihanganye noted.