Greetings and welcome to our Annual Rwandan Genocide Commemeoration 2021.

Firstly, may I begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of this land on which we gather today. We pay our deepest respect to the Turrbal and Jagera People, their elders past and present and those emerging.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is with profound gratitude to stand here among you to remember the victims of the Rwandan genocide. I wish, first of all, to thank the government of Australia to have allowed the Rwandan community to remember all victims of Rwandan tragedy in harmony. I would like also to thank every one of you for taking this time out of your busy schedule to be with us today. Your presence here is a very significant support to the Rwandan community and it is very much appreciated, especially during this difficult time of commemoration.

Today marks twenty-seven years since the presidential plane carrying the former Rwandan president, Juvenal Habyarimana, was shot down, killing everyone on board and sparking the worst bloodshed in recent memory. Today, we are gathered here to remember and pay homage to millions of innocent Rwandans who lost their lives at the hands of those who were supposed to protect them. We remember and celebrate our loved ones whose lives were brutally cut short for no reason other than madness of man. The senseless killing of our Tutsi, Hutu, and Twa fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and relatives cannot be justified nor comprehended, and it will remain so forever.  As it is often said, and I know this to be true, no single Rwandan family has not been affected by the tragedy that befell our country.

Today we remember and honour all victims of the Rwandan genocide. We remember and honour all Tutsi brothers and sisters who were senselessly killed in 1994 by Interahamwe militia in what is today known as the genocide against Tutsi. May their soul rest in peace! We remember and honour all Hutu brothers and sisters who were brutally killed by the Rwandan Patriotic Army because they were Hutus since the beginning of the Rwandan civil war in October 1990 and in years that followed. These atrocities against Hutus have often been characterized as reprisal killings by those to seek to misrepresent the truth. They include the Kibeho refugee camp massacres that took place in 1995 in front of UN peacekeepers (who included Australian and Zambian troops), the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians at Byumba stadium, the massacre of Rwandan refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the killing of civilians and catholic priests and bishops in Gakurazo- Gitarama as well as various other atrocities committed against the Hutu population in different places across Rwanda as testified by survivors and researchers. However, these were not just reprisal killings. These were targeted, indiscriminate and systematic in nature and what happened is nothing short of genocide in the eyes of all Rwandans. No wonder, for example, the UN Security Council experts in their Mapping Report of 2010 concluded that the killing of hundreds of thousands of Hutu population in Democratic Republic of Congo amounts to genocide if proven before the court. Justice for these victims is long overdue, and justice delayed is justice denied. May their souls rest in peace!

We cannot forget other nationals who have been victims of the Rwandan tragedy. In particular, we remember and honour Burundian President Cyprien Ntaryamira and his ministers, the French national crew who perished in the presidential plane of Juvenal Habyarimana and Belgian members of UN peacekeeping troops who were killed while trying to protect and save the late Prime Minister Agathe Uwiringiyimana. We remember the Spanish priests and nuns killed in Rwanda as well as many thousands of Burundian refugees who innocently lost their lives. May their souls rest in eternal peace.

As I speak, the Rwandan government is heartlessly killing, kidnapping, harassing survivors of genocide against Tutsis who stand up to debunk the Rwandan Patriotic Front’s narrative of Rwandan Genocide aimed at protecting their interests rather than uniting all Rwandans. These senseless killings and persecution must not only be denounced but must stop.

Ladies and gentlemen, I want to make it clear that as a community, we do not deny, negate, or seek to minimize the genocide against Tutsis. We do not condone anyone with such thoughts as to stifle, minimize or justify any horrendous crimes against humanity. Remembering all victims is particularly important to inclusive communities like the Rwandan Association of Queensland. It is our strong belief that remembering all victims of Rwandan genocide sends a clear message that everyone’s life matters, and accords us a chance for reflection, healing and true reconciliation. 

Ladies and gentlemen, while today is a somber day for us Rwandans, it is also an opportunity to rejoice in our human survival, human resilience, and human forgiveness. We have shed so many tears and we continue to mourn for our loved ones but at the same time we have resolved to embrace life and move on with hope. Yes, it is hard, and it may take some time to achieve meaningful healing given the circumstances; but through forgiveness, we can summon the courage to open up our hearts for love and compassion towards one another. Indeed, the saying goes like this: “a healthy heart is a forgiving heart.”

It remains my hope that, one day, all people of Rwanda will achieve true reconciliation and live together in peace. And it remains my hope that love will triumph over hate to ensure no life is senselessly lost ever again. To every Rwandan here, back home and across the world, my message to all of us is to resolve to embrace life; resolve to forgive and most importantly, resolve to love one another.  And to all our fallen souls, you will always be family and we will always remember you.

Lest we forget. Thank you all!

Theogene Ngabo

RAQ President