Virtual tours give online access to genocide memorials across Rwanda

The memory of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi is kept alive at memorials across Rwanda. They are dignified resting places for victims, places of loss and mourning for families and survivors and play an important role in educating about mass atrocity as well as its prevention. To make it possible for more people to learn about the genocide, the Genocide Archive of Rwanda has created online virtual tours of 22 of the country’s memorial sites.

The virtual tours have been created through a collection of panoramic images that allow users to explore the memorials, learn about what happened there and their significance today. Users are able to watch testimonies from those who survived, as well as from relatives of victims who were killed at the memorial. The virtual tours also include a historical description of each memorial.

The tours of memorial sites is part of an Aegis Trust project to map memorials and unity, reconciliation and peace building programmes around the country. The following memorials are currently online, with more to be added soon:

• Bisesero

• Murambi

• Kibeho

• Nyarubuye

• Nyanza

The tours are accessible on the Genocide Archive of Rwanda website as well as at the Kigali Genocide Memorial.