Ntarama Genocide Memorial Centre, Memorial site in Bugesera District, Rwanda.
The Ntarama Genocide Memorial Centre occupies a former Catholic church building in the Bugesera area. The site displays personal belongings, clothing, and identification documents of approximately 5,000 people who died there.
In April 1994, thousands of people sought shelter in this church building, after which they were attacked with grenades, spears, and other weapons. The assault was part of the wider violence that unfolded across the country during that time.
The space shows how a place of worship became a site where thousands turned for safety, revealing the human cost of hatred. Visitors encounter personal objects that connect them to individual lives rather than abstract statistics.
The site is located about 30 kilometers south of Kigali and is accessible through guided tours in different languages. It helps to take time and work with a guide to understand the displays properly.
The original church building stands unaltered since 1994 and bears visible traces of grenade impacts and bloodstains on its walls. These physical marks serve as silent documentation of what occurred here.
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