Rwanda: All You Need to Know About Genocide Memorial Unveiled in France

A new permanent memorial dedicated to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda was unveiled on Tuesday, June 2, in Paris.

The monument was inaugurated by President Paul Kagame and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in an event attended by government officials, Genocide survivors and members of the Rwandan community.

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The memorial stands on the Habib-Bourguiba Esplanade overlooking the Seine River, near the Eiffel Tower, one of the most visited areas of the French capital.

The location that attracts both residents and international visitors, ensuring that the memory of the Genocide against the Tutsi remains visible to a wide audience.

The monument serves as a place of remembrance for the more than one million men, women, and children who were killed during the Genocide.

The project was launched jointly by the French State and the City of Paris following years of advocacy by Genocide survivors' organizations, including Ibuka France. The memorial was commissioned through a public competition and received support from French cultural authorities.

Renowned Portuguese artist Grada Kilomba designed the memorial.

The artwork consists of two black brass monoliths mounted on a lava-stone platform inspired by Rwandan traditional Imigongo designs.

According to Kilomba, her original concept involved a more figurative representation. However, after visiting Rwanda and meeting survivors and descendants of victims, she opted for a minimalist design.

She explained that abstraction would better convey the scale of the tragedy while respecting the dignity of those affected.

According to Kilomba, the lava-stone platform beneath the memorial was designed to evoke a fragment of Rwandan soil in the heart of Paris.

Visitors are invited to walk across it and reflect on the lives lost, the resilience of survivors, and the collective responsibility to prevent future atrocities.

The space between the two monoliths also carries symbolic meaning. For many observers, it represents the absence left by those who were killed, while simultaneously creating a space for dialogue, remembrance, and reflection.

More than three decades after the Genocide against the Tutsi, the memorial stands as a lasting reminder of the need to honour victims, support survivors, and ensure that the lessons of 1994 are never forgotten.

Inscribed on the memorial are messages honouring the memories, voices, experiences, and hopes of victims and survivors.

The inscriptions appear in four languages, Frenc