Ibuka President Philbert Gakwenzire has called on the University of Rwanda to take a leading role in preserving untold stories of Tutsi resilience and persecution before the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, saying these narratives are key to Rwanda’s collective memory and healing.
Speaking at the 31st commemoration event held at the University of Rwanda’s Huye campus on April 22, Gakwenzire stressed that many stories of those who reached university level during the discriminatory regimes remain undocumented, yet they reflect powerful resistance against a system designed to exclude them.
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“These were not just students or lecturers—they were survivors of injustice who pushed through barriers placed by a system that never wanted them to succeed,” he said.
Gakwenzire pointed to testimonies shared by survivors during previous commemorations—like a student who joined the university despite being denied the right to do so by the government.
He emphasized that such stories deserve to be preserved as part of academic research and national memory.
“These memories should not disappear. The university has a responsibility to dig deeper, record, and teach what Tutsi students and scholars endured in this very institution.”
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According to Gakwenzire, documenting these lived experiences is essential for confronting denial, exposing the historical roots of the Genocide, and reaffirming the humanity of those who were persecuted long before the killings began.
He challenged the academic community to recognize the university not just as a place of remembrance, but as a hub for producing scholarship that can preserve truth, foster unity, and safeguard future generations against revisionism.
Prince Ruzigana / The Kaminuza Star