A survivor of the Rwandan genocide will join Liverpool’s Deputy Lord Mayor and Young Lord Mayor at a special event to mark the 19th anniversary of the atrocity.
Philomene Uwamaliya will take part in a remembrance service at the Town Hall tomorrow (Wednesday 24 April), She will be joined by civic guests and members of Liverpool Schools’ Parliament.
Ahead of the service Liverpool’s Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Gary Millar will lay a wreath at a new memorial stone in St John’s Gardens, before welcoming a Rwandan delegation including the Rwandan High Commissioner, His Excellency Mr Williams Nkurunziza, to the Town Hall for the service.
Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Gary Millar, said: “It’s extremely important that we remember the victims of such atrocities and take the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of others to ensure such crimes do not take place in the future.
“This service is our way of honouring all those who suffered and to keep their memory alive.”
Rwandan High Commissioner, His Excellency Mr Williams Nkurunziza, said: ‘Remembering honours and dignifies the memory of the innocent lives lost in genocide against the Tutsi in 1994.
“We also remember our commitment to build a better society not only to ensure that our people did not die in vain; but to demonstrate that we can build a state that celebrates their lives and proves that, contrary to the architects of the genocide Rwanda can exist, and is marching forward as a united nation in which all its children are equal and free to work together to build shared prosperity.’
During the ceremony, which starts at 1pm, a candle will be lit by Philomene Uwamaliya accompanied by the Deputy Lord Mayor and the Young Lord Mayor, Amelia Connor. This will be followed by a minutes silence in remembrance of all those who suffered during the genocide which saw over 500,000 innocent people killed over the course of approximately 100 days.
