KWIBUKA 32 | Montreal Pays Tribute to the Victims of the Rwandan Genocide

The transmission of memory between generations was at the heart of a commemoration ceremony marking the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Several speakers emphasized the importance of testimony, youth engagement, and preserving this collective memory through educational and artistic initiatives.

Opening this segment of the ceremony, a special tribute was paid to Bryan, a young speaker whose testimony deeply moved the audience.

"**Bravo Brian, and thank you for representing so brilliantly this generation that was born less than 32 years later**," one speaker said, praising the ability of the younger generations to carry forward the duty of remembrance. She also addressed parents who lived through the genocide, stressing that "**the transmission, the duty of remembrance, is exactly what Bryan has just done**." She concluded by congratulating all the young people who agreed to share their testimonies and explain the significance of this day of commemoration.

The floor was then given to Sébastien Kakar, a professor in the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment at Concordia University and a long-time partner of the Page Rwanda association.

Thanking the organizers and members of the community for their invitation, he recalled the ties that have developed over the years between Page Rwanda and Concordia University. This collaboration began through the *Montreal Life Stories* project, led from 2009 to 2012 by Stephen High at the University's Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling.

According to him, the testimonies collected from survivors became the starting point of a relationship that has continued to grow over the years.

"**It takes time to build relationships, strong relationships, and it takes a certain commitment to maintain them**," he said, referring to the many collaborations, new projects, and individuals who have enriched this work of remembrance.

Personally involved in this work since 2013, Sébastien Kakar explained that he had been deeply affected by the testimonies of survivors.

"**The one who listens to the witness becomes a witness in turn**," he recalled, explaining that this reflection led him to use his own field of expertise—cartography—as a means of transmitting memory.

His research focuses on how maps can become a language capable of conveying human stories while respecting the dignity of the victims.

"**How can we restore to the map, in a dignified and respectful way, those who were erased, wiped away, and exterminated in 1994?**" he asked.

This approach led to the development of interactive atlases and maps that not only identify places of remembrance but, more importantly, provide direct access to survivors' testimonies. For the researcher, "**the map has become a vehicle for transmitting memory**," offering a new way to bring these voices to students, researchers, and the general public.

This work has been presented at several academic conferences as well as in two major exhibitions. The first, dedicated to the cartography of memory, was held at Concordia University's Centre for Oral History in 2023. The exhibition was then presented at the Kigali Genocide Memorial in June 2024.

Sébastien Kakar highlighted the decisive role played by Marie-José Ichali in bringing this project to life, praising "**her tact, her sensitivity, and her power of persuasion**," which made it possible to transfer the exhibition to Rwanda.

At the heart of this initiative is a cartographic memorial designed as a map of Rwanda embroidered onto a piece of white fabric.

The choice of fabric carries strong symbolic meaning. According to the professor, it recalls the few belongings that people take with them when fleeing violence. Its white color represents both the innocence of the victims and the burial shrouds used in many cultures to wrap bodies before interment.

He recalled that in 1994, many victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi were not even granted this final act of dignity before being thrown into mass graves. The memorial's white fabric is therefore intended to symbolically restore what was denied to them.

During various commemorative events held in Canada and Rwanda, participants were invited to write the names of relatives murdered during the genocide on small pieces of fabric before attaching them to the map.

Presented successively in Montreal, Kigali, Toronto, and Ottawa, this traveling memorial has gradually grown through the contributions of survivors and their families.

To date, more than 500 victims' names have been added, making it necessary to create a larger version of the map to accommodate all the tributes.

Although this number remains small compared with the one million victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Sébastien Kakar stressed the project's true objective.

"**This work does not seek to reveal a precise and quantified geography of horror**," he explained. Instead, it aims above all to highlight "**the profound human void left in Rwanda and far beyond by this genocide, the broken bonds, but also what all the violence unleashed failed to sever**."

The memorial has also enabled many survivors to share with their children and loved ones memories that had long remained unspoken. According to several participants, simply writing the names of the deceased and placing them on the map represents an important step in the process of remembrance and healing.

In closing his remarks, the professor summarized the purpose of this initiative by stating: "**Mapping memory may also be this: opening a small space for dialogue and compassion, doing a little good, and maintaining, creating, and strengthening human connections.**"

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