Church is cancelled

Last Sunday marked the end of the annual week of mourning for the genocide. It began with a public holiday on the Monday : there were meetings throughout the country with speeches and the interment of remains. Each day thereafter businesses closed at 2pm, although we were surprised to arrive in Kigali on Friday afternoon to find everything open.
On Sunday, all church services in the country were cancelled so that the population could attend ceremonies to mark the end of the week. As usual, this was announced at very short notice (Saturday night).
Even on Wednesday, the day we left Kigali, the “New Times” was full of stories about Genocide Memorial Week. There was also a full page of diatribe against Paul Rusesabagina, on whom the story of “Hotel Rwanda” is based, but who is decidedly persona non grata with the government here and therefore also with “New Times”.

Comment on these various aspects of the week can wait for another time, but it certainly leaves us in no doubt that the genocide and its repercussions are still very much shaping the consciousness and the public life of this country.