Yesterday, The statue “Kwibuka Flame of Hope”, a gift from the Republic of Rwanda, was installed on 11 September in the north garden area at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The Kwibuka flame symbolizes the resilience and courage of Rwandans since the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, when more than one million people were systematically killed following years of misinformation, disinformation and hate speech exacerbating ethnic tensions.
“The Kwibuka Flame of Hope will burn forever as a visual reminder for the international community and the many visitors to the United Nations, on the need to speak out and say no to hate,” said Melissa Fleming”.
“She is the Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Global Communications, which manages the General Assembly-mandated Outreach Programme on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and the United Nations”.
“This is also a tribute to the immense courage and resilience needed to rebuild after such a profound loss and trauma.”
The Kwibuka Flame of Hope is the first permanent tribute to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda installed at the United Nations Headquarters. It is publicly visible from the Visitors’ Plaza.
The statue consists of a grey foamcore flame extending from a bi-leveled black round base with the wording “THE 1994 GENOCIDE AGAINST THE TUTSI IN RWANDA REMEMBER – UNITE – RENEW” and “KWIBUKA FLAME OF HOPE”. The size is approximately 105 inches (267 centimeters) in height and 84 in (213 cm) in diameter.
Kwibuka means “to remember” in the Kinyarwanda language. The term denotes the annual period of mourning coinciding with the genocide, which began on 7 April, through Liberation Day on 4 July.
The installation comes ahead of the United Nations General Assembly High-level Week, which this year includes the Summit of the Future, billed as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring together world leaders to forge a new international consensus on how to deliver a better present and safeguard the future. (UN/ONU)