What it is
The memorial was built for the tenth anniversary of the genocide and opened on 7 April 2004, developed by the Aegis Trust in partnership with the city. More than 250,000 victims are buried in mass graves on the site. That is the first thing to understand about visiting: this is a cemetery that contains a museum, not the other way round.
The exhibitions
There are three permanent exhibitions. The main one traces the history of Rwanda before, during and after 1994 — the construction of ethnic division under colonial rule, the escalation, the hundred days, and the aftermath. The children's memorial is a room of photographs of individual children with a few details about each: favourite food, best friend, last words. It is short and it is the hardest part of the building.
The third exhibition places Rwanda alongside other genocides of the twentieth century — Armenia, the Holocaust, Cambodia, Bosnia — which is the part that gives the whole institution its argument.
Outside, the memorial gardens contain the mass graves, where families and visitors leave flowers. Survivors work as guides and some will tell you their own account if asked.
Planning the visit
Allow two to three hours and do not schedule anything after it. Entry is free with a charge for the audio guide, which is worth taking. Photography is restricted inside. Dress as you would for a funeral.
Where it fits
Most visitors close the Kigali city tour here. If you are visiting other memorial sites, see the memorials guide — and note that Nyamata and Ntarama and Murambi are far more graphic than Gisozi.