Murambi

Title

Murambi

Description

The Murambi memorial displays bodies preserved in tact via limestone preservation methods. This photo collection displays photos from these displays. In addition this collection includes photos that speak to the role of French complicity during the Operation Turquoise.

Collection Items

Murambi: Limestone Preservation
Limestone preserves approximately 847 bodies at the Murambi memorial. The bodies rest on tables situated in dormitory and classrooms of the unfinished technical school. The bodies are slowly decomposing, emitting a memorable odor that stings the…

Murambi: Faces
Murambi's preservation methods cements the final moments of many victims. Visitors who enter the rooms can go walk up to the bodies. Many victims were found holding their hands over their heads, protecting their faces from machete blows. Preservation…

Murambi: Babies and Mothers
As I walked through additional rooms, I noticed how more and more bodies were that of mothers cradling their children. One room towards the end of the tour consisted only of little babies. Both times I visited Murambi I decided to stop viewing the…

Murambi: French Flag Marker
During Operation Turquoise French troops set up a camp next to the mass graves on the Murambi hill. A marker now sits indicating where the French Flag flew. The tour guide takes the visitor to this site immediately after visiting the bodies.

Murambi: French Volleyball Court Marker
Another marker indicates the site of a volley ball court set up for French troops. It is alleged that French troop played volleyball with interahamwe members. The volleyball court sits meters away from several mass graves. The French markers at these…

Murambi: Mass Grave Markers
In addition to the signs marking the location of mass graves, Murambi preserves one dug up mass grave to illustrate the physical depth of the hole.

Murambi: Burial Site and Technical School Structure
In 2010 Aegis Trust and CNLG opened a museum exhibition that told the story of the genocide in Gikongoro. After viewing the exhibition the tour guide takes visitors outside to a coverd mass grave for a moment of silence. After that the visitors walk…

Murambi: Clothes and Bones
After visiting the French sites, the tour leads to additional rooms that display bones and clothing similar to other memorials such as Ntarama, Nyamata, and Nyarubuye.
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