Twenty — year-old painter and digital artist Henry Munyaneza has created a collection of portraits titled 'Kwibuka', with the goal to encourage people to spread love and unity, not hate. The paintings also represent remembering and honouring the innocent lives lost during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Born after the Genocide, Munyaneza didn't know much about the dark history of Rwanda, until he visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial in February this year, which triggered a sudden emotional outburst.
Being at the memorial stirred an inner ache, and left him wondering how people could be so cruel as to butcher others in cold blood.
Even though he started his career as a painter in 2020, the visit to the memorial evoked emotions that he put into his art, hence, decided to use his platform--going forward--to help other young people learn more about the Genocide.
Munyaneza says it was a sad realisation, as he imagined how the country, especially survivors, broken and traumatised, had to go on with their lives after everything they had been through, knowing that they would never see their loved ones again.
"I now understand why as Rwandans we have to remember and unite," he says.
For him, this is a time to exercise strength and support each other physically, psychologically, and emotionally.
One of Munyaneza's paintings is named 'Izere', it portrays a strong facial expression though with a lot of pain. Through this, he wants to bring to light the pain of losing people during the genocide that many youngsters today never got the chance to meet.
This specific painting also depicts strength, as a reminder that the souls of the deceased are resting in peace and are proud of how Rwanda is progressing.
Having visited the memorial, Munyaneza now understands the essence of commemoration, using his talent to communicate and bring to life illustrations of people being comforted in their time of grief.
"My collection is an indication that we have to show love and compassion to our people who are still healing from the trauma, and where necessary, encourage them to seek counselling as healing is a process and everyone experiences it differently," he says.
The painter also notes that his portraits aim to enlighten the young generation on the horror that happened in the country 29 years ago and urge the older generation to continue documenting the truth so that it never happens again.
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Munyaneza further highlights that his Kwibuka collection is also intended to show the youth that they ought to be present and provide the necessary support to survivors of the Genocide.
He says that young people should use their platforms and talents to explain the Genocide to their peers so that they don't get false information elsewhere as there are many fabricated stories and fake information that may mislead them.
His portrait 'I Can See' is a reflection of how he sees the pain Rwanda has endured, and that through peace and unity, the country has established hope for younger generations and the world at large.
'Impore', another painting, portrays sorrow for losing children and parents in the Genocide while recognising the role Rwandans play in getting young people to understand why we should unite, love one another, and work hard.
The 'Komera' portrait represents support and encouragement to fellow Rwandans--that no one should go through the pain alone, as together, we are strong and courageous--and that no such tragedy will ever happen in Rwanda again.
