The effectiveness and wider importance of the Kigali Memorial Centre has grown steadily since 2004. A quarter of a million people killed in the genocide have been buried under plinths on the site. Their presence allows survivors to remember with dignity those lost. The preservation of memories on this single site has created a critical point of focus, a permanent physical reminder of the collective responsibility of Rwandans and the international community, to prevent genocidal ideology from rooting itself poisonously in any culture.

After five years the success of the Centre is clear; with growing numbers of visitors in 2008 – 60% Rwandan and 40% international on ceremonial days, when over 2000 people attend – the site cannot accommodate them all. The time has come to build on the work, and great potential, of the Kigali Memorial Centre.