On Saturday, April 20, First Lady Jeannette Kagame attended the commemoration of the late Queen Rosalie Gicanda, who was killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, in Butare. The event, held at the former Royal Palace in Rukari, was attended by Gicanda’s family, friends, residents of Nyanza District, and local authorities from Southern Province. Together, they laid wreaths at Mwima Mausoleum in honor of the late Queen.
Queen Gicanda, the last Queen of Rwanda and wife of King Mutara III Rudahigwa, was killed on April 20, 1994, on the orders of Capt. Ildephonse Nizeyimana, a commander in the genocidal regime’s army. Born in 1928, Gicanda was at home with her elderly mother in Butare on the morning of April 20 when her killers arrived and took her away with six children. Her mother died three days later due to a lack of medication.
Those who knew Queen Gicanda remember her for her generosity, humility, calmness, and kindness.
“Rosalie Gicanda was a queen who knew how to correct people humbly and gave them good advice. She was a Queen who was characterized by uprightness, bravery, and humility,” said Martin Mudenderi, a Catholic priest who knew Gicanda for the 30 years she lived in Butare after being relocated from the Royal Palace.
Gicanda’s relatives extended their appreciation to the First Family for their support in the search for the Queen’s body and burial. Protais Mutembe, who spoke on behalf of the Queen’s family, noted that the Queen endured three decades of discrimination and humiliation at the hands of politicians who preached hate and discord among Rwandans.
“Every Rwandan should remember what has happened in this country since 1959. It is incredible that the leadership of a country can claim to have the right to sow discrimination and hate among the people,” Mutembe said.
He appreciated the fact that the country had moved away from hate and embraced unity, even as the journey remained long.
“We are confident that kindness, tolerance, and truth will triumph over hate and lies if we continue to embrace the noble choice of unity of Rwandans that our leadership always reminds us,” he added.
Minister of National Unity and Civic Education Jean Damascene Bizimana said that although Queen Gicanda did not survive the Genocide against the Tutsi, today, her wish for a unified Rwanda has been fulfilled.
“The blessings that Queen Rosalie Gicanda wished for Rwanda have been received. [RPF-Inkotanyi] have delivered these blessings. Rwanda today belongs to all of us, as she wished it before her killers murdered her for who she was.”
