"In the living nightmare of the genocide and massacres, when their tears had dried up through the suffering for their children, their brothers, their husbands whose bodies now nourished a sad land mourning its children, the women of Rwanda had, too, a dream: that never more such a nightmare be repeated in Rwanda or anywhere else."

Vénéranda Mujawamariya, Paris, 18th Novembre 1996, Speech when the UNESCO Prize for tolerance and non-violence was given to Pro-Femmes Twese Hamwe

Symbol

There will be no "depiction" in the artistic sense of the word.

Normally depiction is limited to the field of what can be depicted. It often lacks reverence for the victims and their families. It can make images of horror look banal and thus "normalise" the horror itself. We need memorials that encourage reflection and contemplation, which involve the onlooker. An abstract depiction transcends conventional forms and encourages reflection, respect, and humanity.

Land covered with one million stones posed regularly could look like a non-confessional cemetery. However, signs of different faiths will not be present, leaving to believers or to non-believers the choice to see religion or not in the site. To an extent, it will be a reappropriation of the spirituality. "Garden" symbolises rebirth after death.