By Jennifer K. Morita

May 18, 2026

Sacramento State students and faculty, government dignitaries from Rwanda, and local officials unveiled a new memorial on campus May 16 honoring victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. 

The Flame of Hope, a stone and metal sculpture erected on the lawn between Amador Hall and Tahoe Hall, was a gift to the University by the Friends of Rwanda Association to remember the lives that were lost as well as remind the world to prevent future atrocities. 

“This memorial stands as a reminder that remembrance must remain active, truthful, and alive,” Rwanda Ambassador to the U.S. Mathilde Mukantabana said at the ceremony. “It’s more than a stone. It’s a declaration that we will not forget. We will not remain silent, and we will continue to stand against genocide denial and hatred.”

An estimated one million people were killed over the course of 100 days when leaders of the Hutu-majority government ordered the mass extermination of Tutsis in April 1994. 

“This memorial reminds the world that genocide begins long before violence,” said survivor Phodidas Ndamyumugabe. “It begins when hatred is tolerated, when people are divided by ethnicity, or race, or tribe, or religion, and when human dignity is ignored. 

“At the same time, this memorial is also a place of hope and healing and reconciliation.” 

Each year, the tragedy is commemorated during Kwibuka, a 100-day period beginning on April 7. Kwibuka is the Kinyarwanda word for “remember.” 

“The statue references a moment in time, but it does not ask those who observe it to stay in the past,” President Luke Wood said at the unveiling ceremony. “Rather, it serves as a tool to educate the next generation. It will catch our attention as we make our way to our classes and our meetings, asking us to remember the past as a guide for our future beliefs and behaviors.” 

The University has had a long-standing relationship with the Rwandan government since Mukantabana’s late husband, Ethnic Studies professor Alexandre Kimenyi organized the first International Conference on Genocide at Sac State in 1998.  

Mukantabana and Kimenyi both lost dozens of family members in the Rwandan Genocide, including parents and siblings. Kimenyi died in 2011. 

Several dignitaries from the Rwandan government, including Minister of Education Joseph Nsengimana, Minister of Youth & Arts Jean Nepo Abdallah Utumatwishima, Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Governance Board, and President of American University at Bulgaria Margee Ensign attended the solemn ceremony. 

“I survived the genocide after digging my grave,” Ndamyumugabe said. “... We remember so humanity may learn.”