\n On sketch pads or computer tablets, a group of young Rwandan artists painstakingly recreate portraits of victims of the 1994 genocide for their loved ones.\n<\/p>\n
\n The illustrators -- like the majority of Rwanda's population -- were not even born when the 100-day killing spree by Hutu extremists was unleashed against the Tutsi minority 30 years ago this month.\n<\/p>\n
\n Their work has not only helped preserve the memories of some of the 800,000 victims of the vicious bloodletting, but also given the artists themselves a new insight into their country's deeply painful past.\n<\/p>\n
\n The project -- to create new portraits of the dead and missing copied from old and often damaged photographs -- was the inspiration of Kigali artist King Ngabo.\n<\/p>\n
\n The 28-year-old founded the Art for Memories initiative a year ago, during the last Kwibuka or remembrance commemorations for the genocide.\n<\/p>\n
\n Since then, the collective says it has produced about 450 portraits of genocide victims, all for free.\n<\/p>\n
\n Members of the team work together on a long wooden paint-smeared table in his Kigali gallery, the walls adorned with an eclectic mix of artworks.\n<\/p>\n
\n - 'Bring back to life' -\n<\/p>\n
\n \"We invite people to send pictures of their beloved ones, on emails, on social media, on WhatsApp,\" says Ngabo, his charcoal-coloured overalls spattered with paint.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"And then for those damaged pictures, we bring back in the studio... and bring it back to life.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n Ngabo said that before starting the project, he thought he knew a lot about the genocide, having visited many memorial sites.\n<\/p>\n
\n But he says he never before had the \"privilege\" of being able to talk to survivors of the mass slaughter that still haunts the tiny nation.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"So I have learned a lot, the memories...\"\n<\/p>\n
\n Genocide survivor Nyirahabimana Aliette, 41, could not hold back the tears after she handed over old photographs of her parents and older sister, all murdered in 1994.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"I would like someone to draw these pictures for me so I can keep them with me,\" she said, her voice breaking.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"(My children) ask me a lot of questions about what happened with the family,\" she added.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"Being able to see these drawings at home will allow them to have an image (of their lost relatives).\"\n<\/p>\n
\n The murderous rampage saw families and friends turn against each other, the killings fuelled by vicious anti-Tutsi propaganda broadcast on TV and radio.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"During the genocide against Tutsi, artists of that day used illustrations to spread the ideology of genocide against Tutsi,\" said Mucyo Martin, a 20-year-old independent illustrator.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"So now there is us young artists who make illustrations too, we decided to correct that.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n Art student Manzi Yvan Bryan, 19, said the experience was invaluable in finding out more about the events of 1994.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"When I was a child we learned about the genocide at school, and sometimes at home, my parents talk about it.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"But when I joined this initiative I learned more... some things that I didn't know.\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On sketch pads or computer tablets, a group of young Rwandan artists painstakingly recreate portraits of victims of the 1994 genocide for their loved ones. The illustrators -- like the majority of Rwanda's population -- were not even born when the 100-day killing spree by Hutu extremists was unleashed against the Tutsi minority 30 years […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[553],"tags":[],"ji_location":[],"class_list":["post-130231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-feed"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n