The African Students’ Association hosted a Chapel Tuesday to recognize the 23rd anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide, which occurred on April 16, 1994.

Rwandan students organized the event in memory of the mass killing of 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus by members of the majority Hutu government.

The event was primarily led by junior political science and global studies major, Bright Ntambara from Rwanda. He spoke about the history  of the event, despite how it may have been ‘twisted’ in the entertainment industry.

“We get asked a lot about the genocide that happened in our country.” said Ntambara. “Many students have seen the movie Hotel Rwanda which doesn’t really fully reflect the genocide, so we decided to use the opportunity to share more knowledge about the genocide with the ACU community.”

The only sound throughout Hart Auditorium during Ntambara’s presentation were silent tears. Students from all different cultures were distraught at the events of the genocide.

“I didn’t know the full story, but I learned a lot more about it.” said Crystal Njoku, senior biology major from Mesquite. “It was really sad, but they spoke to all of our hearts. I’ll never forget it.”

Ntambara said he hopes they can organize a commemoration event in the future on a much larger scale to honor the victims and those affected by the Rwandan genocide as an opportunity to create more awareness and to teach people the value of love and compassion.

“As Rwandan students, or even international students, we value the opportunity to share our histories, culture, and backgrounds with fellow ACU students.” said Ntambara. “We are thankful to ACU for creating platforms that enable us to organize events like this.”