Lycée Blaise Pascal

Brief Report on the Visit of Blue Lakes International School to Lycée Blaise Pascal d’Orsay (France)

On the occasion of the inauguration of a memorial garden in honor of the victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994, Lycée Blaise Pascal d’Orsay in Paris, France, invited Blue Lakes International School from Bugesera District, Rwanda.

Since 2022, the two schools have developed an intercultural partnership allowing students from both institutions to design joint projects focused on sustainable development while promoting the use of French as the language of exchange.

From April 3 to April 10, 2025, seven students from Blue Lakes International School visited Lycée Blaise Pascal d’Orsay to participate in one of the projects carried out: a memorial garden within the school. The delegation included:

Adults:
- Mr. Jean Pierre Kibuye Mukwende: Chief Executive Officer of the school
- Mr. Gakumba Kevin: Public Relations Officer
- Mr. Innocent Ruzigana: French Teacher

Students:
- Ishimwe Keilla
- Ngoga Allen
- Teta Blessing Prisca
- Prince Jonet Marcel
- Baho Catherine
- Ake Angelika
- Rutayisire Alexandrine

Before the inauguration of the memorial garden scheduled for April 9, 2025, Lycée Blaise Pascal organized lectures on the history of the Genocide against the Tutsi. These sessions were of great significance to the audience, who gained a better understanding of the stakes of this dark chapter in human history.

April 3, 2025: Madame Scholastique Mukasonga spoke about Literature and the Transmission of the Memory of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. She emphasized two of her works: Inyenzi ou les Cafards and La Femme aux Pieds Nus.

April 4, 2025: Madame Leiny Munyakazi from the association Tubeho shared her testimony as a genocide survivor. It was an opportunity to learn much about the planning and execution of the genocide.

April 7, 2025: The Rwandan delegation participated in the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, organized at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. April 8, 2025: Madame Aurélia Devos gave a talk on Justice and the Genocide: Investigations by a Prosecutor to Find Evidence of the Crimes.

April 9, 2025: Before the garden's inauguration, historians Vincent Duclert and Marcel Kabanda addressed the public on France’s Role in the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and The Role of Memory in Civic Education, respectively.These presentations were very valuable for the audience.

The inauguration of the memorial garden took place on the afternoon of April 9, 2025. It began with speeches by the principal of Lycée Blaise Pascal, the Mayor of the Commune of Orsay, and the President of Ibuka/France. The garden was designed to reflect the chronology of the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994 and to highlight certain symbols such as water, sorghum, trees, memorial sites in Rwanda and elsewhere...

The students of Blue Lakes International School gave a presentation on the Nyamata memorial site, one of the four sites listed as UNESCO World Heritage.

The Rwandan delegation is deeply grateful for the warm welcome it received. Special thanks go to Madame Nathalie Nabli and Madame Juliette Monet, who oversaw the project and stay. We were especially touched by the warm hospitality extended to the students in the homes of their host families. It was an unforgettable moment of shared friendship. As stated by various speakers during the garden inauguration ceremony, more joint projects should be developed for the benefit of students from both schools.