France

and

Rwanda

unite

to

honour

genocide

victims

with

Paris

monument

The monument stands on the banks of the Seine, on the Esplanade Habib-Bourguiba near the Pont de l'Alma, in the heart of Paris, and is presented as a new step in France's efforts to take responsibility for its past policies and re-engage with Africa.

Named "L'Archive" ("The Archive"), it was designed by the acclaimed Portuguese artist of African descent Grada Kilomba, who is also a writer and researcher in the field of African memory.

The monument consists of two black brass steles bearing an engraved tribute to the hundreds of thousands of men, women and children massacred between April and July 1994.

An inscription on one of the steles reads: "Here, like an archive, rest the voices and words, the memories and experiences, the feelings and hopes of the victims and the survivors."