The project, titled Pillars of Our People's Names (Inkingi z’Amazina y’Abacu), was officially unveiled at Kigali Genocide Memorial on Thursday, May 14.

The platform features 3D-rendered names that move and assemble to form virtual digital pillars, ensuring the names of those killed are preserved in a global, accessible format.

The ambitious project is expected to be completed within five years.

Once finished, it will host every name recorded at memorial sites across Rwanda. Developers plan to eventually expand the database to include detailed biographies, residence history, and family information for each victim.

The initiative was inspired by Ancialla Umubyeyi, a resident of Vienna, Austria.

Umubyeyi originally sought to build a physical memorial wall in Austria for victims with surviving families in the country. When the physical proposal was not approved, she collaborated with artists Bele Marx and Gilles Mussard to transform the concept into a digital archive.

The technology is modeled after three memorial pillars in Vienna that symbolize the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

"We started with 250 names provided by the community in Austria," Umubyeyi said. "However, we realized this wasn't enough. We decided to collaborate with memorial sites in Rwanda to ensure we use verified names with known origins.”

“This will help all Rwandans, wherever they are, to remember their loved ones,” she added.

The project is seen as a vital tool for education and the restoration of human dignity.

Naphtal Ahishakiye, Executive Secretary of Ibuka, emphasized that the digital archive directly counters the intent of the perpetrators to erase the victims from history.

"The Genocide did not just aim to kill people; it sought to erase their identities, vanish their history, and strip away their humanity," Ahishakiye stated.

"Through this initiative, we are restoring all of that. These 'Pillars of Names' ensure that every individual name is given back its dignity and its place in our shared history," he noted.

Alphonse Munyantwali, Director of Aegis Trust in Rwanda, noted that the project combines art and technology to serve as a defence against genocide ideology.

“It will help us remember through technology, by preserving and displaying the names of those who perished in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi,” Munyantwali said.

“It serves as a tool to showcase the truth of the Genocide and to combat its denial and minimization," he noted.