Photo courtesy of Jeremy Danneman

Text by Jeremy Danneman

Dear Friends,

Rwandans and much of the rest of the world are now commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide, when nearly a million innocent people were murdered for their ethnicity or for being political dissidents. That means it’s also the fifth anniversary of the Parade of One project, when I first went to Rwanda to share my music and myself with others and to invite people to share themselves with me as well.

I would now like to share with you a tune I wrote commemorating the Rwandan Genocide. It’s titled Murambi Blues after the Murambi Genocide Memorial where thousands of innocent victims rest today. For a limited time only, this composition will be streaming on the Parade of One website. Some of you may remember me performing an unaccompanied version of this song at the United Nations Church Center for the 16th anniversary of the genocide.

I wish those friends of mine who were affected by the events twenty years ago a peaceful commemoration.