The High Commissioner of Rwanda to New Delhi, Ernest Rwamucyo urged participants at the 20th commemoration of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, never to be bystanders, but to speak-out in the face of genocide.
The Kwibuka20 event was organized by the Rwanda High Commission in India in collaboration with the United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan and the Government of India; was held at the India International Centre on 7 April 2014.
The commemoration was attended by members of the Diplomatic Corps, officials of the government of India, friends of Rwanda from across India and Rwandans resident in India.
The event begun with prayers in memory of the over one million Rwandan Tutsi who perished in the genocide, led by Reverend Monsignor Marco Sprizzi of the Apostolic Nunciature in New Delhi, lighting candles of remembrance and observing a minute of silence in honor of the dead.
During the commemoration, Ernest Rwamucyo, High Commissioner of Rwanda to India and Mr. Vinay Kumar, Joint Secretary for Eastern and Southern Africa at the Ministry of External Affairs representing the Government of India received the remembrance flame of hope on its return to New Delhi.
The flame which had been lit on 31 January 2014 at the launch of Kwibuka20 in India travelled across the whole of India where genocide commemoration events were held over the last two months. The flame of hope travelled from New Delhi through the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
It was used to light thousands of candles in acts of remembrance across India in a symbolic act of remembering the dead while increasing global awareness and awakening participants to the dangers of genocide.
At the remembrance event in Delhi, survivors of genocide gave testimonies on the horrors they went through and how they have rebuilt their lives. Rwandan students performed solemn songs of mourning and hope in honor and memory of the dead and the survivors.
Various speakers castigated the International community, including “the most powerful countries” on earth for abandoning Rwanda and becoming mute bystanders in the midst of the carnage of the genocide. They affirmed that the international community has a responsibility to ensure that unequivocal lessons are learnt from its failure in Rwanda and to ensure that what happened never happens again. This requires moving away from rhetoric to concrete action in the fight against genocide denial and to bring perpetrators of genocide to account through fair justice.
All those who spoke expressed solidarity with Rwanda and the Rwandan people especially the victims and survivors of genocide. They commended the resilience and commitment of the Rwandan people to rebuild their country and promote national unity and reconciliation irrespective of the horrendous legacy and devastation of the genocide. Participants applauded the tremendous progress Rwanda has made building a stable, peaceful and prospering nation within a short period after being almost a failed state. They highlighted that Rwanda has become a model of success that countries emerging from conflict need to emulate.
Ernest Rwamucyo, described the horror, trauma and devastation that Rwanda went through in the one hundred days of carnage and the brutality of the genocide. He rebuked the international community for not taking action to save lives, abandoning innocent civilians to their killers and doing nothing to stop the genocide.
The High Commissioner emphasized the importance of memory and remembrance as the only way to honor the dead, comfort the survivors while taking the nation through a process of reflection and healing. He said that it is through preserving memory that we can ensure that what happened never happens again. Rwamucyo highlighted the tremendous progress Rwanda has made in building a stable, prosperous and equitable country that ensures that all Rwandans have a stake in a more hopeful and shared future.
Ernest Rwamucyo challenged the hundreds of participants to be proactively engaged in speaking out against genocide, work against genocide denial and advocate to ensure that perpetrators and fugitives of the genocide against Tutsi who live comfortably in different parts of the world are brought to justice. He emphasized that genocide is a terrible crime that knows no boundaries and that what happened in Rwanda could happen elsewhere unless every individual and collectively, we take a clear stand in the fight against genocide ideology, anti-Semitism, hatred, bigotry and any form of discrimination.
Shri Vinay Kumar, who represented the government of India, reiterated the commitment of the Government of India to the partnership and cooperation with Rwanda as the country continues to make strides in post-genocide nation-building and development. He commended the resilience of the Rwandan people and the determination with which the Rwandan people have rebuilt their lives and country.
Other dignitaries speaking at the 20th genocide commemoration in New Delhi included Amb. Gennet Zewide, Ambassador of Ethiopia and Acting Dean of the Africa Diplomatic Group; Kiran Mehra Kerpelman, Director of the United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan and Anoop Bose, a prominent Advocate of the High Court of India and friend of Rwanda.