UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon in Kigali during the April 7th official launch of the Kwibuka20 commemoration
As Rwanda continues, for 100 days, to remember the more than 1 million Tutsi killed during the 1994 Genocide, more communities worldwide have joined in commemoration activities.
Throughout the week, events of Genocide commemoration have been held in Canada, Central African Republic and Haiti (where Rwandan forces are serving peace missions), Tanzania and several events in the U.S., among others.
In Canada, in the towns of Saskatchewan and Calgary, Rwandans joined local leaders and friends of Rwanda gathered at Regina Victory Church to mark the 20th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi on April 12th 2014.
Dr. Egide Karuranga, the president of the Rwandan Diaspora in Canada stressed the importance of educating the world especially on manner in which some people are now seeking to deny or trivialize the Genocide.
While Andy Amour, president of the Rwandan Canadian Society of Calgary said that all communities must learn from the Rwandan and Jewish lessons and in order to heal from this dark past, the world must not forget.
We must preserve memory, honor survivors and pass on the lessons of our tragic history to the young generations,” Amour said in reference to the Genocide and the Holocaust.
In Central African Republic- where Rwandan forces are now serving a crucial peace mission in a the country that has been torn apart by ethnical killings close to what happened in rwanda- and what experts have referred to as genocide in CAR, the Prime Minister, Hon Andre Nzapayeke and other Ministers joined Rwanda Mechanised Infantry Battalion (Rwamechbat1) deployed in AU peace mission in Bangui to end seven day national mourning in 20th Commemoration of genocide against Tutsi.
The event was organized by Rwandan peacekeepers in Bangui who also held open talks with residents of CAR on what happened in Rwanda in 1994.
CAR residents were more inquisitive and wanted to understand how Genocide happened in Rwanda, a lesson that they may have to take home and reflect on in order to make sense of the future and extent of destruction caused by the recent killings based on religious differences.
Nzapayeke said that the 1994 genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda gives lessons to the World and particularly to the Central Africa Republic currently ravaged by ethnic and religious killings.
He also said that Rwanda’s experience of recovery will be brought on board to train CAR Armed Forces as a way forward for CAR.
In the U.S in Chicago, Rwandans and friends of Rwanda gathered last Friday to honour victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, in an event held at Truman College, that drew a cross section of people from different cultures- including citizens from Tanzania and Uganda.
Pastor Dave Jenkins apologised for the failings of America, churches in East Africa, and his own silence as the Genocide raged in 1994.
Also in Kigali, Tanzanians living in Rwanda, under their association Utarwa paid tribute to over 250,000 victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi buried at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre. At the event, Francis Mwaipaja, the Tanzanian Acting Head of Mission at the High Commission in Kigali appealed to the world to commit to the notion of ‘never again’ to genocide.
He said that Tanzania fully supports the efforts of the Government of Rwanda to bring about reconciliation, national unity and progress and called upon Rwandans to embrace the existing social and economic policies.
Some of the event lined up for this month will include: in the U.S.- Conversation with Genocide Survivors (Los Angeles), Walk to End Genocide (New York City), Seven Photographers (San Diego), Genocide and its Aftermaths: Lessons from Rwanda–K-16 Teacher Workshop: Featuring Samuel Totten (Minneapolis); Rwanda Genocide Survivor Speaking (in Worcester and Madison
Art exhibition – Les Hommes Debout and Mémoire, Reconstruction et la Vie 20 ans après (in Paris and Strasbourg, France respectively); Genocide conferences and Traditional activities of commemoration, plus Prayers and Walk in Canada;
In Australia- National Memorial Day for the Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda and Journey of Hope for Rwanda, while in Graz, Austria they will hold a MUN Historic General Assembly – The Crisis in Rwanda.
In the region, a Public Lecture – Remember, Unite, Renew and Walk to Remember (Nairobi); Commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the Rwanda genocide in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 20th Anniversary Commemoration in Arusha, Tanzania
Raising awareness & Movie Screenings plus Commemoration Event – Birmingham, UK; The memory of the Tutsi genocide, Genoa, Italy and 20th commemoration in Johannesburg, South Africa
The 20th Genocide commemoration is being held under the theme, “Remember, Unit, Renew.”