Kigali hosting the International Council of Museums, International Committee for Memorial and Human Rights Museums (ICMEMOHRI) 2024 meeting and conference sends an important message of participants standing against deniers of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, according to an expert.

Jane E. Klinger, a special advisor and senior research conservator at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum who serves as the chairperson of ICMEMOHRI, said that it is "extremely” important for the conference participants to meet in Africa, and specifically at a time of marking the 30th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

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She said: "We will be learning about the history of Rwanda, the background that led up to the Genocide and talking about commemoration. Simply by doing that, our presence will have an impact of standing up against deniers and people who destroy history and disseminate lies.”

The ICMEMOHRI 2024 meeting and conference started at Kigali Genocide Memorial, on Monday, July 29, with officials noting that it will showcase the vital role that African memorials and museums play in fostering sustainable peace, and human rights education. It is the first time such global think tanks – on museums and heritage issues – that define the museum professional’s standards, share scientific information, establish partnership with other organizations and develop recommendations for member countries convening on the African continent.

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Klinger noted that the activities will be widespread through various media channels to reach greater audience for information.

Amb Robert Masozera, the Director General of Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy, said that it was found that Africa, being a continent that faced many difficult problems such as slavery, colonization, apartheid, the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, among others, did not have firm structures to preserve those historical moments, no matter how bad they are.

According to him, the organizers chose to host the conference in Rwanda because of the recognized efforts of instating memorials after the 1994 Genocide to not only teach about the history but be sources of building peace.

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"When you have physical structures such as memorials and museums that establish historical facts, it is difficult for deniers or those who want to distort history to succeed. It becomes a heritage of today and the future,” Masozera added, noting that such infrastructure are firm weapons against denialism.

The conference featured discussions on topics such as the role of literature and graphic novels in addressing dissonant histories and events in a memorial or museum setting, and exploring the role of archives and the translation of testimonies into digital technologies.

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Earlier, Freddy Mutanguha, the Aegis Trust CEO and Director of Kigali Genocide Memorial, noted that hosting this annual forum for the first time in Africa is a historic moment given the country’s history and lessons it has to share with the world as regards strategically rebuilding a nation from the ashes.

He said: "This conference is a unique opportunity to showcase the vital role that African memorials and museums play in fostering sustainable peace and human rights education. We are privileged to contribute to this important dialogue.”