Emmanuel Dusabimana, a university student and member of the Pentecostal Church of Rwanda – ADEPR, is saddened by the awful fact that all the Tutsis who were living in his native area Manwari, Nyamagabe District were exterminated during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

As a young man who was born shortly after the Genocide, he had a lot of questions but most of all questioned the immense lack of humanity that led to this atrocity.

"The Genocide was caused by lack of humanity. If there was humanity, a Hutu would hide at least one Tutsi, and that would prevent the Genocide from being committed, or at least curb it,” he said.

Dusabimana said that his father confessed to having participated in the Genocide, and was sentenced to seven years in prison by a Gacaca Court.

As a result of the remorsefulness for the horrible act committed by his father, the 27-year-old asked for forgiveness from the victims’ family.   

"If I was there during the genocide, I would have hidden many Tutsis. I always feel indebted because I was not able to do so, and I wonder what I can do to redeem that situation,” he said.

Dusabimana believes that some of the people who were convicted of Genocide crimes still harbour genocide ideology, yet some were released and integrated into communities after completing their sentences in prisons.

"I can give whatever I can so that people get healed from the wounds they were inflicted by the Genocide.  I am committed to providing my support in order to achieve greater unity and reconciliation among Rwandans,” he said.

 Youth’s role in reconciliation

Dusabimana is one of the over 900 young people from nine regions of ADEPR in Rwanda who were convened for a commemoration event that the Church held on Tuesday, April 12, 2022 under the theme "the role of faith-based organisations and the Rwandan society in preventing genocide ideology and intergenerational trauma.”

The event that was organised by ADEPR officials and youth, included a visit to the Gisozi Genocide Memorial and was concluded by discussions that were geared towards helping the youth understand the history of their country, and enable them to make a good choice – living in harmony with fellow Rwandans.

Rev Pastor Isaie Ndayizeye, Senior Pastor of ADEPR said that they are putting more effort in the youth to help them understand the history of their country, especially because some are not able to get the right information about it from their families. This, he said, is in line with fighting genocide ideology, and intergenerational trauma.

"Attention should be paid to the intergenerational trauma because most of those youths were born after the Genocide against the Tutsi, but were affected by the trauma based on the different families from which they were raised,” he said, observing that those who committed the Genocide acted against God's will and Christian values.

"As we build a better future of our country, it is good to think more about the youth,” he stressed, pointing out that, currently, those who deny and trivialise the Genocide target the youth through social media among other channels.

Charlotte Niyitegeka, another young person, said that the youth should participate in visiting the Genocide memorial in order to know about the atrocities committed against the Tutsi during the Genocide. 

"By visiting this memorial, I've realised that there are young people who participated in committing the Genocide. I urge the youth to join their efforts, be united such that the genocide never reoccurs," she said, underscoring the need for humanity among Christians as a key to living in harmony. 

Sylvain Rucababisha, an official in charge of commemoration and fighting genocide at the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement said that Tutsi were discriminated against, oppressed and excluded from schools and work (public service). Also, he said that the Hutu Ten Commandments are considered one of the tools that fuelled the resettlement against Tutsi and the anti-Tutsi propaganda promoted by genocidaires in Rwanda.

"Colonisers, bad regimes including the first and second Republics sowed ethnic divisionism among Rwandans, but we were lucky to have a Government of Unity of Rwandans which taught us to be Rwandans above ‘the so called ethnic groups’ Hutu, Tutsi or Twa,” he said. 

Rucababisha, therefore, underscored the need to teach the youth to uphold Rwandan culture and to endeavour to have unity as Rwandans.