Young Americans, Rwandans study Genocide prevention

A group of young Americans have joined their Rwandan counterparts for a two-week workshop on recognising and preventing Genocide in their countries. The group attending the Never Again Rwanda ninth Peace Building Institute programme visited the National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide on Friday to learn about the origins of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and how the country has rebuilt itself over the past two decades. Researcher Odette Kantengwa told a group comprising eight Americans and six Rwandans that the commission aims at preventing Genocide by fostering a “common understanding” of what happened in 1994. “Something that was planted in people’s minds over a long period of time cannot be erased in just 20 years,” Kantengwa said, referring to the commission’s interest in studying and stopping genocide ideology. The group has already visited the Gisozi memorial site and will visit institutions such as Parliament and the Rwanda Governance Board over the next two weeks. Dr Ismael Buchanan, a peace building facilitator and professor of political science at the University of Rwanda, said the theme of the programme is: “What can Rwanda teach the world?” “We shall discuss issues such as good governance, transitional justice and genocide among others,” Buchanan said. He said Never Again Rwanda purposefully chooses a mix of foreign and Rwandan participants in order to facilitate a productive debate on peace building and the genocide prevention. He said it was important for foreign students to understand the Rwandan perspective on the Genocide. Alexander Habibi, a third-year student at Keene State College, US, said the programme has complemented his study about the Holocaust. “I think it’s important to visit places where conflict happens, to know and actually feel the history,” Habibi said. For Rwandans students, the programme has more of a practical application for their relationships with others. Oliviette Nyiraminani said she was excited to learn techniques about talking to other Rwandans on how to prevent genocide. “I want to learn the techniques they use to convince people to change their mindset—how they can get a fresh mind that is not full of conflict,” said the second-year University of Rwanda journalism student.