EDITORIAL: We should never relent on telling the truth about the Genocide

The National Commission for the Fight against the Genocide (CNLG) has urged Rwandans to help document events of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi by sharing more testimonies. This, it says, would result in a bigger bank of Genocide related archives, which would be helpful not only in countering those intent on revising or denying the Genocide but also ensuring that the future generations get to know the real truth about the slaughter. It’s obvious that Genocide architects and deniers are determined to belittle the Genocide, which left over one million people dead, and to rewrite this country’s history. Therefore, documenting testimonies that have never been told is one way to stave off denial by letting the world know the whole truth. In addition, new testimonies about what befell this country during its darkest past would result in the recovery of the remains of many victims whose fate remains shrouded in mystery 21 years later. Many survivors are still agonizingly looking for answers about what exactly happened to their loved ones. Many don’t know the circumstances surrounding the killing of their relatives let alone the whereabouts of their remains. And yet there are people out there who could be knowing places where some of the victims were dumped but, for some reason, they have never come out to speak. This is the time to come out and say the truth as a sign of remorse and commitment to healing and reconciliation. It’s through truth-telling, especially on the part of former suspects and convicts, or anyone else who for one reason or another was not being hunted during the Genocide, that these remains can be recovered and accorded a dignified burial. Indeed every Rwandan who knows something about the Genocide that they have never revealed should come forward and say what they know because, by doing so, they will be contributing toward the fulfillment of the ‘never-again’ promise by helping future generations appreciate how deep the country sunk as a result of past ethnic-based politics and how best to prevent a recurrence of that human tragedy.

Opinions

EDITORIAL: We should never relent on telling the truth about the Genocide