Youth urged to fight genocide ideology

Rwandan youth have been urged to actively engage in the fight against genocide and its ideology through various platforms, including social media and book writing. The call was made on Friday, as Kigali Genocide Memorial centre marked, for the second time, the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and the Prevention of this Crime. The memorial hosted a special Ubumuntu Exchange on the role of youth in global genocide prevention and peace building. Ubumuntu Exchange is a community conversation hosted at the memorial twice a month. It brings together members of the community to discuss remembrance and human shared values. As part of the event, the participating youth observed a minute of silence in honour of victims, lit a candle of hope and laid wreaths on the tombs- where over 250,000 victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi are laid to rest. Bonheur Pacifique, a guide at Kigali Genocide Memorial challenged youth to learn about genocide, including how it evolves from ideology conception to execution, sorrow and the socio-economic shocks it causes to society. “When you know something and the process in which it occurs, you can prevent it,” he said. He said remembrance is also one of the key elements that can enable prevention, calling on the youth and all Rwandans to own genocide commemoration activities. “Do not act as bystanders when there is conflict or violence, because at the end of the day, if you don’t stand against violence or conflict, it will affect you or maybe your child,” he said. He urged Rwandans to share their experiences everywhere they go and keep genocide memories say through writings, to challenge people who distort facts about the genocide. Sandra Shenge, the manager of research department at Aegis Trust, an organisation which manages the Kigali Genocide Memorial on behalf of the Government, said this year’s theme looking at the role of the youth in preventing genocide is very important. Twenty two years after the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, “we are starting to have a young generation which is not aware of what happened; they do not know how to cope, they do not know how to deal with it sometimes.” “As an organisation that uses memory for education, it’s very important for us to make sure that the youth are effectively engaged when it comes to preventing genocide and that they are offered a framework for dialogue and discussion about things that touch their daily lives,” Shenge said. She underscored the need for everyone’s role in preventing genocide and its ideology, encouraging the youth to expose what they know about post-conflict environments in which they grew up. Remembering by names and actions Jonathan Harindintwari, the Kigali City Youth Forum acting executive secretary, noted that youth took part in the genocide in Rwanda, but should now work for sustainable peace. “For instance, in line with “Remember by names and actions” approach, every young person can remember a given victim and write about his/her achievements and history, say on social network,” said Harindintwari, a student at Kigali Independent University (ULK). “So tweeting or posting content for peace on Facebook; or content that counters genocide deniers, is an important step because by so doing, you educate many people,” he expressed. The day was set aside in September 2015, by the United Nations General Assembly. December 9 is also the anniversary of the adoption of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the “Genocide Convention”).

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Youth urged to fight genocide ideology