Members of the Survivors’ Fund (SURF) gathered in London over the weekend to mark the 15th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsis. The function was held at the offices of Amnesty International in Britain. SURF’s commemoration came merely few days after British parliamentarians, survivors of the Rwandan genocide, the UK Minister for Africa, and civil society representatives met at All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for a similar event. A statement issued after the event quotes the Rwandan Ambassador in the UK, Claver Gatete thanking SURF for its efforts in organizing the exercise to give respect, dignity and remember the victims of the Genocide. Gatete outlined the challenges so far which include the suspects who remain at large in the western world, the Genocide deniers who are given platforms, the genocide ideology and the security of the survivors. He also talked about the One Dollar Campaign project that is aimed at helping fulfil specific needs of survivors especially housing. Telling the story of the Genocide, J.L Mazimpaka, a Genocide survivor said; “15 years after Genocide, it is still being trivialised particularly in the western world.” In his testimony, Mazimpaka blamed the western media for distorting the figures of those massacred in the Genocide. “The media has consistently reported 500,000 deaths well knowing that at least 9 out of 10 Tutsis living in Rwanda at the time were killed,” he noted. “The most painful thing is when this is said by human rights organisations and the media who have more information than any one else.” He added that there was need to help the survivors who still live side by side with the perpetrators and who have continued to kill them in order to eliminate any form of evidence before the Gacaca courts. During the commemoration, two films showing the difficult life after Genocide were screened and several testimonies were read by mainly sponsors of SURF. “SURF has opened up a chapter where it is asking well-wishers to read the testimonies as a way of keeping alive the memory and also as an act which will ensure that the message reaches out to many people world over, this strategy seems to be working very well,” reads the statement. Another speaker during the function, Dr. Martin Stern who is a survivor of the Jewish holocaust, made a comparison between the Genocide in Rwanda and Jewish holocaust and wondered when the international community will ever implement “never again”. He elaborated three words namely: Genocide, Machete and Hatred. “Those who committed Genocide have sympathizers the world over hence the conspiracy theories such as double Genocide. If Genocide is to be avoided in future, the UN must practice the principal of ‘responsibility to protect,” he said. He added that survivors and friends have a responsibility to remember. “The good news is that there has been a growing interest in the subject and many researchers are writing books on Genocide which will go a long way in sensitising the public and in the end, it might help the world to know the importance of early intervention to stop such crimes.” During the commemoration, two candles were lit, one in memory of those who died in the Genocide and the other for survivors. One minute of silence in memory of the genocide was also observed. In addition to this commemoration by SURF and one of last week in British Parliament, there will be two other major commemoration events in the UK this week. The Rwandan Embassy is organising the main event in London on April 7 which will be attended by the diplomatic community in London, UK Government, Parliament and others from the civil society, private sector and Diaspora communities. This will be followed by another commemoration organised by the Rwandan Diaspora in the UK that will take place in Oxford next Saturday on April 11. Ends
