The Rwandan High Commission in India, on Saturday, April 16, held a virtual event to commemorate the Genocide against the Tutsi. It was attended by around 80 people, the majority being young Rwandan students studying in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The event had the aim of educating the young students about the history of the Genocide against the Tutsi and pave ways to their engagements in fighting the Genocide denial and the Genocide ideology. Addressing them, Jacqueline Mukangira, the High Commissioner of Rwanda to India sent a message of compassion to the Genocide survivors, and praised the bravery of the RPA/RPF military who stopped the Genocide. She told them about the history of the Genocide, where she emphasized the uniqueness of its rapid execution by the killers nationwide, and the level of cruelty that marked the onslaught. Polisi Denis, a former member of the parliament in Rwanda also addressed the attendants, elaborating on the preparations, implementation and consequences of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. His exposé went back to the historical migrations into the Great Lakes region and captured the cultural and linguistic similarities of the peoples inhabiting the region to expel the theories that divide Rwandans on ground of fabricated ethnicities by the colonialists. He also educated them about marginalization of the Tutsi during the first two republics of Rwanda after independence, culminating into the Genocide perpetrated against them in 1994. He also tipped them on the efforts that the government and people of Rwanda have embarked on currently to achieve unity and reconciliation of the citizens, as well as stability and progress of the nation, as he called upon the youth to protect what has been achieved so far, and strive to take the country to another level. Dr Abdallah Utumatwishima, a Rwandan medic also spoke to the attendants of the commemoration event, taking them through a pictorial presentation about Genocide ideology, the denial of the Genocide against the Tutsi outside Rwanda and the role of the youth in fight against it. He urged them to stand for Unity, Thinking Big and Accountability, which are the key pillars for the post-Genocide Rwanda. He said the unity of Rwandans is the antidote of divisionism, while “thinking big” has seen the country do big projects to boost its economy, and accountability guarantees the sustainability of the achievements.
