North America commemorates Genocide

People around the world continue to stand with Rwandans as the nation commemorates the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, for the 18th time.In Washington DC, USA, a sunny Saturday was in contrast with the sombre but dignified testimonies and presentations inside Gaston Hall, in Georgetown University, according to a statement from the Rwandan embassy in Washington.Over 700 people from Canada and US gathered to remember and honour over a million Tutsi victims of the Genocide. The two-day commemoration was attended by US officials, including Amb. Barrie Walkely, Special envoy to the Great Lakes Region and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as chief mourner, and Robert Gribbin, a former US envoy to Rwanda. Walkley applauded the achievements and resilience of the people and government of Rwanda and committed his government would continue to partner and support the government of Rwanda to consolidate these achievements.Carl Wilkens, who headed the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA) in Rwanda during the Genocide and the only American who chose to stay and deliver aid to children in need as others were evacuated, also attended.“The journey that we have covered over the last 18 years is something that none of us could have ever imagined or predicted both in terms of progress, development but even more profoundly in terms of walking closer and closer,” Wilkens, is quoted as having said. “We are closer to people once felt distant from both within and outside Rwanda and have become part of this once nebulous group called the international community. That sense of being close to one another gives us hope.”Rwanda’s Ambassador to the US, James Kimonyo, reminded the audience that the Genocide against the Tutsi is a historical fact that no one can change. He noted that the regime in 1994 premeditated, planned and executed the extermination of Tutsi people. The envoy stressed that referring to the tragedy simply as the “Rwandan Genocide” was and still is a mistake. It cannot be Genocide when there is no group that is targeted, he noted, also stressing that this has to be corrected as it is tantamount to denying the deliberate state-sponsored killings of the Tutsi population.“Most deniers engage in very dangerous hate-filled propaganda while claiming to be advocating for human rights, truth and reconciliation, democracy and peace. But these democratic values are not goals they are truly striving to achieve because such ideals cannot be achieved on a bed of lies and falsehoods,” Kimonyo said.Scholars like Dr. Zachary D. Kaufman and Dr. Tim Gallimore reminded the audience about the role of media before and during the Genocide. “The love of a single heart can make a world of difference. We need to continue fighting the denial of Genocide,” Immaculee Iribagiza, a survivor and author, noted.Iribagiza is mainly known by her international best selling book, Left to Tell. Dr. Egide Karuranga, a survivor who lives in Canada, presented: “Genocide Denial, Roots, Consequences, and Future Research Avenues to ensure Never Again. The event in Washington concluded Sunday with a walk to remember conducted from the Washington DC National Mall to the Martin Luther King Memorial.