On April 18th, 2019, the 8th National Youth conference on the policy and practice for the commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi took place and was a success. Youth from diverse backgrounds and various stakeholders convened to discuss memory, healing, and reconciliation.
NAR began organising this conference in 2012 with the aim to provide a platform for young people to voice their concerns on policy and practice of commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The theme this year is “Kwibuka 25: Engaging youth in memory and healing: Building a better future.” This theme was inspired by our experiences from our healing spaces and citizen forums that host youth from diverse backgrounds.
In his opening remarks, the Executive Director of Never Again Rwanda, Dr. Joseph Nkurunziza Ryarasa called on youth to use every moment with the older generation to learn about the country’s history and write about it for the sake of future generations.
“You, the youth are the country’s future. For you to ensure that ‘Never Again’ becomes a reality, and for you to fight against the present forces of genocide denial and revisionism, you must enhance your historical clarity. You cannot silence genocide deniers or ideologists unless you disqualify their false words with the truth, which you can only know through interacting with the older generation, the survivors and rescuers and also reading available literature on the Genocide and the country’s history.”Hans Bretschneider, Civil Peace Service Coordinator at GIZ added to the opening remarks by lauding the Government of Rwanda for deliberately setting up the framework of the commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, as it helps in dealing with the past and learning from its consequences. Mr. Bretschneider’s speech emphasized memory as ultimately a part of the individual or group’s identity and healing thus indcating the intrinsic role of memory in the formation of community and social harmony. He further emphasized the role of open dialogue and and education in ensuring that youth and future generations learn from Rwanda’s history as a means to avoid history repeating itself.
A youth panel moderated by NAR’s Grace Usanase consisting of two youth and a rescuer had the opportunity to share their experiences of the role of memory in commemorating the Genocide against the Tutsi.
Iradukunda Providence, the President of Cyanika Youth Estimation club who was on the panel said that, commemoration to her is a time to remember those that were lost and all the bad things that happened so that we do not make the mistake of forgetting and letting it happen again. “I never believed that the genocide occurred. I thought everyone was lying to me because I could not understand how one could kill their neighbour. However, once I visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial, I realised that the genocide really happened and that the history and stories I had heard were true. Commemoration to me now means acknowledging and believing that the genocide really happened.”
“Preserving the memory offers young people the ability to connect to the past and also give them the capacity for ethical and civic growth, with issues and choices in their own lives and the world today.” – Kato David Adam, LDK club
Silas Ntamfurayishyari, a rescuer during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, gave his testimony and urged youth to uphold values of integrity and patriotism.
“In my family, we were told that Tutsis were bad people, but I had interacted with a few and thought they were good. So, during the genocide, I refused to be manipulated by what I was told & instead chose to rescue many. Youth, I urge you to be characterized by values of patriotism, integrity, humanity, culture and standing up for good.”
A second panel of experts moderated by Adelite Mukamana from NAR comprised of Dr. Darius Gishoma, Apollo Gahongayire and Clementine Kanzayire also had the opportunity to discuss the importance of engaging youth in preserving memory. It was emphasized that intergenerational dialogue needs to be reinforced in order to be able to sustain memory preservation.
“Commemoration is not passive. We commemorate to renew and unite.” – Dr. Darius Gishoma, on the importance of memory for youth in a post-genocide context
Clementine Kanzayire from the University of Rwanda highlighted the role of parents in memory among youth as pivotal in the preservation and protection of our past. She urged parents to open up to their children about what they went through in the genocide and to do it constructively being cautious not to sow seeds of hatred, revenge and violence. “It is vital for parents to build resilience and help their children know how to deal with devastating tragedies and also offers a platforms and safe space for youth to hold open discussions with older people about their past,” she said. It is vital for parents to build resilience and help their children know how to deal with devastating tragedies and also offers a platforms and safe space for youth to hold open discussions with older people about their past.
In his keynote speech, the Guest of Honor, Fidele Ndayisaba, the Executive Secretary of NURC reminded youth of the privilege they have to live in a post-genocide country that emphasizes learning about Rwanda’s history in order to prevent future atrocities. This was echoed by Ariane Inkesha from Interpeace who in her closing remarks advised the youth to fight stereotypes, hate and genocide ideology if they want to aid the reconciliation process and create a conducive environment for healing to occur.