Kwibuka 28 –The commemoration of the 1994 genocide against Tutsi |24 May 2022

Seychelles joins Rwanda in remembering the victims of the genocide

The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, took place between April 7 and July 15, 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War, whereby during a period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed militias.

To commemorate the genocide, every year on April 7, Rwanda enters a 100-day commemoration period of the genocide against the Tutsi where about a million men, women and children were killed in three months.

Commonly known as Kwibuka, or remembrance, the period is a time to remember the slaughter in Rwanda, a dark moment in human history but, tragically, by no means the only time when an attempt has been made by one ethnic group to systematically eradicate another.

To commemorate Kwibuka 28, the United Nations Country Team and the University of Seychelles (UniSey) yesterday joined Rwanda in hosting a remembrance event held at the university’s auditorium at its Anse Royale campus.

It was attended by United Nations Resident Coordinator for Mauritius and Seychelles Christine Umutoni, Emeritus Professor Dennis Hardy of the James R. Mancham Peace and Diplomacy Research Institute, and Michelle de Lacoudraye-Harter, the vice-chairperson of the Seychelles Human Rights Commission among other guests.

It consisted of songs, poems and testimonies of the tragic event which lasted for approximately 100 days.

In his presentation – entitled Thinking of Genocide – Professor Hardy noted that the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was unanimously adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 9, 1948 and has since been ratified or acceded to by 152 States.

Despite this, he said, a total of 42 members are neither signatories nor parties to the convention, while from those, 19 are from Africa, 17 from Asia and 6 from the Americas, with the united States itself taking 40 years to cross the line.

He added that even if China and Russia were both signatories, their commitment has since come into question.

Professor Hardy further noted that we solemnly recall these terrible chapters in human history but it seems that we have yet to find a way to stop them being repeated.

“Simply recounting them is not enough and history malevolently repeats itself in various ways – through the use of gas chambers and machetes, through the machinations of a dictator who believed he could create ‘year zero’, and through the warped thinking of religious and political fundamentalism,” he said, adding that whatever the methods, all have the same outcomes.

During the hybrid event, those present had the chance to hear talk on Genocide denial and revisionism by Albert Rudatsimburwa, who is a political analyst from the Great Lakes Region, before listening to a poem by Jacob Terence Madeleine, National Unity Advocate and executive member of the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) Seychelles.

There was also a remark from Major General Charles Karamba, the high commissioner of the Republic of Rwanda to Seychelles.

Mrs Umutoni then read the United Nations secretary general António Guterres’ Message of the Day, stating that much more could have been done by the international community to stop the deliberate and systematic genocide in Rwanda.

“We honour their memory. We stand in awe of the resilience of the survivors. And we reflect on our failures as an international community,” the message said, reminding everyone that the genocide was “deliberate, systematic – and carried out in broad daylight”.

Those present also had the chance to hear from special guest speaker, Placidie Murebwayire, a genocide survivor, who shared her experience and message of hope

The highlight of the ceremony was the lighting of candles in memory of the victims.

The conflict started on April 6, 1994, when a plane carrying Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, was shot down.

Under the cover of war, Hutu extremists launched their plans to destroy the entire Tutsi civilian population.

Hutu extremists distributed propaganda suggesting that all Tutsi civilians were a part of the military threat posed by the Rwandan Patriotic Front.

They secretly drew up lists of Tutsi and moderate Hutu leaders to assassinate, armed and trained youth militias, and began small-scale massacres. As genocide continued in Rwanda, the United Nations cut the peacekeeping force to just 270 soldiers.

The accompanying photos show some highlights of the event.

Roland Duval

Photos by Louis Toussaint