Rwandan Genocide Memorial

Yesterday I had the privilege of attending a special event coordinated by one of my classmates. Herself a survivor of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, she wanted to create a venue for other survivors to come and mourn and express themselves to help one another heal. This period of time 14 years ago was when the violence and systematic killing of the Tutsi population of Rwanda began.

The entire commemoration was a surreal experience. Several survivors gave testimonies of their ordeal and it was absolutely heart wrenching. Songs were sung in the remembrance of friends and family lost, poems were read which were a reaction to the world and its failure, and silence was given to all those who are no longer with us. Through it all there were prayers of hope.

The Rwandan Ambassador to Canada was in attendance and gave a brief speech about the importance of remembering and about healing. The Communications and PR advisor to the President Of Rwanda was also in attendance and he spoke about some of the controversy that surrounds some of the more Hollywood aspects of the genocide. It was a welcome show of support for both my classmate and the rest of the Rwandan community in attendance that they were able to join us.

After having attended I am more confused than ever about how we remain so distant from the front lines. The face of genocide is an ugly one, and I realize it is far easier to turn away then to stand up and look it in the eyes. However, we can't. We may have the ability but we should not have the option. "Never Again" are words that have been associated with the end of the Rwandan Genocide. What I didn't know until last night was that those same words were the spokes-words for after the Holocaust. They are also the words we are trying to inject into the Darfur dialogue. These words are only words until we give them meaning. They represent our inaction until we choose to make them about action.

The memorial was about never forgetting Rwanda and its lost mothers, fathers, children, grandchildren, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. Never Forget. Never Again. That is a conscious decision you have to make. I hope you make it because the stories I heard are not stories you would wish to hear from your friends or family. It hasn't been on your front lines, but it doesn't mean it won't be. If we fail to stand up for others they either wont be there to stand up for you or they will turn away just as you did. Never Forget.