10th anniversary marked of Rwandan genocide

By Julie Lepsetz

For the Rwandan people to enjoy an inclusive, democratic and peaceful future, dialogue about tragic past events must continue, according to history professor Frank Chalk, co-director of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies.

In an effort to facilitate such dialogue, and to mark the 10-year anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, Concordia and a number of partner organizations (Vues D'Afrique, PAGE-Rwanda and Humain Avant Tout) are holding three weeks of public events, including a symposium, photography exhibits, and film screenings.

The organizers of the Commemo-ration of the Rwandan Genocide, had several goals: to raise public awareness, bring together a variety of experiences and opinions, and provide some understanding of the genocide, which between April and July 1994 resulted in approximately one million deaths.

Evelyne Abitbol, Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations at Concordia, was pleased by how quickly the organizing committee came together, and how supportive the academic community was to the idea of a commemoration. When she first broached the suggestion, “it looked like everyone was waiting for this and was prepared. Everyone wanted to do something,” she said.

Abitbol called Concordia a logical place to hold a commemoration. Concordia is a safe forum for public dialogue. It is the role of the university to facilitate continued dialogue, she said.

“We are privileged to be part of Canada and Quebec. We're in a secure environment, and we need to fight for people who can't fight for themselves.

“To prevent future genocide, we need to talk about it. We can't sweep it under the rug and pretend we don't see anything. It's a matter of saying, ‘I am concerned.’”

Professor Chalk agreed the commemoration is important, helping to share knowledge and allow participants to learn from each other. “We're trying to ensure that the victims are not forgotten, and to provide a forum for the Rwandan Diaspora to maintain a dialogue about the future of the country.”

Media role

On a panel at the symposium, Chalk talked of the Rwandan media's role in influencing the tragedy. While the media do not directly cause genocide, they may “facilitate the perpetuation of genocide through inspiring and inciting hatred,” he said.

Chalk pointed to the recent landmark media case judgment by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda as hope that future genocides may be averted. The Tribunal “criminalized, in international law, future media incitements to commit genocide,” whether or not genocide actually results from the incitement.

Chalk is pleased with the results of this commemorative event, and sees more happening down the road. “This is the beginning of future dialogues, and I hope that some of them take place in Montreal,” he said.

“This is an important part of educating people and trying to ensure things like this don't happen again.”

For additional information, visit publicaffairs.concordia.ca.