On 17 April 2012 the German state Rhineland-Palatinate commemorated the victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi during an ecumenical commemoration service.
The organization of this annual event rotates among the different Partners and was organized this year by the secondary school Stefan Georg in the city Bingen.
Among the 100 guests who attended the commemoration service was H.E. Christine Nkulikiyinka, Rwandan Ambassador to Germany, together with representatives of the State Government and members of Parliament, Mayor for the city of Bingen as well as members of the partnership association.
Among the guests were also members of the Rwandan community in Germany.
In her address Ambassador Nkulikiyinka welcomed the sign of solidarity shown by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and its citizens with the victims of the Genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi in 1994. She said that it means a lot to the Rwandan people to be joined in this difficult time of mourning.
“I am very grateful that you all came to Bingen and that you commemorate with us every year anew. You tell the people in Rwanda “You are not alone! We here in Rhineland-Palatinate are with you in our thoughts and we support you.”
“This means a lot to us Rwandans and gives us additional strength and courage to go forward rebuilding our country.”
The Rwandan envoy told the participants that as the commemoration theme reveals, Rwandans have decided not to allow the past to hold them captive. Rather they want to learn from the past and use the lessons learned to build a brighter future for generations to come.
Ambassador Nkulikiyinka commended the youth exchange between Rwanda and Rhineland-Palatinate stressing the common interests of youths for quality education, leisure activities and new communication technologies.
Mr. Fuckner who represented the state of Rhineland-Palatinate reciprocated the words of the Ambassador, saying that solidarity and respect for the Rwandan people were indispensable given the fact that the world looked away in 1994.
He further said that Germany could recall its own tragic history in order to make the attempt to understand what Rwandans have gone through after the genocide.
The commemoration ceremony is marked at a time when Rhineland-Palatinate and Rwanda are preparing for the 30th anniversary of the partnership. Throughout the year different events are planned in Rwanda and Rhineland-Palatinate to celebrate the anniversary.
Earlier on the same day, during a presentation for students and teachers, Ambassador Nkulikiyinka explained the actual situation in Rwanda, the development policies and achievements made the last years. Participants showed a big interest in particular on how Rwanda intends to achieve the vision 2020.
The members of the Rwandan community in Kaiserslautern and Munich also commemorated the victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi last week-end.
More activities are planned during the coming months in Berlin and other cities in Germany.
Leave a Reply