Author: b_igi_adm1n

A Cambodian group -The Amrita Performing Arts’ Actors and survivors of the Cambodian genocide in the 1970s, are in Rwanda to showcase the play ”Breaking the Silence”.

The play depicts the effects of genocides and how one can live the post genocide life.

The Phnom Penh-based Amrita Performing Arts’ play ”Breaking the Silence,” was written by a Dutch director, Annemarie Prins.

Cambodian genocide was committed by followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot.

During the Khmer Rouge or Red Khmer rule, almost 2 million people were murdered, attempting to weed out insolence and members of the population.

”Breaking the Silence” is based on oral testimony from Khmer Rouge members and victims who had taken part in interviews at the Documentation Center of Cambodia.

The play tells the stories of seven perpetrators and victims.

Even though the genocides in Rwanda and Cambodia happened in different periods, but the residual affects are similar, such as loneliness, isolation and shame for the survivors.

The actors of the play say, remembering The Khmer Rouge period referred to the rule of Pol Pot Era, reveals unhealed wounds of Cambodians, in total contrast of Rwandans who are healing from the wounds left behind by the 1994 genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi. Madame Annemarie Prins, is a Dutch director & writer of the play BREAKING THE SILENCE.

“In Cambodia, no body has talked about it…they didn’t have any Gacaca courts like here in Rwanda it is completely silenced. People wanted to break the silence…the main idea to play the play and have Rwandan actors in it, is in fact very simple message; the message is you (Cambodians) are not alone, that there has been (other genocides) on the other side of the world”.

Twahirwa Aimable, the ‘La Benevolencia’ Rwanda Head of mission, who received the screening team of the play, said that the play will be screened in 3 towns in Rwanda from 8th April 2012.

“It will be screened 6 times. On 8th & 9th April, it will be staged at Kigali Ishyo Arts hall in kacyiru. It will be starting at 6pm (local time). On the 10th it will be shown at maison de jeune hall in kimisagara from 6pm (local time).”

“On the 11th & 12th it will be taken to Butare in Huye district in Butare conference hall from 2pm (local time) while in Gicumbi district it will be on, on the 14th in Gicumbi conference hall from 2pm (local time).”

The play is staged in Khmer rouge language and Kinyarwanda with English subtitles.

The organizers say that it is planning to launch a discussion session between actors and spectators after the play.

The first ever East African Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPCCO) regional Police Command Post training code named EAPCCO PCPX 2012 will be conducted in Rwanda.

The joint training exercise will commence in August and will take 10 days
The training aims at harmonising Police practices and procedures in order to improve EAPCCO members’ collective capability to combat cross boarder crimes.

This will be possible through sharing of information and intelligence on cross boarder crimes and criminals and to promote the increased Police role in peace support operations.

Chief Superintendent Elisa Kabera, the director of international cooperation at Rwanda National Police says, “This training will strengthen the cooperation of EAPCCO member in combating trans- national and cross-border crimes”.

Training will be based on cross boarder scenarios such as human trafficking and terrorism. It will also focus on peace support operations and will cover theory and practical elements.

Preparations for the exercise were conducted during a steering committee two-day meeting held in Kigali earlier in the week.

The organising committee is made up of EAPCCO, Interpol and Rwanda National Police.

Joyce Banda has been sworn in as new President of the Republic of Malawi.

The New President of Malawi Joyce Banda said, “The constitution would be followed. I don’t think there is any way we can discuss who is a caretaker and who is not,” she said. The constitution is prevailing right now”.

The Malawi top Army chiefs, Police Chief, the attorney General and several cabinet ministers and MPs were standing near Her Excellency Joyce Banda as she spoke.

The Malawi transport Minister Sidik Mia who vehemently opposed Moves by other ministers to subvert the constitution on Saturday rallied ministers to the resident of Vice president Joyce Banda to give her authority to take charge of Malawi under the terms of the constitution following the death of president Bingu wa Mutharika.

Mutharika died of cardiac arrest after collapsing from statehouse Thursday.

After Milpark Hospital in South Africa confirmed the death of Bingu Wa Mutharika, the Secretary to the President and cabinet Bright Msaka announced ,there will be 10days of national mourning and the constitution will be adhered to in managing the transition” .

Doctors who treated President Bingu wa Mutharika revealed that although Mutharika was already dead by the time he arrived at the hospital, his chances to be resuscitated were narrowed by lack of an essential drug-Adrenaline-which is used to resuscitate people stricken by cardiac Arrest.

“When he arrived we realised that the central hospital had run out of adrenaline or epinephrine, the main drug used during resuscitation from cardiac arrest,” Said one of the doctors at Kamuzu Central Hospital where Mutharika was rushed to on Thursday morning.

The Doctor Explained that 1mg is supposed to be given to a cardiac arrest patient at least every three minutes during the period.

“It took us an Hour before we could get some adrenaline from a nearby clinic managed by the University of North Carolina (UNC) project,” He added.

The doctor said purchase of Adrenaline for stocking was not possible because of inadequate funding following the Zero deficit budget which has led to a cut in the amount of most essential but rarely used drugs.

“Cardiac Arrest leads to heart failure and when the heart stops working, the next thing is that oxygen stops going to the brain and within three minutes, the brain shuts down and a person is pronounced dead because chances of resuscitation are almost zero depending on the age,” said one of the doctors at the hospital.

President Paul Kagame has said that Genocide will never happen again in the country.

“Our country is on the right path. There is no chance-not in a million, that anyone will take us back to the past. It can’t happen,” He said.

The President was speaking at Amahoro National stadium officially opening the 18th commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi which claimed a million lives in 1994.

“We shall always commemorate the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi so that everyone can know the bad history of genocide our country went through…And what caused the genocide so that they can also continue remembering even in the period we shall no longer be around,” He said.

“Children born in Genocide are now with legal adult age allowing them to make decisions. They have grown up in the country with unity and where citizens have equal value, children have equal rights and opportunities and citizens are equal before the law.”

He noted, “Today we(Rwanda) are more powerful and have huge capacity than before. Rwandans have built their own security, improved their welfare and are happy with their role in nation building. This gives them hope for the better future.”

The Rwanda Embassy in Washington USA are today April 7th and 8th holding the 18th Commemoration in remembrance of all that was lost during the Rwanda 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

All are invited in supporting friends and families who were affected by this horrible crime.

During this period people will learn the history of what took place. Listen to the special guest speakers who are also firsthand witnesses of the nightmare that became part of our world history.

Share the pain of a time in our history that forever changed a whole culture and made a huge mark in how we view the world as a whole.

The program will begin at 2 pm until 9:30 pm at the Gaston Hall, at Georgetown University and resume at 10:30 pm until 2 am at the Dahlgren Chapel, at Georgetown University on 37th Street & O Street, N.W. Washington D.C. Then on Sunday, April 8th from 1 pm till 3 pm at the National Mall, Washington DC.

According to an embassy official, “Easter Weekend marks the beginning of Spring. It’s a time to give thanks for the many blessings we have.

This weekend shows your support and join this very special commemoration to honor those lives lost during a horrific time in our world history and learn how it forever changed lives across the globe.”

Steven Charles Kanumba a Tanzanian Film actor has been announced dead. The celebrated film actor passed away last night. The cause of his death hasn’t been established.

Steven Kanumba had returned from a night club New Maisha in the Tanzania capital Dar es salaam in company of his 19-year-old lover Elizabeth ‘Lulu’ Michaels.

Kanumba attempted to grab his lovers phone because she was being telephoned by suspicious callers in the process ‘Lulu’ pushed Kanumba who fell on the floor and died instantly at about 2:30Am.

Kanumba and Lulu had partied all nightlong at New Maisha club and returned home without any trouble until the fateful incidence concerning the phone in their house.
Today Morning dozens of people thronged Kanumba’s House to have a glimpse.

(Lulu in Photo above)

Kanumba (born January 8, 1984), was a multi award winning Tanzanian actor, with a career spanning more than a decade.

Kanumba had received numerous awards, including; Best Actor of the Year, 2006, Best Actor in Tanzania Award, 2007, Best Artist of the Year Award, 2007/2008.

Kanumba began acting at an early age, acting in as many church plays as he could, until he had the opportunity after leaving school to act and train with the Kaole Sanaa Group and receive special training with Dr Nyoni at the University of Dar es Salaam which served as a major stepping stone for his mainstream acting career.

Kanumba began his acting career with appearances in a host of local Tanzanian soap operas like, Jahazi, Dira and Tufani just to name a few.

He then expanded his horizon by venturing into the film industry, his first movie being Haviliki, which was just the beginning of great journey, for “The Great”.

Not only was Kanumba a Tanzanian household name, but he also acted in Nollywood (Nigeria) with some of the greatest names on the Nollywood scene which expanded his career and experience from just being a Tanzanian star to an African star with ambitions of acting in Hollywood.

Having achieved so much before the age of thirty, Kanumba felt that he had only just begun. He looked forward to a long and fruitful career in every area of the film industry.

Not only was he a successful film star and producer, he was also very active in philanthropy. He had recently been named the OXFAM GROW ambassador for Tanzania.

This week, Rwandans mark the 18th anniversary of the April 7, 1994, genocide that took place in their country. For many, this is a somber but very necessary exercise, and many will visit sites where their families and friends were killed.

On April 7th and April 8th, 2012, Rwandans and friends of Rwanda from across North America will gather in Washington D.C to remember the lives of over one million people who were killed during the genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994.

The keynote speech will be delivered by Carl Wilkens, an acclaimed human rights activist and the only American who chose to remain in Rwanda as the genocide against Tutsi unfolded, risking his life to deliver food, water, and money to those in desperate need.

In this story we are going to see who is this man and what he did during the genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994.

Who is Carl Wilkens?

According to wikipedia Carl Wilkens is the former head of theAdventist Development and Relief Agency International in Rwanda. In 1994, he was the only American who chose to remain in the country after the genocide began.

During the Rwandan Genocide against Tutsi in 1994 he sent his wife and three children with an American convoy toBurundi (US officials were afraid to use Kigali airport, so they evacuated their citizens by cars) and stayed in his home in Kigali with several friends.

The first three weeks were spent in his house, but when there was a possibility to go out and do anything to people, who were slaughtered every day, sometimes just meters away, he gave his all to help them. It was Wilkens who saved about 400 people from Gisimba Orphanage.

One day, when Carl arrived at Gisimba, he saw more than 50 armed militiamen who were, it was quite obvious, waiting for an occasion to kill everyone inside the orphanage, but his presence there apparently stopped them. So Wilkens decided to sleep that night with the kids.

He stayed there until, using all his connections, he found four grenades to guard the people inside and then jumped into his car to find the governor, who could help him to save the orphans.

When he was in his office, the prime minister Jean Kambanda, was there and someone told Wilkens to ask him for help.

Wilkens, who was afraid of another militiamen attempt to kill people inside Gisimba, decided to move survivors to a safe haven Saint Michel Cathedral.

Again he used his connections and in few days, he organized two buses and a military escort, which was to help them to get through the most dangerous roadblocks. Wilkens negotiated with armed men on the way to the cathedral.

In the end, everyone on the buses was transported to Saint Michel alive and unharmed.

When Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) took over Kigali on July 4, 1994, it was not still the end of service for Wilkens. When he finally ended his mission, he went back to USA for a while.

In 1995 he, his wife Teresa and 3 children came back to Rwanda and for next 18 months Wilkens was working for the Adventist Church in reconstruction activities. Since 1996 he has been living in the USA.

He became an Adventist pastor and is working in Milo Adventist Academy in Days Creek, Oregon.

Police arrested two people, including a contractor and the owner of a building which collapsed this Tuesday afternoon in Kigali, killing one person and injuring several others construction workers who where trapped under the building.

The Police spokesperson Theos Badege told repoters yesterday that investigations of those arrested for the incident is still an ongoing investigation.

“We are currently interrogating them to find out if they had the permission to demolish the building,” he said,

The search and rescue operation ended yesterday at around 10:00pm local time.

Meanwhile, Kigali City Mayor, Fidele Ndayisaba, has blamed the owners of the building, saying they demolished the facility without permission from city authorities.

“Renovation, demolition and construction of a building requires clearance from city authorities. The owners illegally demolished the structure,” he noted.

Ndayisaba called upon the public to always seek proper guidance from the authorities before setting up or demolishing any structures.

France will soon extradite Claude Muhayimana a Rwandan Genocide fugitive. Muhayimana is accused of genocide and crimes against humanity.

The Board of Education of the Court of Appeal of Rouen in France found that the Rwandan courts are able to provide the fundamental guarantees of procedure and protection of rights of defense in accordance with the French conception of international public policy.

It also argues that the legal requirements for extradition have been met. And also found that the allegations have no political character and are criminal in nature and that the prescription cannot be acquired.

The Ambassador of Rwanda to France said, “It should be remembered that this judgment is consistent with previous decisions by both the European Court of Human Rights dated27 October 2011 by the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda dated 16 December 2011 . It enshrines the concept of rule of law of the Republic of Rwanda.”

The Ambassador of Rwanda in France welcomes this progress of French jurisprudence on extradition of genocide suspects and remains convinced that other extradition requests are sure to be welcomed.

He noted that Rwandan people can achieve true reconciliation only if the alleged perpetrators and executors of the genocide of Tutsi in 1994 were tried, they are in Rwanda or in the courts of the country where they reside.

Malawi Vice President Joyce Banda (pictured Above) will step in as Malawi’s head of state after attempts to resuscitate President Bingu wa Mutharika seem not yielding.

Cabinet source revealed to IGIHE that Mutharika is being resuscitated at Garden Center Clinic in South Africa but he remains unconscious. He was airlifted to South Africa at 7Pm local time.

President Mutharika collapsed at statehouse Thursday morning following a cardiac arrest and was immediately admitted to Kamuzu central Hospital in the Morning after.

Doctors are said to have attempted to resuscitate him but the condition remained critical.

Malawi cabinet met for an emergency meeting when the president was taken ill to Kamuzu Central Hospital Thursday morning.

However, The Malawi Democrat has reported as breaking news that ‘Bingu Wa Mutharika is Dead”.

“The president has died”, the Malawi Democrat quoted a top government official who declined to be named.

It’s also reported that President Mutharika was flown to South Africa Dead for further Postmortem and Preparation for Burial.

According to Malawi constitution, section 83(4) whenever there is a vacancy in the office of President, the first Vice president shall assume that office for the remainder of the term and shall appoint another person to serve as first Vice-President of the remainder of the term.

Mutharika came to power in a 2004 election and was re-elected with a large majority five years later.

President Mutharika is a former World Bank Economist.

A source in Lilongwe city in Malawi told IGIHE that citizens are in suspense without any details about their president.

Kerry Mabaso told IGIHE, “what I heard from the radio is that he had a heart attack and was rushed to hospital. Others said that he passed away but we aren’t entirely sure about it. We are now left in suspense, waiting to hear about the whole issue.”