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  • ISOKO Theatre relives the genocide through drama

    There’s a scene near the end of The Monument, Colleen Wagner’s searing 1995 drama about wartime atrocities, when a young soldier is forced to remember in detail the 23 women he has raped and murdered. “I killed a girl named Mini. Fifteen. She had a sun-burned face,” he recalls. “A girl named Sara. She wore glasses. She was short and chubby… Eva. She was a swimmer in training for the Olympics.…”

    The list goes on and, as it does, the anonymous, half-rotten corpses in a mass grave begin to take on names and, however rudimentary, identities. It’s an act of resurrection and reclamation that lies at the heart of Wagner’s Governor-General’s Award-winning play. And it becomes the resonant centrepiece of the touring production by Rwanda’s ISÔKO Theatre, which closes Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage season.

    As the soldier, Stetko (Jean Paul Uwayezu), recollects his victims, he draws their personal effects from amid the exhumed bodies – a bracelet, some pimple cream, a crucifix, a bra. Each item is snatched away in turn by a pair of female phantoms (Solange Liza Umuhire and Ruth Nirere) clad in dresses the colour of dried blood. We’re in Rwanda in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide. But we’re also in Bosnia, the original setting of Wagner’s play, and these personal items – the most poignant touch in director Jennifer H. Capraru’s stark staging – may also remind you of the ones that were raked from the ashes of the Nazi ovens.

    Wagner’s play begins with suggestions of a revenge fantasy. Stetko, about to be executed for his war crimes, is offered a reprieve by a mysterious older woman named Mejra (Jaqueline Umubyeyi). The catch is that he must obey her for the rest of his life.

    After slicing off one of his ears and nearly beating him to a pulp, Mejra turns Stetko into her slave and torments him with mind games concerning the fate of his virgin girlfriend. But it turns out she desires something more than vengeance – it’s that famous casualty of wartime, the truth.

    Leaving aside the characters’ east European names, it would be easy to believe The Monument was originally written about the systematic rape that occurred during the Rwandan genocide, with Stetko as a Hutu fighter and his victims as minority Tutsi. The play’s truth-and-reconciliation theme also jibes with Rwanda’s postwar policies. Capraru, a Canadian, obviously recognized these parallels when she founded ISÔKO a few years ago in Kigali. Her production originated there and has toured Rwanda prior to its North American debut at World Stage.

    The dialogue – performed in Kinyarwanda, with English surtitles – stays faithful to Wagner’s text, but the trappings are entirely East African. The show, in Harbourfront’s flexible Brigantine Room, is presented as intimately as a village storytelling, with the audience seated in a circle around the candlelit playing space. The Rwandan cast members are musicians as well, and there is a cappella singing and drumming during scene transitions. The drums also furnish the few sound effects – Stetko’s beating, a gunshot – while Sandra Marcroft’s subtle lighting does most of the scene-setting.

    The acting is spare and intense. Stetko is Wagner’s variation on the banality-of-evil theme – he’s the Devil as the boy next door – and the lean, handsome Uwayezu brings out the confused and immature kid under his soldier’s swagger. It’s Umubyeyi who most impresses, however. Her Mejra is a fierce enigma for much of the play, regarding Stetko with cold eyes. When at last she unfetters her grief, like a modern Andromache, it’s heart-rending.

    Capraru – who is also artistic director of Toronto’s Theatre Asylum – favours a stylized approach that de-emphasizes the play’s violence and physicality. Instead, we often feel like we are watching an ancient, cathartic ritual. That was probably the best way to offer the play to Rwandan audiences for whom the subject matter alone is bound to be painful. This is a chance to re-appreciate Wagner’s regrettably timeless tale from a fresh perspective.

    ISÔKO is a new intercultural theatre company founded July 4th, 2008 in Kigali, which creates contemporary theatre for human rights. ISÔKO contributes to civil society, social development, and creative economy in Rwanda. The company is founded in the spirit of exchange, to celebrate Rwandan artists and to further global peace building, while promoting equality for women and girls.

    ISÔKO THEATRE is a local NGO based in Rwandaand is partnered withTheatre Asylum, Canada. We are members of Theatres Against War, Dramatool, and Theatre Without Borders, and collaborators each year in the Centre x Centre Kigali International Theatre Festival at Ishyo Arts Centre.

    The Monument

    • Written by Colleen Wagner
    • Directed by Jennifer H. Capraru
    • Starring Jaqueline Umubyeyi, Jean Paul Uwayezu, Ruth Nirere and Solange Liza Umuhire
    • Produced by ISÔKO Theatre and presented by World Stage

     

  • Kagame in New York for Time 100 Event

    President Paul Kagame is in New York where he will, this evening, join a host of celebrities and media personalities at the annual Time 100 Gala at the Lincoln Centre.

    The event honours past and present nominees to the annual Time 100 list, which profiles the most influential people in the world, including artists and activists, reformers and researchers, heads of state and captains of industry.

    President Kagame was nominated to the list by Pastor Rick Warren in 2009, who said that he was “the face of emerging African leadership. His reconciliation strategy, management model, empowerment of women in leadership and insistence on self-reliance are transforming a failed state into one with a bright future. ”

    Rwanda ’s rapid improvements have impressed the rest of the continent and Kagame’s influence is exponentially greater than the size that his small country might warrant.

    Paul Kagame is one of few leaders who has successfully modelled the transition from soldier to statesman. During the atrocities of the 1994 Rwanda genocide, the world watched in horror, but did nothing. Kagame, with no outside help, was solely responsible for ending the slaughter that murdered over a million citizens in 100 days.

    When his best friend was killed, Kagame was forced to assume the leadership of the Rwandan exiles that ended the killing spree. He was hailed as liberator by his countrymen, but wisely refused the presidency at that point.

    “What we needed most was unity”, he said, “and I had not been elected,”

    After the genocide, the nation was in shambles. Kagame and other began the slow process of rebuilding. But the process moved into hyper drive when he was elected president in 2000.

    He launched a series of reforms and reconciliation strategies that have caught the attention of investors worldwide.

    He has since taken Rwanda from division and devastation to unity and stability, fostering a social and economic recovery unimaginable 15 years ago. Even his critics respect his accomplishments.

    Ranked 24th in 2009- the highest ranked African- President Kagame outpolled global luminaries such as Russian Premier Vladimir Putin (35th), Morgan Tsvangarai (32nd), Oprah Winfrey (98th), Australian PM Kevin Rudd (114th), UK’s Gordon Brown (132nd), recently elected South African President Jacob Zuma (180th) and, even more surprisingly, US President Barack Obama, who was ranked 37th.

    What is the TIME Magazine 100 most influential people in the world list ?

    The Time 100 is an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, as assembled by TIME. Developed as a result of a debate among several academics, the list has developed into an annual event.

    The list was started with a debate at a symposium at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center on February 1, 1998 with panel participants CBS news anchor Dan Rather, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, former New York governor Mario Cuomo, then-political science professor Condoleezza Rice, neoconservative publisher Irving Kristol and Time managing editor Walter Isaacson.

    The list was first published in 1999, when Time magazine named the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

    Based on the popularity of the installment, in 2004 Time magazine decided to make it an annual issue, listing the 100 people most influencing the world. Making the list is frequently mistaken as an honor ; however, Time makes it very clear that people are recognized for changing the world, for better or for worse.

    Those recognized fall in one of five categories : Leaders & Revolutionaries, Builders & Titans, Artists & Entertainers, Scientists & Thinkers, and Heroes & Icons. Within each category, the 20 most influential people (sometimes pairs or small groups) are selected, for a grand total of 100 each year.

    Selection criteria

    In 2004 Time’s editors “identified three rather distinct qualities”, when choosing the Time 100 explained TIME’s Editor-at-Large Michael Elliott :

    First, there were those who came to their status by means of a very public possession of power ; President George W. Bush is the pre-eminent example. Others, though they are rarely heard from in public, nonetheless have a real influence on the great events of our time.

    Think of Ali Husaini Sistani, the Grand Ayatullah of Iraq’s Shi’ites, who in effect has a veto on plans to transfer power from those who occupy his country to its people. Still others affect our lives through their moral example.

    Consider Nelson Mandela’s forgiveness of his captors and his willingness to walk away from the South African presidency after a single term.

    In the 2007, Time 100 list managing editor Richard Strengel explained that the Time 100 was not a list of the hottest, most popular or most powerful people, but rather the most influential, stating :

    Influence is hard to measure, and what we look for is people whose ideas, whose example, whose talent, whose discoveries transform the world we live in. Influence is less about the hard power of force than the soft power of ideas and example.

    Yes, there are Presidents and dictators who can change the world through fiat, but we’re more interested in innovators like Monty Jones, the Sierra Leone scientist who developed a strain of rice that can save African agriculture.

    Or heroes like the great chess master Garry Kasparov, who is leading the lonely fight for greater democracy in Russia. Or Academy Award winning actor George Clooney who has leveraged his celebrity to bring attention to the tragedy in Darfur.

     

  • Primary court judge nabbed obtaining bribe

    A judge was recently caught red-handed in an act of corruption through a clever scheme masterminded by the Police. Liliane Maombi, a Judge at a primary court in Kanombe, Kicukiro District of Kigali, was allegedly caught accepting a bribery of Rfw 100,000 from one Francoise Nyirabihogo.

    The latter was alleged to have committed a criminal offense in a case, which through the progression of the trial did not seem to be turning in her favour .

    This may have perhaps precipitated Maombi to ask for a bribe to alleviate the punishment that Nyirabohogo would potentially receive or better yet to turn the case around and exonerate her . This act of treachery prompted the defendant to take matters into her own hands and consult the police on the issue.

    This led to the formulation of a plot orchestrated by the police that would require Nyirabihogo to go along with this conspiracy.

    The scheme was initiated Wednesday 27 April at around 1.15p.m. after the court’s hearing. Nyirabihogi went on to hand out the money to the accused. On receiving the amount, police officers immediately intercepted the money thereby catching her red-handed. Upon suspicion, the judge reacted by throwing away the bag containing the money, in a pretentious act of rejection.

    Witnesses within the vicinity confirmed the real intents of the accused, some of whom were insiders in the intrigue.

    Maombi is presently apprehended at the Kicukiro Police station awaiting a trail. We shall continue tp update you on this story as details emerge. 

  • Five year ICT plan in services sector underway

    Plans to improve the services sector through the National Information and Communication Infrastructure (NICI) programmes are in progress. This was announced during a one-day conference that brought together officials from the Ministry of ICT along with stakeholders in the information technology sector at Umubano Hotel today.

    The plan follows the first and second NICI’s programmes, which dealt with environment and infrastructure, respectively. The Permanent Secretary in the ministry of ICT, David Kanamugire, highlighted that the plan would give a principle guide towards the country’s ICT programmes in the next five years, adding that the plan would also improve service delivery.

    “We want to make learning easier in schools, for instance, through the use of latest technologies like online studies. In banks too, we want to improve the network connection where one would conduct their transactions at ease, Mutuelle de santé should be automated where a patient can access their medical history in any health centre,” he remarked.

    He encouraged the private sector to work closely with the government in implementing some programmes since they also benefit their business. Kanamugire, however, noted that capacity building matters a lot saying that the private sector’s role was needed.

    “An investor in Kirehe District, for instance, can manage an IT centre and then the government would assist in maintaining the computers,” he alluded.

    Among the main clusters to be considered during the third NICI includes development of skills in ICT, and equipping the private sector with knowhow that enables competitiveness through new technologies. Community development would also be essential especially in transforming societies through improved access to information and services. This also goes hand in hand with e-government, which improves operational efficiency and service delivery.

  • Genocide Ideology a blemish on Rwanda’s psyche

    The word genocide needs to always be put into perspective to eliminate any iota of controversy regarding its execution. An we have had several of them carried out around the world incluing the Jesiwhs Holocaust, the Bosnian genocide and most recently here in Rwanda back in 1994. By definition, the word “Genocide” is the deliberate extermination of a racial, religious or ethnic group.

    It is mass murder deliberately planned and carried out by individuals, all of whom are responsible, whether they made the plan, gave the order or carried out the killings. In rwanda’s case, the genocide took place from 6th April 1994, where about one million people died in just 100 days. People who had been trained to massacre were members of the civilian death squad “Interhamwe” who used machetes and clubs to kill, maim, torture and rape their victims.

    The Genocide ideology had in Rwanda become so widespread and so quick .One of the major contributors to this was the media, the use of radio, as a means of spreading hatred amongst the people. (ignorance and illiteracy in most areas also did not help, leading people to believe what they were told.)

    Rwanda has come a long way from where it was and has come around in such ways and time that most cannot believe. Through sheer determination, perseverance, hard work, education, the people of Rwanda and its government are aiming in the right direction.

    One of the most important and challenging tasks the Rwandan government and its people had to (and still) face, is combating the genocide ideology. The Government set out policies and strategic actions to help with this. Through emphasising ways in which education and sensitisation on important issues such as rehabilitation, healing and reconciliation is crucial to achieving development goals, promoting programs, foundation, building a stronger, prosperous and secure future. Some of the organisations which have made remarkable progress with major results are still positive and working towards ensuring Rwanda’s continued success in combating genocide ideology.

    The National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (CNLG) was created because of the atrocities that were committed. The commission is a national, independent and permanent institution which not only fights against the genocide ideology but also educates and helps people understand the history of Rwanda and what happened. It has three organs : a commissioner’s council, an executive secretariat, and an advisory council. The National Commission is working at fighting Genocide Ideology, helping in the healing and rehabilitation of the youth and the general poplation by educating them, holding events such as the genocide exhibition, held alongside the commemoration from 7th April to 13th,with some four other related activities which are to be launched, among others. CNLG also works with other organisations such as the Gacaca courtsand is also involved in dealing with testimonies, witnesses, perpetrators, prosecutors as well as survivors. 

    The Gacaca courts established in 2001 are one of the ways in which the trials of prisoners were dealt with. Their activities were carried out in three steps, including the collection of information relating to the genocide, categorising of persons prosecuted for having committed genocide or having played a role in different genocidal crimes, and the trial of cases falling under their competence (or jurisdiction).

    The Gacaca proceedings were recorded by the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Kigali, Rwanda in Kinyarwanda (English transcripts and subtitles are available). Survivors and prisoners both get to testify and confess. Their contribution to the justice system was major in speeding up of the process and allowing for many trials, which would have never been completed.

     It is through organisations like these that we learn about the genocide ideology and their magnitude. It is also important to know how much of it has affected the people and educate them on the issue. Using communication and education, people can be given moral, psychological and practical support and succeed in halting the Genocide dogma.

    The Gacaca courts have faced immense challenges such as, dealing with the number of people accused of genocide and having to come up with a system to deliver fair and just trials. Time was definitely not on their side, if nothing was to be done right away, things could have worsened, neither were the conditions in which they had to keep the accused in prisons too overcrowded, where prisoners of all sorts of criminals, from petty one to full scale psychopaths would be locked together. The emotions and trauma of the people was still extremely high and raw. The people were also in tension and conflict with each other. Those are but a few of the challenges they had to bear in mind. With very little universal help and a new government just in place, the Gacaca courts had immense goals to reach.

    Despite the obstacles and especially criticism from all over the world by human rights organisations like Amnesty International and Human Rights watch, which claimed that the Gacaca courts were not up to international standards to deliver fair trails, they the courts managed to fulfill a vital truth function in pursuit of justice.

    They handled what others could not especially by helping people to openly participate as fairly as possible. They gave a survivor a chance to tell what happened and demand his or her right to justice against the perpetrators as the latter confessed and told their side of the story. the courts also helped many Rwandans to open their eyes and ears, come together in order to heal, reconcile and join forces to build their country.

  • Rwanda becomes first African country to provide free cervical cancer vaccination

    Rwandan girls aged 12 to 15 years have become the first in Africa to receive free vaccination against cervical cancer, while older women aged 35 to 45 will be screened and treated for the same.

    The initial three year comprehensive integrated cervical cancer prevention programme will be facilitated by MERCK, a research institute, which came up with the vaccine. the institute will work closely with QIAGEN staff who will conduct screening services in order to offer treatment among those affected.

    Speaking shortly after launching the campaign at Kanyinya Primary School in Nyarugenge District, the First Lady, Jeannette Kagame, noted that Rwanda was proud to be the first African country to roll out free Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccination for girls and screening for women. This is unlike other African countries where the vaccine is unaffordable to the majority due to high costs.

    She further advised that in order for children to maintan a high immune system, it was necessary for them to be immunised three times within a period of six months. Parents and teachers were also encouraged to report any cases of side effects the children might develop. The effects include mild headache, nausea and skin rash. 

    Reacting on the issue, Agnes Binagwaho the permanent secretary in the ministry of health commended the initiative adding that it was helpful since out of the 2.72 million women aged 15 years and older are at a risk of developing cervical cancer

    Mark Feinberg, the Chief Public Health and Science Officer at Merck Vaccines highlighted that his institution would donate more than 2 million doses of GARDASIL (vaccine) while QIAGEN would provide 250,000 Human Papillomavirus Vaccination (HPV) screening tests at no cost.

    Over 80 percent of cervical cancer cases occur in the world’s poorest countries, having a severe impact on the women affected, their families and communities. The program is expected to provide access to a comprehensive cervical cancer prevention to help reduce the burden of disease and improve public health outcomes and capacity in the country.

    If treated earlier, the cervical cancer can be completely cured, hence the need for earlier prevention.. The vaccine is appropriate for girls who are still virgins since the virus is passed through sexual intercourse.

     Most cervical cancer is caused by a virus called human papillomavirus, or HPV. Scientists have identified several types of the HPV virus though not all can cause cervical cancer.

    Some of them cause genital warts, but other types may not cause any symptoms. However the most common signs include bleeding when something comes in contact with the cervix. This leads to pain during sex which is a common feeling that later develops to vaginal discharge tinged with blood.

    An infected person can have HPV for years and not know it. It stays in your body and can lead to cervical cancer years after you were infected. This is why it is important for Rwandans to have regular Pap tests. A Pap test can find changes in cervical cells before they turn into cancer. If you treat these cell changes, you may prevent cervical cancer. 

  • “Be innovative”-PS urges artisans

    The permanent secretary in the ministry of Trade and Industry Emmanuel Hategeka has challenged artists to be creative and innovative in order to compete in the international market.

    He made the remarks during celebrations to mark the World Intellectual Property Day at the Ministry’s headquarters in Kigali, yesterday. The theme of the celebration was “Designing the Future”. The event brought together stakeholders in Intellectual Property, to take stock of the progress made so far and discuss strategies for further measures to meet their goals.

    Hategeka further appealed to the artistes to register their product designs and trademarks with the Rwanda Development Board to help safeguard their intellectual property rights, adding that statistics availed by RDB indicated low registration of copyrights and patent rights.

    The Registrar General at RDB Louise Kanyonga said that the registration of copyrights, trademarks and industrial designs was free so as to encourage more traders, artisans, writers to register and gain from their innovations.

    Recently, the government enacted the new Intellectual Property Law and Policy to protect artistic work form counterfeiting and piracy. The law highlights the industrial law that deals with trade marks, patent rights, industrial designs, utility models and geographical investments.

    During the event, many of the participants highlighted problems they endure in carrying out their activities including counterfeiting and piracy, claiming that the industry had not protected and recognised their efforts thus leading to unsustainable development.

    Rwandan artistes recently formed an artistes association known as the Rwanda Society of Authors (RSAU) to ensure protection of their intellectual property and enforce dignity. The association was formed to bring artistes together and protect them against copyright infringement and piracy.

    The association has come up with regulations and anyone contravening the regulations would be punishable by law. According to the association, anyone infringing an author’s patent right will be charged a fine ranging from 50 million to 500 million or sentenced five years imprisonement. The association will also be in charge of selling all forms of arts produced by its members.

    In addition, anyone wishing to buy a product would be required to buy them through the body. This means that radio and television stations would be banned from using any material produced by the members without prior consent of the association. Such institutions will have to have prior consent of the body before playing any songs on air.

    However, some artistes raised fear that radio and television stations would not buy their songs, and this would make them resort to playing international music.

    “If we sell our songs to these radios and television stations, they will not buy them but will play other songs from regional and international musicians since they get them freely,” a local singer, Mako Nikoshwa observed.

    The president of the RSAU, Epa Binamungu reassured the artistes that everything concerning music and other forms of artisan works, either from the country or beyond would have to be supplied by the association at an agreed cost. He reiterated that no one else would obtain them without RSAU’s consent.

    In a related development, Binamungu said that the day was important for artistes, composers and authors, to come together and reflect on what we should do to ensure that our properties and rights are protected so that we can benefit from them

    “We earn a living out of our composition and creations, so if we don’t have strict enforcement of copyright laws, we will continue losing not only financial resources but also our rights to our properties,” he added.

    Binamungu, however, said that the government had shown commitment to protect intellectual properties especially through the enactment of the new law as well the crackdown by the Rwanda National Police (RNP) on individuals pirating intellectual property.

  • Joy as Rwandan refugees from Congo Brazzaville meet their families

    Representatives of Rwandan refugees living in Congo Brazzaville last week met their families in Rwanda, 17 years, after the Tutsi Genocide that dragged them into exile. The visit is part of a wider government program to sensitise all the refugees to return home and take part in the development of their country.

    Mrs. Afisa Murebwayire, who is part of the group of four refugees, visited her family in Ruhango Sector, Muhanga District in southern Rwanda.

    She was excited and said she has been receiving false information about Rwanda but after the visit, she has a clear picture of the changes the country has undergone.

    She said she would encourage other Rwandan refugees in Brazzaville to return home. Her father was equally emotional and shed tears of joy when he saw his daughter. “I’m happy,” he told IGIHE.com in an emotional tone.

    Murebwayire’s young sister Marie Shantal Kagoyire stays in Kibungo, East of Rwanda but she had returned home to see her elder sister. They were both elated. Kayogiye asked her sister to sensitise other Rwandan refugees to return home.

    More Rwandan refugees continue to visit their families to witness how safe the country is.

    This could lead to better understanding of why they should return, according to government officials.

    Families of some refugees have also requested them to return saying that the country is safe and is developing so fast.

    Jean Claude Rwahama, an official from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugees commented, “Rwandans in Diaspora get false information about the country but those who visit will always tell the truth since they get first hand information”.

  • Kizito’s concert attracts huge crowd

    Kizito Mihigo, one of the most celebrated Rwandan singers saw an overwhelming turn up of fans for his music concert. The concert held at Expo Grounds in Kigali during the Easter weekend attracted a host of senior government officials and a multitude of youth.

    Kizito organised the concert to deliver a message of peace, unity and reconciliation among Rwandans and also used the concert as a fundraiser towards his peace foundation, Kizito Mihigo for Peace (KMP).

    During the concert, Mihigo entertained his fans with songs such as Twanze Gutoberwa Amateka, one of his latest releases.

    Local artists Sgt Robert, Eric Senderi, Tonzi, Patric Nyamitari and comedian and actress Mukarujanga also performed.

    Kizito commented, “I’m pleased that my message is given mostly to the youth because they are the future leaders.”

    Kizito, a Genocide Survivor is 29 years old, studied music in Europe.

  • Learning from the past: Building the future

    Many people flock to the motivational and inspiring Kigali Genocide Memorial, operated by Aegis Trust. What many don’t learn on their visit is that there is an educational program running on this site that draws youth from around the country. Igihe.com’s Fiona Gasana learned about the educational experience when interviewing Mr. Jean Nepo Ndahimana, an education officer in Aegis Rwanda’s educational program that is delivered at Kigali Genocide Memorial. 

     IGIHE.com : What is the education program ?

    Mr. Ndahimana : The Aegis Education Program at Kigali Genocide Memorial provides secondary school students a one-day workshop experience. Our program is called ‘learning from the past : Building the future. The program provides an overview of Rwandan history related to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, including a tour of the exhibitions at the Kigali Genocide Memorial. The program also provides a global perspective on genocide using various examples of genocide around the world to explore the causes of genocide and ways of prevention. Finally, the program looks forward, with a focus on critical thinking, problem resolution, working together to build trust among the Rwandans, all of these to achieve social cohesion.

    What is your correlation with the genocide memorial sites ?

     Currently the education program is delivered by Aegis only at the Kigali Genocide Memorial although there are plans to expand the program into all regions of the country and possibly across the borders. Our neighbouring countries have lessons to learn from Rwanda in order to prevent genocide. Visits to regional memorial sites could be incorporated into that outreach program.

    Could you tell us when the education program was put into action and whether it is a permanent program ? 

    The program began in January 2009 and is a permanent program of Aegis Rwanda.

    What are the main purposes of the genocide education ?

    The future of any society depends on its ability to understand and reconcile with its past. Education that provides an opportunity for young Rwandans to learn about their history in a safe and structured manner ; education that supports the values and skills necessary for an inclusive future ; and education that inspires, makes a significant contribution towards peace and security.

    What are the goals and objectives of the education program ? 

    The goal of this program is to focus on social cohesion for the Rwandan society. This is done by fostering values and behaviors that lead to a unified Rwanda. Genocide education explores the past with the hope that a deepened understanding will lead to a Rwandan in which such an event can never again occur.

    Who are the people responsible for creating and sponsoring the educational program ? 

    Credit for this program must be given to Aegis Trust but this program would not be possible without funding by DFID and CIDA. Aegis also developed the exhibitions currently on display at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, manages the Kigali Genocide Memorial site, hosts the Genocide Archive of Rwanda, and has a social program that assists orphan and widow genocide survivors. 

    Which organs do you work with to ensure you fulfill your goals and how do you collaborate ? What roles do these partners play in helping the centre achieve its goals ?

    We operate independently, but with much support within all levels of the educational sector. For example MINEDUC and CNLG are fully supporting our program. Very important to our success is the interest amongst school districts and headmasters in bringing their students to the program. Every year we host information sessions for chosen school districts, after which the headmasters sign on to bring a class. It is this commitment from the school officials that makes it possible for us to achieve our goal.

     Who are the members of the educational team and what are their duties ?

    We have two qualified secondary teachers who deliver the program in the classroom, and are also responsible for the day-to-day administrative tasks required to keep the program going. The educational team also includes the Country Director of Aegis Rwanda, Freddy Mutanguha who himself has a background in education and the CEO of Aegis Trust, James Smith to oversee the program and advise in education regarding prevention of crimes against humanity. 

    The youth of Rwanda are the future of the country. How do you think they benefit from the education program ?

    The students are of the opinion that this is a program that is of benefit to everyone. By following the program they acquire knowledge and skills about the past of their country and help them to take their own responsibility at early age to shape their future and build a much more cohesive Rwandan society. They repeatedly suggest an expansion of the program, mentioning that it should be available to all the students in their school, to youth not attending school, to parents, and all other parts of society, including prisoners. They say that they learn things about their history that they didn’t know and that they feel more able to talk about this with others. One of our students said, “You are sensitising people to have the willingness to build the Rwandan community.” As mentioned earlier, the sessions are of one day in length and I think some of the activities have also been described. I could add that we also have counsellors on our staff, who prepare the youth for their visit to the genocide exhibition and conduct debriefing activities afterwards.

    Could you tell us if any of the students have personally benefited from any of the centres program ?

    Of course we have many examples of students who tell us how they have personally benefited from this program, one student for example told us that he wished he could have the opportunity to bring his mother to the centre, because the history he learnt at home about the genocide was very biased and ill informed compared to the teaching he receives here at the centre.

    How will the centre be working with schools ?

     Once the headmasters have signed up for the program, the school goes through a process of choosing students. Because space is limited, the expectation is that senior students with some leadership experience are given this opportunity on the understanding that they will take what they have learned and share with others.

    How is the education program helpful resource to the national curriculum ? 

    The education program is a resource that enables schools to provide an opportunity to focus on genocide education. Delivering the program at a memorial site and with the exhibitions as a resource, provides an opportunity not only for the students but for the accompanying teachers and head teachers who then are more equipped to address these issues in their classrooms.

    Could you elaborate on how the program helps in the development of the civic education curriculum ? 

    Civic education in Rwanda teaches children from a very young age that in order to have a peaceful nation, a country must first acknowledge its history both past and present and learn how the atrocities that happened here in 1994 can be prevented from ever happening again. However, I must say again our program sits besides the national curriculum but is not integrated into it. We are planning also to develop an outreach program that will provides in-service training to teachers with the hope that it will provide the sensitisationand the skills for them to be as effective as possible in teaching curriculum related to genocide and social cohesion.

    How does the education program contribute to peace and reconciliation in Rwanda ?

    By educating these students we are building a stronger and wiser generation in our country. These students will be the ones to make sure their country maintains peace and unity and reconciliation. We make a contribution by raising awareness about the consequences of exclusion and division with the objective to encourage social cohesion and reconciliation in order to prevent the most extreme version of exclusion Genocide.

    Recently, a case was reported of a man claiming that the people were not responsible for the genocide instead claiming this should have been apportioned on the Habyarimana establishment. How do you deal with instances of genocide denial like this ?

     We make an appeal to our students to open their minds to our history and to open their hearts to each other. We also focus on critical thinking – encouraging the students to think for themselves what they hear about the past and what they hear in the present – and we also hold a value on individual responsibility for actions.

    What challenges do you encounter ?

    Financial challenges are large to keep this program running and to insure its expansion. Also, it’s a challenge for schools to have funds to bring the students here.

    How successful has the program been up to this day, Could you name some of the achievements the education program has successfully implemented since it began ?

    Since the first classes in January 2009 we have had more than 5000 students come and we are fully booked for the upcoming academic term. The daily evaluations are always positive, with comments on the respect with which every student is received, on a welcoming environment and on how important the class was for them. In the last term of this year we are implementing a follow-up evaluation and we look forward to measure what has been the impact of this program in terms of social cohesion and trust among the students and we are expecting to complete this evaluation by the end of the year.