Continued Partnerships- Kiziba Refugee Camp, Community of Potters

As in past years, the Winter 2012 delegation made specific visits to Kiziba Refugee Camp and a community of Potters.  The purpose of these visits is to asses the living conditions and needs of those living in these areas and to consider ways that the GYC program can support these communities.  This delegation completed considerable reporting following both of those visits.  To access the complete reports, which include considerable suggestions for continued action, please see below:

Kiziba Refugee Camp Report  with reporting by Julie Stewart, Shivani Suresh, & Samantha Williams

Community of Potters Report with reporting by Isaac Adams, Anna Rushton, Rose Uzayisenga, & Ryan Duggan

Karongi Hospital

On January 3^rd the group traveled to Kibuye where, after lunch, we stopped at Karongi hospital to visit with the hospital administrators.  Three of the hospital directors met with us to discuss the programs, services and goals of the hospital. After telling us about the work of the hospital we had a question and answer period where we were able to ask about various health topics. We learned about the structure of the hospital and staff members, including the community health workers.  The hospital is obligated to comply with the policies and goals of the national government, including Vision 2020. Karongi hospital is working to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates, strengthen the nutrition among infants, increase access to pharmaceuticals and increase research centers.

            Some of the ways that they are enacting these goals is to encourage people to sleep under bed nets and complete the recommended vaccinations. Pregnant women are encouraged to go to at least 4 prenatal visits and deliver their babies in a hospital rather than at home. A nutritious and varied diet is promoted, especially for children, and families are encouraged to have a kitchen garden. The community health workers provide the outreach to the villages for the hospital and are often trained members of the community.

When we regrouped that evening at Centre Bethanie the delegates discussed our meeting with the hospital staff. We all agreed that the hospital was doing great work and doing their best to reach out to people in the community and promote and provide healthcare. The man who did most of the speaking was the Public Relations director and we felt like he put a political spin on many of his answers. He didn’t address many of our questions head on, but rather rotated 3 or 4 different, vague answers. This was confusing to many of us because the hospital had much to brag about!

– Anna Rushton and Eugene Ndagijimana

Visiting the US Embassy and the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion

The delegates attended a briefing given by State Department Political Officer Jason Huchison and USAID’s Health Officer Kelly Hamlin.  Mr. Huchison discussed the political and economic situation in Rwanda from the perspective of the Embassy, including as it relates to Rwanda’s process of justice and reconciliation since the 1994 genocide.  Ms. Hamlin discussed her work related to development in Rwanda.  The delegates then enjoyed the opportunity to ask questions of the representatives and welcomed the representatives’ straightforward answers.  In particular, the delegates engaged the State Department representative about the role of the U.S. government in Rwanda in 1994, its support for the Rwandan government since that time, and its relationship with civil society in monitoring human rights abuses here.  The differences between the questions posed by the international delegates and the Rwandan delegates highlighted cultural difference in some delegates’ perspectives on issues related to international intervention in grave human rights abuses.  For example, some of the Rwandan delegates sought information from the State Department representative about what had prevented the U.S. from being more actively involved in ending the atrocities in 1994.

After having their meeting with the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion cancelled on Wednesday, the delegates were able to enjoy a meaningful and informative meeting with the Minister on Thursday morning.  The Minister discussed the broad mandate of the Ministry to promote family values and fielded a wide array of questions from the delegates.  The Minister emphasized the importance of engaging Rwanda’s youth at the national level and discussed the new separate Children’s Commission that was established this year stating that now “for the first time, the youth can be a part of the discussions”.  In response to the questions of the delegates, the Minister discussed issues of gender equality, including as they relate to maternity and paternity leave, domestic workers, and divorce law.  The Minister shared her perspective that women’s equality, especially women’s participation in government, is not something that is special, but rather is just what should be.  However, the Minister expressed the view that “the women of this country are not very empowered”, and discussed with the delegates some of the ways by which to improve gender equity.  The delegates were impressed by the Minister’s compassionate and professional demeanor and the respectful manner by which she conversed with the delegates.  In addition, the delegates were pleased that the Minister initiated follow up and a continued relationship with GYC.  In particular, the Minister welcomed the delegates’ submission to the Ministry of their report findings and recommendations.

Meeting with Karongi District Officials

With reporting by Katherine Bradbury & Vestine Uwamahoro

On January 6th the delegates went to meet with the Mayor of Karongi District. Unfortunately the mayor was busy and we were left to meet with the Public Relations representative. He fielded questions but his responses were lacking. The bulk of the questions focused on our concerns for the Potter community.

After packing our bags and departing from Centre Bethanie, the delegates set off to meet with the Mayor of Karongi District. Although we had a scheduled meeting with him, the mayor was not available and after an hour of delay we met with his Public Relations representative.

The PR representative opted to speak in French and allowed us to ask several questions. Many of the questions were related to the Potter community that half of the delegates had visited the previous day. The Potters are a historically marginalized community of approximately forty people who live separated from society in the Western Province of Rwanda. One of the delegates asked what the District is doing for the Potter community. The PR representative stated that it is not the District’s responsibility to deal directly with them, but the sector in which the Potters live in. However the District provided houses to the Potter community in June. One of the GYC delegates brought up the issue that although the houses have been built, there are no doors on the houses and no roofs on the outhouses. The PR representative used the analogy of wanting to teach the Potters to fish, not to merely fish for them. The District would like to see the Potters become self-sufficient as opposed to handing them everything. The PR representative claims that the District is encouraging the Potters to work and find jobs to support themselves.

There were several other questions addressing the delegations concerns about the Potters, but because our meeting was only thirty minutes long we saved a few minutes to enquire about the Kizibia Refugee camp. One of the delegates asked about what the District is doing to make the camp more accessible as the road to the refugees is rundown. The PR representative said the District is aware but has other issues they are dealing with. Toward the end of the meeting it became difficult for the non-French speaking delegates to follow the discussion as the translation tapered off.

We then drove back to Kigali and had lunch at St. Paul’s. After the international delegates checked into their new dorm rooms, we split into two groups. The delegates who visited the Potter community reconvened to debrief their visit, and the delegates who visited the Kiziba Refugee camp did the same. The group that went to the Potter community discussed the positive and negative aspects of what they experienced during the visit. Some argued that there has been an improvement in the standard of living within the Potter community now that some housing has been built for them. However, there are no doors and no roofs on the bathrooms so there is still some way to go. The Refugee camp group discussed many things as well. One issue they touched upon was the struggle to deal with the issue of sex education. Prostitution is becoming more common in the camp as well as a refusal to use condoms because of a myth that they damage one’s kidneys.

Finally, we came back together as a big group to discuss the Mayor’s visit earlier in the day. Jesse facilitated the discussion by asking the group to elaborate on the positive and negative aspects of the meeting. As it was a disorganized meeting, there were not many positive aspects to draw from it. One delegate did note their appreciation that the PR representative answered questions individually as opposed to taking several questions at once and then answering those he saw fit.

During our debriefing discussion many expressed frustration over how hectic the morning’s meeting was. Although we’d scheduled the meeting far in advance, the mayor had failed to show up then sent someone who was not as prepared to answer our questions. One delegate suggested that this contributed to a lack of answers as he was not comfortable or able to answer some of our questions.

Human Rights Workshop with Karongi Youth

With reporting by Gilbert Ndayambaje and Heather Webb

After finishing our tree planting activities, we returned to the hall where our meetings are conducted. We heard from Colleen, Rose, Placide, and Arielle, who put on a Human Rights Learning Workshop for our group +  the youth from the Karongi District with whom GYC had met in previous visits to Karongi.

 

The team reviewed some of our previous discussions about human rights and then discussed the problems that still face Rwanda today, especially economically. Some problems include; coffee, tea, and tourism are essentially the main cash crops in Rwanda. As far as tourism goes, there are three national parks in the country, but the quality of the hotels around the parks are very poor, which is not good for increasing tourism revenue. Another economic issue is that there are not enough industries and availability of jobs for college graduates. Reducing poverty is essential for nations to develop and move forward in today’s global world. Rwanda is extremely poor overall and the average family makes $200 USD per year.

The concept of entrepreneurship was introduced to the group of not only internationals and Rwandans, but a large number of local Rwandan youth from the Karongi area. Some key points made to motivate the Rwandan youth were; entreneneurship can start your life, which equals PROGRESS, it allows innovation, freedom to choose, and self-sufficiency.  In establishing a business, our presenter told us that it is essential to have a skill and an interest so that you will not only enjoy what you are doing, you will be good at it in order to stay competitive. It seemed that the message really sunk in with many people and many of the youth seemed inspired. Perhaps some will go out and start their own small business. We heard an example from a delegate of how she became a farmer and now earns a living from livestock. She started selling sugar cane, then eventually sold enough to buy a goat, then she mated it, and after repeating the process several times, she now has a cow and makes money.

We broke apart and talked with some of the youth that were attending the meeting individually. I spoke with a 27-year-old man that was from the town. I asked him what he did for a living and he told me that he was an elementary teacher. When asked, “Do you like your job?” He simply replied, “No!” I was quite shocked by the answer because most of the people I meet that are teachers usually love working with kids and generally enjoy what they do. I proceeded to ask why. He answered this question with ease. “The salary.” I immediately understood why he didn’t like it.

We finished the day by having a “Model United Nations” mock debate that drew enthusiastic participation. Arielle divided the room into the “Rwandan Decision Makers” and the “Foreign Aid/Investment Agencies” and she asked the Rwandan Decision Makers to imagine that they did not want to have Foreign Aid/Investment and why, and to articulate that to the other side of the room, and hear their arguments for investment. Various arguments moved towards a larger issue of previous grievances (being forsaken by the international community during the genocide, and active colonization by the countries from whence the Foreign Investors stem.)

Umuganda – January 4th, 2012

In Rwanda, the last Saturday of every month is set aside for “umuganda” – a day of community service when all able community members gather to work on a designated project in their area.  This January, our delegation joined in the service and planted trees.

Initially, we were supposed to build a house or houses, but the plan then changed that we were going to be planting trees for a school.  After hiking up the backside of a mountain, we met with the director of agriculture for the town. He told us that we would be planting trees for the church using agro-forestry, which is planting trees in order to fight against erosion. He very briefly explained how to plant the trees, but soon after told us that we could continue the discussion, but it is better that we just plant.

The team then scattered about finding holes to plop the trees into. We finished the planting and decided to get a second round of trees so some went to pick up additional trees at the garden. When the second round of trees arrived, we planted them along a steep hill and then talked with the director of agriculture once more and the school officials. We were told that this was a very good deed and they were impressed by our job. Also, he notified us that we would be helping many people by doing this and motivating many children to help plant trees since many children saw us. The kids in Rwanda love foreigners and they run up to us and call us “Muzungus” which means either white person of rich person or both. If the kids see foreigners doing community service, they may be more motivated to help the community as well.

The Nyamata Memorial Site (and Rebero Memorial)

Debriefing the visit to the Memorial

For the delegates, the 8^th of January 2012 was dedicated to the remembrance of the genocide by visiting the Nyamata Church Memorial. On route to this site we stopped at the Rebero Memorial, a small space on top of a mountain that is exclusively devoted to politicians killed just before and during the genocide. Despite this political emphasis, the delegates were  able to make a more personal connection to the memorial by having Rwandan delegate, Leonce, briefly recount his time spent sheltering and hiding on this mountain during the midst of the killings. Whilst continuing our journey to the Nyamata Memorial and passing through the Bugesera region  Jesse pointed out the numerous positive developments that have taken place in the area post genocide. For instance, the government’s constructions of a new road, re-generation of agriculture and inclusive farming cooperatives have been implemented to improve the social cohesion and lives of the local community. This imagery was in stark contrast to the deforestation that engulfed the area years ago and once had people during the years of the genocide hiding in the marshes. This troubled past of the region was at the forefront of our minds as we reached the Nyamata Church, which was at once tangible and confronting in its impact. We learnt of the church’s history as a place of refuge, and how when the violence erupted in 1994 nearly twelve thousand people sought refuge there because of this reputation. However, the clothes we could see strewn along the pews, the grenade riddled roof and the blood stained ceiling spoke of the tragedy in this decision.

Unpacking the Memorial Visit

The visit to the Memorial Centre would not have been complete without reflection and retrospection, which is why Jesse started out our discussion about reconciliation in Rwanda with a minute of silence. While the delegates were reluctant, understandably, to jump head first in the conversation at the beginning; in time, the discussion started flowing more openly. The conversation began with the international delegates expressing their feelings about the experience at the memorial centre, which ranged from deeply touched to shocked and even frustrated. In the precarious discussion that followed, many important and interesting were raised such as the concern of twisting words and understanding them in ways that are in fact in complete contrast with the originally intended meaning and the importance for Rwanda and especially the Rwandan youth “to know where they are going, but more importantly, to know where they are coming from”.

The conversation circled back to development, more specifically how Rwanda can successfully develop despite the challenges of being land-locked and having few raw materials. We ended this second development conversation on a personal level. Delegates answered two questions; What would you do to help Rwanda and What is the one thing that makes you hopeful that genocide will not occur again in the world? A couple delegates shared their responses to the first question by saying they would like to set up programs to empower youth and create an IT program for women. As it relates to the second question, many delegates expressed that because much of the world is talking about the issues of human rights and genocide that many future conflicts would be averted. Ultimately delegates left the conversation and day feeling emotional and moved by the discussions, but also empowered and optimistic about the array of possibilities for development in Rwanda.

Kigali Memorial Centre

Following some icebreaker activities that got our juices flowing for the day, we had a discussion on development. We talked about the different types of development and some of the delegates provided their own interpretations of what development means to them. In the discussion, we also touched on the idea of Vision 2020 being pro-poor, development that is counterproductive and human rights-based approaches to development. We ended the conversation with the consensus that when we look at Rwandan development, we must consider the context in which this development is occurring. By looking through this lens, it will allow us to see the strides Rwanda has made and help the country the country progress in an appropriate manner.

By early afternoon, we had reached the Kigali Memorial Centre. A helpful and informative staff member briefed us about the context in which the memorial was built. The tour of the memorial started with a visit to the mass graves where everyone paid homage to all the innocent lives lost with a minute of silence. This mass grave held special significance particularly to the Rwandan delegates and an extra minute to silence was held to pay tribute and respect to the strong, dignified souls among us.

The tour continued in the main building where handy audio guides were handed out so that the delegates could follow the timeline of the genocide with ease. The memorial was organized very thoughtfully so as to allow each delegate to follow the flow of events properly while giving them the occasion to reflect in their own personal thoughts. The journey began with a history of Rwanda before the genocide, and slowly built up to noteworthy events such as colonialism, policies such as divide and rule and eventually leading to ethnic divisionism. This gradually gave rise to genocide ideologies and finally the genocide itself. The information in the curved corridors, which were appropriate dimly lit, were depicted through the means of photos and videos, which the delegates watched with a heavy heart. This followed by the aftermaths of the genocide, which were characterized by heroic acts of several people brought to light while the country was starting to pick up from emotional, economic and political ruins.

In the midst of all this, the role of media was highlighted as a powerful tool used for propaganda by the Interahamwe. This related to our discussion of the previous session where the same medium of media was being used for the opposite purpose, in effect, by the organization: search for common ground.

After the delegates had come a full circle in understanding the events leading to, the occurrence and the aftermaths of the genocide, they were quickly ushered into new chambers holding even more shocks and surprises. The delegates passed through rooms containing skulls and bones of the victims of the genocide, photographs, as well as clothing that had once belonged to those victims. The presence of tangible evidence of the genocide was especially significant to the international delegates as these personal belongings enforced the reality of the situation, an experience many of the delegates found particularly moving. This acute realization was further strengthened by the fact that genocide had not only taken place in Rwanda, but indeed in many countries around the world.

The following chambers held what is arguably the most moving aspect in the entire museum: the children. Short captions on the children on the plaques next to them describing activities such as their favorite food and person made the experience a very profound one for many delegates.

The tour of the museum was ended on a powerful, metaphorical note. The museums led to artistically built gardens that depicted Rwanda at different stages in history. The three most striking gardens were entitled: “garden of unity”, “garden of division” and “garden of reconciliation”, the most promising one of all.

Please see the next post for an overview of the discussion our group had following the visit to the Memorial

Discussing Culture, Development and Human Rights in the USA

Reporting by Shivani Suresh and Samantha Williams

On December 31, 2011, international delegates supplemented the previous day’s cross-cultural learning by teaching Rwandan delegates a dance of their own – the electric slide.  Following along with the theme of motion, Jesse Hawkes reminded all participants of the value of dance in inspiring development, showing a video of GYC alumni’s Rebecca Davis Dance Company which works in Rwanda training young dancers to seek out, teach, and motivate street youth.

Scribes reported on the previous day’s workshops and delegates added to their commentary, expressing their appreciation for Search for Common Ground.  In particular, many enjoyed the speaker’s frankness in relating the conflict resolution-based organization’s attempts to maintain neutrality (or rather, “balance”) even when engaging in human rights advocacy.  Search For Common Ground, participants seemed to agree, serves to educate mediators and provide forums for civil discussion rather than passing judgment on the groups it encounters.

Discussion of Culture

The conversation proceeded to recall a former debate surrounding specific examples of so-called “universal” rights, and a cultural discussion ensued.  Participants wondered about the ethics of quota systems limiting the right to have children, for instance.  Additional points of contention included “rights” to free speech, play, and choose partners.  They explored whether human rights were individually inherent or were granted by governments and societies.  This led to a conversation about American liberalism and differences in cultural understandings (or rather, treatment) of homosexuality.  American culture seems to (idealistically) protect an individual’s right to choice, to the extent that those choices don’t explicitly hurt others.  Rwanda has a different culture, of course, and some delegates expressed a strong desire for cultural preservation (interesting, since we continued on to later hear very different views about the stigma or lack thereof from Rwandan officials).  Participants tackled questions such as whether development, the “growing” prevalence of homosexuality, and the increasing openness of sexuality as a whole represented a destruction, improvement, or mere change of culture.  Furthermore, who had the right to judge a culture and thus impose its own assumptions?

Delegates gave female circumcision as yet another example of cultural difference, as some Westerners in the room expressed unabashed disgust.  All participants explored the interconnectedness of value and practice, wondering if this supposed violation of human rights could be eliminated while still preserving the value of virginity and the sacred family.

Altogether, participants disagreed about the limits that should be placed on culture, but agreed that no one body had the power to judge.

VISION 20/20 PLAN & THE RWANDAN CONSTITUTION

After breaking for lunch, delegates explored cooperation strategies when playing the Human Knot.  They debriefed a small group discussion surrounding human rights successes and challenges in Rwanda.  Some topics included the government’s increasing encouragement toward private sector employment, decentralization, and anti-corruption measures.  On a less positive note, while primary schooling may now be free, education quality is arguably lacking – and as prices for higher education rise, some Rwandans choose to study abroad and fail to return and use their talents for the community.  Additionally, health insurance exists, but there are not enough jobs to employ all nurses and potential medical workers.  There is potentially little youth involvement in high government positions (we would ask about this later in Ministry meetings), and Rwandan delegates argued that the landlocked country has few industries and exports still.

 HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE USA: the Universal Periodic Review

At the end of the day, Jesse showed a video that displayed supposed US government violations on the non-binding UNUDHR for the Annual Review.  It reported on individual experiences of racial discrimination, torture, lack of medical resources, and similar complaints.  A Henkin quote likened the US to a church buttress upholding human rights norms but refusing to directly subject itself to them by signing onto treaties protecting them and destroying internal institutions that violated them.  The video’s produces recommended that the US create a national Human Rights Council, formulate an action plan on discrimination, sign onto and ratify international human rights conventions, and begin to recognize social, economic, and cultural rights as basic human rights.

Winter 2012 Program Begins

Reported by Julie Stewart and Christine Nyirabega

On Friday, December 30, 2012 the Winter 2011-2012 Rwandan and International Delegates of this program met for the first time.  We received introductions and became acquainted with our program directors: Jesse, Alice, James and Melissa.  Rwandan participants greeted us International participants with a dance customary for welcoming warriors home from battle.  International participants reciprocated with a thoroughly international ‘hello’, demonstrating some of the different languages the participants can speak.

The delegates were then given the opportunity to delve into each other’s personal backgrounds and motivations for participating in the program.  As we listened to Rwandan participants introduce international participants and vice-versa, we had the opportunity to consider the similarities we share across our various experiences.  At the same time, we learned about our richly diverse backgrounds that will make the group more dynamic and produce fruitful and lively discussions, as would be demonstrated later in the day.

As we began our exploration of human rights and related concepts, we discussed rules and guidelines that we should follow.  In general, we agreed that respect, appreciation, and openness are key to communicating our ideas.  As we considered human rights action, Jesse reminded us there are already organizations and groups that exist to work on many issues we will discuss, and that action doesn’t necessitate creation of an organization.  It seems that a better plan would be to seek out preexisting organizations and use dialogue to find what we might do to bring new ideas and approaches to the table.  Doing so could facilitate expansion of preexisting organizations, building off progress that’s already been made.

After that discussion, we split into small groups to work on a cohesive definition of human rights forming an all women, all men, all non-Rwandan, all Rwandan and two mixed gender and nationality groups.  This exercise demonstrated that some ideas about human rights were similar across all groups.  Still, there was much disagreement about concepts surrounding human rights.  We couldn’t agree as a whole what rights are included under the umbrella of human rights and we also disagreed on whether or not human rights are actually in place and when they might be afforded to human beings.  Specifically, rights to an identity, the right to life and death, and rights like employment, healthcare, and women’s reproductive rights were contestable.  Significant disagreement existed on when human rights begin, with some delegates maintaining that they begin at birth while others suggested that no human rights are even given or inherent.

Human Rights and Gender in Rwanda

Gender and Human Rights

Rwanda is world-renowned for having terrific national policies and programs in place to try to correct some of the inequalities endured by women and girls for decades, and some would argue centuries. One of the most commonly noted statistics is that Rwanda has the highest percentage of women in its Parliament than any other country in the world, over 50%. But this is not just a question of numbers in a legislative body. From proactive land policies that allow women to own their own plots of land to health policies that ensure that all girls are vaccinated for cervical cancer, Rwanda has ensured that “gender” issues have been mainstreamed. It would take far too much space here to elaborate on each proactive policy in Rwanda related to the empowerment of women. Go into any village of the country, facilitate a community meeting on any topic, and, after a flurry of responses from men, there are bound to be a handful of people who will giggle and encourage women to start raising their hands even if you just say the word “gender” (in English)! – Jesse Hawkes, GYC Executive Director

 

From the Delegates:

Workshop Discussions & Visiting with the Kigali Institute of Education’s Gender Studies Department

On Day 5 of the August delegation, we broke into groups of about four to discuss the issue of gender and its relationship to human rights as a whole. The different groups were a mix of Rwandan and international participants. Jesse gave us several items to consider within our groups during the discussions, such as: What is gender? What are the rights associated with gender? How do individuals see this topic differently? Why is there a need for gender-specific rights when human rights should account for the rights of all people?

In response to the last question, our group asserted that human rights laws cannot take into account all of the difficulties and rights violations experienced by marginalized groups. It was also noted that just because an international law exists does not mean that it will be obeyed.

In terms of the first questions, one idea that came up – both in my own small group and as a large group – was the difference in the conceptual definition of gender between the Rwandan and international delegates. When asked to define ‘gender’, many of the internationals described it in value-neutral terms, relating it equally between males and females. There were variations in the degree definitions were related to the idea of the physical sex of the person and to the idea of gender being socially constructed. The idea of gender for Rwandans, however, seemed inextricably linked to the fight for gender equality. When asked to define gender, participants responded, “It is the promotion of equality between men and women,” or “It is promoting women as equals.”

According to participants in Rwanda, the promotion of gender equality has focused on the idea of “complementarity” as opposed to the idea of “equal” which could imply sameness. In our group, we explored this idea in depth, discussing how men and women should have similar opportunities and the same rights, but in a way that acknowledges the differences between the sexes.

At the same time, we acknowledged that Rwanda has pushed for equality of the sexes in a variety of ways involving, and exceeding, affirmative action. Laws and policies have been developed to put women into the forefront of Rwanda’s development as a country. These laws include quotas, for example to increase the numbers of women in secondary school and within universities since these are traditionally male-dominated areas of education. Because women’s educational participation has been historically low, the country must work very hard to increase the number of qualified women in order to meet the quotas. Rwanda has exceeded the quota/mandate that 30% of parliamentarians are women.

However, our group also noted that, with the focus on the inclusion of women in higher education and traditionally masculine jobs, some tension has developed among Rwandans, and the country must also change the traditional understanding of gender and gender roles. Note: we had seen some evidence of the jealousy of men towards affirmative action policies even in the Kiziba Refugee Camp (based on a previous report we saw from previous delegations).

Later in the day, we visited the Kigali Institute of Education’s groundbreaking Gender Studies Department, to better understand their responses to the same questions and to find out more about their program in general.

Related to our previous discussions and topics: The fear of male resentment was summarily dismissed by the academic Dean of KIE, a man. However, the head of the gender studies program, a woman, acknowledged the potential for the increased focus on female participation to cause tension and asserted that there was a need for increased understanding of the term “masculinity” and a discussion of male identity in Rwandan society. The KIE Department was very hopeful that Rwanda would succeed in this regard in part due to their efforts. The KIE program is trying to introduce studies on masculinity because both genders are equally involved in the process of gender equality. Introducing, explaining, and opening up discussion about gender is key because historically it is taboo. Opening up this area of discussion is also seen as important to the overall increase in self-expression that “did not exist before 1994” according to KIE’s director. KIE is also working with law enforcement to reduce gender based violence by creating and conducting a training for law enforcement officers. They also hope that increased awareness of gender issues, particularly violence, will result in an increase in ‘community policing’.

ANALYSIS/REACTIONS:

Overall, our intergroup discussions were interesting and educational. Both KIE representatives were very warm and welcoming to our delegation, dedicating a significant amount of time in providing use with information and in taking our questions.

Several delegation members felt some of the KIE meeting was high in rhetoric and political in nature, as some questions from participants were mollified with platitudes. For example, the Dean had responded “do not be afraid” to concerns about gender relations/jealousy raised by delegates. The head of the gender studies department seemed practical and upfront, however, about the challenges facing Rwanda even as it moves forward.

MINISTRY OF GENDER AND FAMILY PROMOTION

Later in the trip, we had a chance to meet with the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, and while the majority of the meeting thankfully focused on practical issues/questions/challenges and solutions, we did have a chance to discuss Gender as a concept too. After a question about whether LGBTI issues were considered part of the definitions of Gender and Family in Rwanda, the impression we got from the Ministry is that “Gender” — in the policies and discussions at the government level — is a term reserved for addressing the traditional notion of “men” and “women.” There is a contrast between what is being taught at KIE and how the Ministry defines Gender. KIE is addressing the multifaceted nature of Gender in a modernizing world, where some people may not even consider themselves to be traditionally “male” or “female.”  Please see the separate write up about that visit for more information.

 

Abortion/Domestic-Workers/Arts

Small Group Discussion among Alumni -- on Human Rights of Domestic Workers

On our wrap up day in the July/August program, we discussed several crucial issues that had been coming up in our programming. These are the notes from the sessions:

 

HR of DOMESTIC WORKERS

Small Group discussion on domestic workers – Sat. August 13th, 2011

Approximately 11 current and former GYC alumni joined the discussion on human rights and domestic workers, including ADBEF President Lyhotely  Ndagijmana who spoke of the work that his organization is doing in regards to this issue.  ADBEF (The association for the defense of human rights, lasting development and well-being of the family) was created in 2006 with a focus on protecting the rights of family members and a vision of a world where all people live happily in dignity and socio-economic security.  Some members of the discussion group were not familiar with the work of ADBEF and were happy to learn of the work ADBEF is doing in advocating for and educating domestic workers on their rights.

Members of the group shared personal experiences as we discussed the question of how best to advocate for this marginalized group of people.

The discussion centered around the fundamental need for a basic level of education for domestic workers so that they understand their rights and so they have the knowledge and resources to help themselves.

We also talked about how we can work to slowly change people’s attitudes so that domestic workers are treated with the same level of respect and that their human rights are also observed.

The discussion concluded with a commitment from each member that along with the great work that ADBEF continues to do in advocating for the rights of domestic workers, we all need to take action in our own lives to address this issue.  The first step is to slowly change the attitudes of people and to educate the community about the rights of domestic workers.  While we all acknowledged that this attitude change certainly won’t happen overnight, we can continue to talk about this issue and to advocate for the rights of domestic workers at the community level and beyond.

We can also use the GYC alumni community as an excellent resource to continue this discussion and to connect with other people who are passionate about this issue.

 

ARTS ADVOCACY

Arts Education Advocacy Workshop

Attended by Lowell Brower, Adrianna Lawson, Erin Mosely, Christina Callingham, Brittany Cassel, Benoit Tuyisenge, Remy Tuyiringire, Francoise Uzamukunda, Rose Tuyishime (RAPP), Philippe Ngabonziza (RAPP), Emmanuel Nkuranga (Ivuka)

Why arts and arts education matter to us

• Arts for peace, arts for reconciliation
• Arts for art’s sake – creative/vibrant society + social unity
• Arts as a tool for advocacy – changing views, language beyond words, emotional power
• Arts as method for broaching taboo/emotional/hard to communicate topics
• Arts as income generation (livelihood)
• Arts as a serious, legitimate profession/career
• Arts to get kids interested in education
• Arts education to build creativity from an early age
• Arts as a powerful tool for self expression
• Arts as a human rights education tool
• Arts as positive, safe, and creative outlet for youth
• Newly appointed Minister of Youth, Sports, and Culture MITALI Protais; according to Ishyo he is receptive/persuadable, and should therefore be a primary advocacy target
• Rwanda has just approved a new arts section for the national curriculum, but there is a lot of advocacy that can be done to help shape exactly how arts education will be implemented (reach out to Ministry of Education to see what steps can be taken)
• Need statistics and a strategic action plan for larger arts/arts education campaign; need to build a coalition of interested organizations and individuals
• Consider creating a National Youth Arts Forum, which would bring together artists from all genres (film, theater, music, visual arts, etc.) on a monthly basis; combining energy, resources, and ideas; themed conversations on issues that matter to all young artists and a possible launching pad for advocacy efforts; seek the support of the Minister of Culture for this forum (perhaps he could even attend from time to time); Ishyo can likely provide the space; examples of the kinds of discussions that could take place are – how to balance traditional and modern forms in artistic practice? Is there a “Rwandan” aesthetic or style that we are aiming for? If so, what is it, and how is it different from other East African or global styles? How can we as artists promote ourselves AND help market each other?
• Organize a Month of the Arts festival, combining theater, film, music, and the visual arts; get support from Rwanda Tourism Board and others who may be able to help with marketing and promotion; the goal of this festival would be to highlight both the aesthetic and monetary value of Rwandan arts – platform for individual artists to show their talents
• Promote action through the arts, promote arts by using it as a tool – show its importance, its value, and its diversity in order to convince Rwandan society that the arts are a serious and legitimate profession (the best way to convince people is to display talent)
• The more visible art is, the more value government and society will place on the arts; artists need to find strategic platforms for their art (e.g. Ishyo staged the final night of this year’s “Center by Center” performances in the Rwanda Development Board offices)
• Talented individuals are still young, but conversations among young artists need to happen so that they can figure out ways to become role models for younger kids

How to advocate for the arts/arts education

• Newly appointed Minister of Youth, Sports, and Culture MITALI Protais; according to Ishyo he is receptive/persuadable, and should therefore be a primary advocacy target
• Rwanda has just approved a new arts section for the national curriculum, but there is a lot of advocacy that can be done to help shape exactly how arts education will be implemented (reach out to Ministry of Education to see what steps can be taken)
• Need statistics and a strategic action plan for larger arts/arts education campaign; need to build a coalition of interested organizations and individuals
• Consider creating a National Youth Arts Forum, which would bring together artists from all genres (film, theater, music, visual arts, etc.) on a monthly basis; combining energy, resources, and ideas; themed conversations on issues that matter to all young artists and a possible launching pad for advocacy efforts; seek the support of the Minister of Culture for this forum (perhaps he could even attend from time to time); Ishyo can likely provide the space; examples of the kinds of discussions that could take place are – how to balance traditional and modern forms in artistic practice? Is there a “Rwandan” aesthetic or style that we are aiming for? If so, what is it, and how is it different from other East African or global styles? How can we as artists promote ourselves AND help market each other?
• Organize a Month of the Arts festival, combining theater, film, music, and the visual arts; get support from Rwanda Tourism Board and others who may be able to help with marketing and promotion; the goal of this festival would be to highlight both the aesthetic and monetary value of Rwandan arts – platform for individual artists to show their talents
• Promote action through the arts, promote arts by using it as a tool – show its importance, its value, and its diversity in order to convince Rwandan society that the arts are a serious and legitimate profession (the best way to convince people is to display talent)

ABORTION ISSUES:

The group discussed the issue of Abortion, but decided that the issue is so sensitive that posting about it on-line is not going to be beneficial at this point. The advocacy campaign is going to be unveiled by Health Development Initiative and if you want more info about it, you can contact them at kaafs@yahoo.ca

HR & Disabilities/Arts/Press

Phillippe Passionately Addresses his fellow GYC Alumni About Disabilities

On July 9^th, we finished this June/July Turikumwe! Cross Cultural Delegation with a brainstorming session on various issues that we’d yet to fully consider as a group, or about which we wanted to get some outside perspective.

The “extra” brainstorming issues discussed were Advocacy for the Arts / Arts Education in Schools; human rights of LGBTI people, and the human rights of people living with disabilities.

Attendees included health consultants, NGO workers, GYC Alumni,  people who identify as being part of the LGBTI population in Rwanda, representatives from the National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (ANSP+), psychiatric counselors, and others.

There were no watershed moments during the discussions, but the groups recorded their brainstorming and agreed to (a) encourage the youth in the next Turikumwe! program to continue to take-up these issues, preferably in the context of their work with local organizations, and (b) meet again at the next delegation’s wrap-up day for further consideration of next steps.

 

ADVOCACY FOR THE ARTS IN RWANDA:

Challenges facing this cause: There is little perception of how hard artists need to work to create their art. Part of the challenge is that there is a lot of theatre and film that is meant to spread messages, so some people think that that is the only option/need and therefore there is little need to do anything more for artists, if the “art for the message’s sake” is already readily available.

 

HUMAN RIGHTS OF LGBTI PEOPLE IN RWANDA:

Some key accolades for Rwanda on this issue:  It is not illegal to be LGBTI in Rwanda. More LGBTI people are expressing themselves more freely today without retribution. There are some services that cater to the specific needs of the LGBTI population, particularly in the field of HIV Prevention.

Some key challenges: Very few organizations have clearly defined programs to assist the LGBTI population. There is a lack of socio/psychological assistance for the LGBTI population.

Of the key questions that came-up , but which remain to be fully analyzed and discussed, the following stood out.

• How visible should activists be in the Rwandan context? Is it always better to be very open about advocating and acting on behalf of the human rights of LGBTI people? Should there be a role model who is LGBTI who can speak out on their behalf? Or a role model who is not LGBTI?
• Even though it is not illegal to be LGBTI in Rwanda, should we be advocating for a special law that would specifically focus on protecting the human rights of LGBTI people? Or should we just rely on Rwanda’s current laws against discrimination? Note: this question was raised in the visit to parliament – and the response from the Commission was “you should just use the current laws that protect everyone from discrimination.” However, one of the crucial areas where this has yet to be tested is in the court system.

 

RIGHTS OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH DISABILITIES

This is what Alexandra Saper wrote following her consulation with Bonaventure Tuyisenge who is a Counseling Trainer Supervisor at Kigali Health Institute (and a GYC alum!).

Throughout recent years, Rwanda has made progress in protecting the rights of people living with disabilities in the country. For example, several hospital clinics have been built to be accessible to people with mobility impairments, while several schools provide educational services that can be adapted for people with various physical and cognitive disabilities. There have also been clinics and programs created to specifically target people with psychological disabilities, such as psychotic disorders or psychological trauma. However, serious challenges still face people living in Rwanda with physical, cognitive, medical, and other disabilities. In particular, physical accessibility in Rwanda remains seriously undeveloped, while cultural and social barriers can often deter individuals from seeking psychological care. In addition, in many villages, people with disabilities are shamed into hiding and are therefore prevented from receiving information on their rights and obtaining access to services and treatment.  Many counselors in Rwanda are not able to adequately distinguish between PTSD, trauma, and grief, all of which require different treatment approaches.

At the alumni session, Phillippe, a GYC Alumnus said:

 

I am working on a project to increase awareness about the rights of PLWD, such as my brother who also uses a wheelchair. We hope that there can be more networking about this in the GYC Rwanda Alumni listserv as well as at the next brainstorming session, or even linked to some of the local partner organizations in the program!

 

One of our international participants, Cecelia Black, uses a wheelchair, and she had this to say about her time in Rwanda and Africa in general:

 

Traveling in Rwanda and Southern Africa in a wheelchair exposed the challenges and differences that countries continue to face in regards to disability rights.  In addition to a weak infrastructure, Rwanda’s natural hilly landscape poses a serious barrier for people with mobility issues.  Most of Rwanda’s buildings have not made special provisions for wheelchair users and often have a few steps, as well as inaccessible bathrooms.  One major difference between Rwanda and the US was people’s attitudes toward me and my wheelchair.  I felt that Rwandans where much more surprised to see me, but at the same time more willing to offer assistance than Americans.  I noticed many of these same themes traveling in southern Zimbabwe. Surprisingly however, the accessibility in Swaziland was a drastic contrast from Rwanda and Zimbabwe.  Despite very depressed cities and a largely rural country, Swaziland is incredibly accessible, relatively speaking.  Almost all public restrooms include a handicap bathroom and more often than not ramps have been added to storefronts.  In South Africa, I have experienced a broad spectrum of wheelchair accessibility.  I feel that South Africa is more cognizant of accessibility challenges than Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and Swaziland, however there is still a long way to go before the country is like the US, where all new stores and buildings are constructed under handicap regulations.  Still, traveling in Africa made me realize that the political correctness and independent mindset in America makes people afraid to offer help to people with disabilities.  We could use a lesson from Africans openly accommodating attitudes.

 

The delegation opened up everyone’s eyes to the mobility limitations facing PLWD, and especially people who lack the ability to use their legs or artificial limbs. At the same time, it also helped us to see the kindness of both Rwandans and foreigners living in Rwanda, everyone of whom was always willing to lend a hand to help.

 

The alumni session at the end was inspirational. Actively engaged alumni were there to encourage the recent “grads” and to network for some of their crucial causes: such as seeking medical care for women who have abortions in Rwanda and de-criminalization of sex-working in Rwanda.

We reminded all alumni that there are several tools that they can use to keep in touch with one another and to gather support from one another, such as the email listserv for all alumni (both Rwandan and International). And that if they want to spark conversations on-line, they can use facebook to start a question and answer session with their friends.

One new grad said, “I am going to go to our community work day – umuganda — and I am going to tell people about what I learned about human rights!”

 

Wrap Up Press Conference!

On the final day, we also held a press conference – to explore how our message would be picked-up by the Rwandan Press (both in print and on television/radio).

We presented on the various issues and findings. You can download our press briefing here!

In terms of stories:

There was at least one in Kinyarwanda:  http://www.igihe.com/spip.php?article14233

There was another in English in Rwanda’s only daily paper (By the way, we have no idea who Fred Ndahiro is – he was not a participant in our program!): http://www.newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14683&article=43067

 

 

Note about Journalism in Rwanda:

Journalism is one of the most controversial and difficult of all sectors in Rwanda. There is a strict media law that is overseen by a governmental body called the Media High Council. Given the fact that in the lead up to the Genocide the media was used for spreading hate messages, Rwanda’s parliament enacted laws that attempt to minimize the potential dangers of mis-use of media. We didn’t get into many discussions about this during this program, but we did feel the effects of a less than perfect media environment in Rwanda, one that is plagued also by a lack of resources, and perhaps a lack of will-power (even on our part!).

Here is the story about why the television did not come to our event!  They received the invitation and called us to confirm the location of the event, but they said they did not have a car to transport themselves to the place. It was hard to imagine that the state-run television station would not be able to fund its journalists to cover an event that they wished to cover, but nevertheless, we told them that we would be able to pay for a taxi that could bring them to the location, but that we didn’t have a driver who could pick them. They did not make the arrangement to come however. And why not? Why didn’t the TV come anyway, even after we said we would pay their ride? We were told that this is common for the TV reporters. If they do not get picked-up, they will not come.  Period. Those organizations that can send a car, get the story. It’s the system. Afterwards, we were told that this is part of an on-going challenge in Rwanda related to how the press functions.  It is very common for the press to demand some “transportation” contribution when they cover an event. The practice is actually forbidden according to Rwanda’s media law and standards/regulations, but still we were told that it is a very common practice. Sometimes reporters demand the money, but they don’t want to sign for that money because they fear that someone will find out. At our event, the reporters all signed for a “transportation” allowance. But we explained that if they wish to cover our events in the future, they should not expect to receive anything. At some point, this cycle needs to be broken!

Human Rights, Genocide & Conflict Resolution

Kigali Memorial Center Report

June 23, 2011

Reported by Jessica Haldeman, Ruxi Zhang, Semir Hasedzic

The Flame in front of the Memorial Center is lit from April 7th until July 4th (Liberation Day)

The main structure takes the visitor through a journey of Rwanda during colonialism, pre-genocide and now post-genocide. What follows are summaries of the different parts of the exhibit. When the Germans, then Belgians, colonized Rwanda, the colonizers were obsessed with the anthropological peculiarities of the region. Measuring the foreheads, chins, and noses was common practice, and would lead to the separation of the Rwandans into three different groups. By 1932, identity cards were issued by the Belgians. These identity cards wrongly concluded that the population of Rwanda is 15% Tutsi, 84% Hutu, and 1% Twa. The separation of the groups would lead to massacres in the 1960s and the genocide that changed the social fabric of Rwanda in the 1990s.

While moving through the different displays, we could not help but be struck by some of the words and sentences, always asking myself, ‘how could this happen’ and ‘where was the moderate voice’? Instance such as:

-“Despite knowing about those atrocities, the French government continued to support the Habyariman [youth Hutu extremists]”

-“Training of the Hutu extremists had the goal of killing 1,000 people every 20 minutes”

By 1994, the country smelt of the stench of death, dead corpses rotting in the streets, the infrastructure damaged, and international support virtually non-existent. What Rwanda faced was unprecedented, with HIV positive widows in the thousands, the infrastructure completely null, and most disturbing, the many survivors “are young and will carry the trauma of their childhood through the rest of their lives – and probably the lives of their descendants” (Reuters)

After passing through the history and viewing the array of pictures and words, the visitors ends in a circular area surrounded by three rooms. In the first room are pictures of people that were killed, providing faces to the names. The second room houses the remains, the bones and skulls, of the dead. The third room is a collection of artifacts, namely the clothing worn by some of the people that were killed in the genocide. Upon walking out of the third room a profound quote greets the visitor:

“When they said ‘never again’ after the Holocaust, was it meant for some people and not for others?” – Apollon Kabahizi

Part of the Kigali Memorial Center focuses on international incidences of genocide, including Namibia, Armenia, the Balkans, Cambodia and the Holocaust. The first acknowledgement of this that we noticed was the two stained glass windows that were designed by the son of a survivor of the Auschwitz death camp. The first window, located after the section of the exhibition explaining the pre-genocide period sheds two rays of light onto the dark basement of the exhibition.  These rays symbolize hope. There are steps leading up to the light which symbolize the idea that the genocide was not inevitable; warning signs of the upcoming violence could have been heeded to and action could have been taken to avoid genocide.  The second window sends a shaft of light down into a section of the exhibition immediately following the description of the genocide. This window is dedicated to the heroes of the genocide: people who fought the violence and rescued others.

As we previously mentioned, on the second floor of the memorial center there is an exhibition dedicated to explaining genocides that have happened around the world. As explained in the exhibit, the genocide in Armenia occurred from 1915-1918, and intellectuals and Christians were the targeted population. In the case of Namibia, the violence was directed towards the Herera group by the Germans in a fight for land; this genocide occurred from 1904-1905. Cambodia also witnessed genocide in the 20^th century, from 1975-1979. Pol Pot, who led the Khmer Rouge, was an extreme communist who targeted the Vietnamese population. In this case, like in Rwanda, machetes and axes were primarily used as weapons.  In the Balkans, in the 1990’s, Serbs promoted fear and hatred of the Muslim population in order to carry out ethnic cleansing.  All of these instances of genocide are similar in that the international community refused to acknowledge what was happening. To this day, the US does not acknowledge that what happened in Armenia was genocide, and there is often still debate about whether or not Rwanda’s violence in 1994 constitutes genocide.

Beside the fountain at the entrance platform, the GYC international and Rwandan participants stood in a circle holding hands. We had a silent moment for the victims of the genocide and for the sufferings during the massacre. The flame above the center of the fountain echoes the mourning that we had for the lost lives: it burns from April to July for the death during the genocide. The water in the fountain symbolizes the new life, and the statues of elephant, as in Rwandan culture, symbolizes memorial and “never-forgetting.”

Walking down the platform, we saw three levels of mass graves, in which buried a quarter million Rwandan victims who died during the genocide. At the corners of each grave there were flower baskets with ribbons saying “Never Again Genocide.” The wall of names recognizes all the people who were buried there. Looking at the long list of names, we learnt about the reality and the scale of the 1994 Genocide. We hope that such horror would never occur to our brothers and sisters in the world.

Surrounding the Kigali Memorial Site was the rose gardens which were built for the admiration and the reflection on the beauty of individual lives. The “Three Gardens” explain the history of Rwanda in an artistic way: water flows from the circular fountain in the Garden of Unity, to the explosive-shaped pool Garden of Division, and finally comes to the fountain in the Garden of Reconciliation, in which the rocks that formed the fountain symbolizes the rebuilding of the once divided nation. There were also gardens built to provide shelter for the women victims and the children to rest in peace.

In some of our reflections for today’s site visit, we mentioned our experience walking through the gardens outside of the Memorial. We thought the outside designs led us through a visual and aesthetical tour to mourn for the loss of life and to appreciate for the beauty of life. Furthermore, our reflection was also writing down our thoughts and placing them in a basket of good hope. Here are some of our collective thoughts:

-Forget cynicism, remember beauty.

-I will use my voice to help give a voice to those without one.

-It is my obligation to go home, and create a safe space for civil society and youth to come together and work in solidarity to educate through advocacy and engage solutions to prevent genocide even happening again. Action starts with education.

-Contact our representatives, stay informed, be a responsible citizen.

-For me, what I can do to prevent genocide happening again is to teach young people the causes of genocide and show them the bad consequences which come from it.

-I think the international members have to go teach or tell their friends, colleagues, the bad of genocide.

 

Nyange School

By Devota

 

Dear friends,

Before talking about the history of Nyange School – as a Rwandan who was on the field before, during, and after the genocide – I will begin with our history after the genocide since the Nyange school was attacked in 1997. While the genocidaires were on the move to avoid capture by advancing RPF troops, victims were moving toward RPF-liberated zones. Large numbers of Hutus fled across Rwanda’s borders in fear of revenge killings which the radio (RTLM) consistently claimed would happen.

As the Hutu population fled, returnees from Uganda were entering RPF zones, and millions were internally displaced due to the genocide and widespread insecurity. Refugee camps were set up in Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda and, most importantly in terms of Nyange School — in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). It was from DRC that the interahamwe strengthened themselves in these camps and after three years, in 1997, several genocidaires returned to Rwanda  from DRC– particularly in the Kibuye province – and intended to kill the Tutsi people.

In our travel to Kibuye, we visited Nyange School and met a student who gave us a history of the school. On March 18, 1997, the interahamwe raided the Nyange school by surrounding the dining hall and student classrooms. The interahamwe, well-equipped with weapons, entered and demanded that the students separate into two groups: Hutu and Tutsi. The students refused, telling their attackers that they were all Rwandese. Because of their refusal to separate, six students lost their lives and are memorialized at the school. After three weeks, another attack on the school occurred. When the students were gone and teachers were preparing their lessons, the militia group took concerted efforts to track down where the teachers and headmaster lived and attacked them.

Finally, everyone must say deeply never again genocide in Rwanda and all over the world.

**

Editor’s Note: We also watched the highly recommended film “We are All Rwandans” before going to the school. After the film, one of the most interesting discussions we had in relation to this memorial was about the idea of prevention. Why is it that these things were not prevented even after 1994 had already occurred? One delegate mentioned that the international community failed Rwanda again because they did not listed to the Rwandan government’s plea to bring home the perpetrators immediately. Instead, the camps were fully supported by the UN and international NGOs, and the funding supported the interahamwe. If the international community had enabled the immediate repatriation of the refugees, said this delegate, this Nyange incident would have been prevented.

 

Nyamata Church Memorial

Jessica Haldeman and Rachel DeFoe

On July 3, the international delegates along with several Rwandese participants visited the Nyamata Catholic Church Memorial, located in the Bugesera district.  When the genocide began in April 1994, many ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus took refuge in churches, believing that militias would not enter these areas that were perceived as sanctuaries.  10,000 people were killed in the Nyamata Catholic church between April 14 and April 19, 1994.  Around 30,000 additional people were killed in the area surrounding the Nyamata church.  People congregated at this church from the surrounding area, padlocking the iron gate to keep the Hutu militias and Interahamwe leaders from entering.  There is a large hole in the gate that shows where a grenade was used to gain entry to the church.  The banner over the door reads: “If you knew me, and you really knew yourself, you would not have killed me.”

Inside the church, people were packed into every space that was large enough to fit a person; they hid inside closets, under the altar, and under the floorboards.  The militias entered the church shooting, and bullet holes can still be seen in the walls and ceiling.  There are also bloodstains on the walls throughout the building, most of which are faded.  The cloth covering the altar, however, still bares very visible bloodstains.  On top of the altar there are rosaries and ID cards displayed that belonged to the victims in the church.  Clothing belonging to the victims of this massacre is displayed throughout the church on benches, shelves, and piled in the back alcove of the church.  It was in this alcove, we were informed, that the Interahamwe militia murdered small children by bashing their heads into the walls.

The basement of the church now holds one of many mass graves.  Several others are accessible behind the church.  There are steps leading down into the basement, which holds the tomb of a woman and her child who were tortured before being murdered.  In addition, there are skulls and other bones on glass shelves throughout this area.  Behind the church, there are several more mass graves that visitors can enter.  They are also underground, in a dark and very narrow tomb-like space.  There are floor-to-ceiling shelves displaying skulls and bones of the victims that were killed at Nyamata.

Editor’s Note: On our return from Nyamata, we stopped at the Nyanza memorial (which is closed for renovations) and then at the ETO school where the victims of the Nyanza massacre had previously been protected by the UN – that is, until the Beligian government called for its troops and foreign citizenry to be removed, exposing the thousands of Tutsi’s in the school to the interahamwe which were swarming outside the gates, who killed many of them immediately and then marched the rest up the mountain to be murdered at Nyanza.

Reading the Placard in front of the former ETO School Gate

CNLG –National Commission for the Fight

Against Genocide

Drafted by Erin Mosely and Aimé Kayumba

“Honoring Memories, Telling Our Stories, Rebuilding Rwanda.” It is this simple and yet boldly determined mission that guides the National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (CNLG), which our GYC delegation had the opportunity to visit for the first time in July.

To offer just a brief background, CNLG was established by law in 2007 and began operations in 2008 as a permanent body to prevent and fight against genocide and its ideology, and to deal with the many consequences of Rwanda’s own genocide of 1994. The Commission is made up of three main departments: Memory and Prevention of Genocide; Advocacy for the Assistance of Genocide Survivors; and Research, Documentation, and Dissemination.

Our group had the pleasure of meeting with a representative of the Research and Documentation Center, Bideri Diogene, who provided us with a comprehensive overview of the Commission’s structure and areas of focus. Afterwards, Mr. Bideri graciously fielded our questions on a wide variety of topics.

According to his opening remarks, the primary goal of CNLG is genocide prevention. The Commission approaches this goal from a number of different angles. For example, the Department on Memory is in charge of managing the country’s official genocide memorial sites and coordinating yearly commemoration events, while the Research and Documentation Center collects evidence and information about the 1994 genocide, as a way to build up historical knowledge of the past. In addition to these education-oriented activities, the CNLG’s Department on Advocacy provides health and psychological assistance to survivors of the genocide, as well as legal aid in their quests for justice. The Commission works with civil society groups, universities, and international NGO partners to carry out its important mission.

To give a sense of our very active question & answer session with Mr. Bideri, we have included below a brief summary of some of the topics we discussed:

National Curriculum: How is the genocide being taught in schools?

• In collaboration with a Canadian education organization and the National Curriculum Center, CNLG has developed a chapter on comparative genocides that the Minister of Education recently approved

Conflict Resolution: How does CNLG work with children of perpetrators and survivors to help mediate the potential conflicts between these groups?

• CNLG works with organizations such as Bella Valencia to promote conflict resolution. One initiative has been to create tools for effective conflict management through film screenings (e.g. showing The Long Coat which is about the power of forgiveness)

Advocacy: what specific types of advocacy does the Commission focus on?

• Education for orphans – helping them reach out to financial institutions and other possible sponsors for assistance in school fees
• CNLG also partners with other survivor advocacy groups (AVEGA, IBUKA, etc.)

Compensation: how to balance individual criminal responsibility and state responsibility?

• CNLG has no direct budget for compensation per se, but they follow individual cases and are sometimes able to provide small assistance in areas such as education and health care
• Mostly, the Commission advocates on the issue of compensation (rather than providing it themselves); CNLG works to identify ways that the UN/international community can get involved in this process

Genocide denial: How does CNLG deal with the issue of deniers?

• According to Mr. Bideri, the last step of genocide is denial. In Rwanda, people have tried to deny or downplay the genocide by calling it a “civil war” or by refuting the total number of deaths
• CNLG tracks instances of genocide denial worldwide and tries to combat it through their research (i.e. the gathering of evidence)

As a final note, one of the most interesting questions that was asked – and which produced the liveliest discussion – had to do with a particular massacre that took place in Mudende in Ruvabu District, Western Province in 1997. According to one of our GYC colleagues, although the government has recognized this massacre, there are still mass graves that need to be exhumed so that the people who were killed there can receive proper burials. Mr. Bideri seemed receptive to following up on this incident, and encouraged us to submit information about it to the CNLG hotline. We recommend that our colleague, as well as future GYC delegations who have the opportunity to visit the Commission, inquire about the status of this investigation, to make sure that CNLG is looking into the matter and taking action to address the needs of this community’s victims.

As the CNLG website reminds us, “Almost every corner of Rwanda was touched by the genocide. The memory remains raw and painful today. How that collective memory develops will shape the country’s future.” In light of this important statement, we as GYC delegates were very impressed by our visit to the Commission, because we were able to learn about the specific ways that CNLG is endeavoring to create an archive of knowledge about the 1994 genocide, preserve the dignity of its many victims, and work to prevent the occurrence of genocides worldwide through continued education and outreach.

 

THE GREAT LAKES REGION, CHILD SOLDIERS,

CONFLICT RESOLUTION

 

On Day Three of our Workshop, we devoted our activities and discussions to the Great Lakes Region of Africa. Why? It is impossible to have a conversation about Rwanda without discussing the context of events within the Great Lakes Region.  After all, before colonialism, the Kingdoms of Rwanda included Burundi and parts of what are now the DRC and Uganda. After colonialism, the Great Lakes Region, especially in the most recent decades, has been an area rife with conflict, including the Genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda, and the subsequent wars and turmoil in the DRC. The competition over power and resources has resulted in many deaths, although today there are conflicting approaches about how to proceed in the quest for justice, Below is our brainstorming chart identifying the words that first came to mind when our participants were asked to think about the “Great Lakes Region.”

Workshop Brainstorming Sheet about the Great Lakes Region

Following our initial discussions we visited with Search for Common Ground.

 

Search for Common Ground

On July 27th the delegation met with an international NGO called Search for Common Ground.  Search is a conflict transformation organization, specifically, they run programs that help to bring different groups together.  In other words, they are not an advocacy based organizations, but rather programming specific to conflict resolution.  We met with Rebecca Besant who shared with use more about the programs, specifically, most of their programs target children and youth.

Search is in 30 different countries, 14 countries in Africa.  They use many different tools to help bring group together including radio programming and the arts.  Rebecca discussed how as an organization it is very important that they have representation from each group to help maintain a neutral standpoint.

Rebecca explained how they have various radio shows (primarily in French) on various topics.  It started with children’s programs sensitive issues after the genocide.  There is also a radio program that is targeted to girls between the ages of 14-20.  What I found most interesting with these programs is that they are primarily youth driven, the topics are suggested by the youth themselves and the shows are produced by youth.  Some of the topics have been around land issues/land reforms, youth entrepreneurship, financials, agriculture, cross boarder/racial dating, elections, trade etc.

Search also does programming using Participatory Theatre.  It was really interesting to learn about this process, especially that the process starts within the community.  First they start by surveying the community to learn more about the challenges they are facing.  Then the theatre troop takes about an hour to put a script together.  Afterwards, the community members are given a chance to intervene and brainstorm ideas for what community members could do.  Rebecca explained that this is a really interesting process – community members are empowered to take action.

Another interesting project that Rebecca spoke about was a new pilot using a video game to help promote conflict resolution.  She explained how the video game will help youth to understand a bit more about managing the conflict they experience in their lives.  There is also a reconciliation project that was brand new, in fact it only started the week before our visit.  This program is done in partnership with National Unity and Reconciliation.

Overall, Search for Common Ground is continually working to find the gaps in programming.  Specifically, I really appreciated how they commented on targeting innovative areas of need.  In other words, they are not implementing programs in areas where other organizations are already filling the need.  I really appreciated this.

This meeting provided the delegation with great insight into different strategies and tactics for conflict resolution, not only in Rwanda, but across the globe.  We learned some new approaches and reflected on how Search for Common Ground might be good partner organizations for some of our volunteer placement organizations to consider developing a partnership with.  We learned that there are many complexities that come with conflict resolution and it seems as though Search for Common Ground has found a balance with some of this complexities, positioning them well within many different groups of people.

 

RUYYAC

 

After the visit to Search for Common Ground we hosted a discussion with the Association of Rwandan Youth Affected by Armed Conflict (RUYYAC) which is an association of former Child Soldiers, some from the FDLR – genocidal forces which fled Rwanda to Congo – and some from the armies of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, which were fighting for the liberation of Rwanda or to remove the FDLR from Congo.

Elias (center) a former FDLR Rebel Child Soldier, who is the secretary at RUYYAC, led by Mansasseh (Right)

Many of the Rwandan participants reported that hearing the life experience of Elias (one of the child soldiers) was an eye opening experience and one of the most important experiences of their entire time during this delegation.