The Rwandan community in Ghana has commemorated the 21st anniversary of the genocide in that country, underscoring the importance of fighting genocide denial and recognising the bravery of those who rescued others during the genocide.
The occasion, which was observed in Accra on the theme: “Fighting genocide denial and revisionism,” was aimed at remembering the lives that were lost in the incident and to also show solidarity with the survivors.
The Rwanda High Commissioner to Nigeria, Protogene Nsengumuremyi, said 21 years after the genocide, there were people still living in self-denial of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
Mr Nsengumuremyi, however, said it was important to recount the unfortunate event, not as a way to inspire guilt, pity or hatred but to counter those who sought to deny its occurrence.
Kwibuka means ‘to remember’ in Kinyarwanda, Rwanda’s language. Kwibuka21 is a series of events taking place in Rwanda and around the world. These events include the national commemoration in Rwanda, which began on April 7, 2015.
The event, which attracted lecturers, students, Rwandans living in and outside Ghana and other invited guests, included the lighting of the flame of remembrance symbolising that Rwanda has moved from the misery of 1994 to being a place of law, order and hope.
Mr Nsengumuremyi stated that in order to renew life in Rwanda after the genocide, in-house solutions were initiated where special courts were established to try genocide suspects.
He indicated that unity and reconciliation were some of the processes used in bringing genocide survivors and prisoners who ended their sentences to live together.
“As a matter of fact, we identify ourselves as Rwandans and no longer as Hutu, Tutsi or Twa,” the High Commissioner said.
The Academic Dean of the Ghana Armed Forces Senior Command and Staff College, Dr Vladimir Antwi Danso, urged the media to be diligent in the dissemination of information to ensure that tribal wars were not instigated in the country.
He admonished them to learn from the experiences of Rwanda, adding that media terrorism could bring the country to the brink of instability.
From April to July 1994, members of the Hutu ethnic majority in the East-Central African nation of Rwanda murdered about 800,000 people, mostly of the Tutsi minority.
The genocide was begun by extreme Hutu nationalists in the capital, Kigali and spread throughout the country with staggering speed and brutality.
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