In a country where mass massacres or genocide was perpetrated, there is often a risk that the victims die twice: the first time is at the time of the setting them to death, the second time is to let them fall in the oblivion.

The History proves that ignoring the planning and implementation of the Genocide crime can bring to its recurrence. This happened at the time when Hitler prepared the Jews’ Holocaust. At that time, he and his accomplices reminded among themselves that nobody remembered about Armenians’ Massacres occurred 20 years ago.

Thus the commemoration of Genocide is a fundamental action in relation to the fighting of Genocide recurrence. When the extent of Genocide atrocity is understood by everyone, it becomes everyone’s commitment to fight it and this becomes feasible.

Commemoration is part of the nature of the human kind. This makes human beings different from animals. It is not possible to forget an event that has deeply touched our hearts whether it is delightful or painful.

The commemoration of our departed ones is based first and foremost on the extent of love we had for them, particularly when they were victims of extraordinary death, when circumstances (whereabouts) of their death are not known, and when they were not buried in dignity that human beings deserve.

The following background comments is an updated and adjusted extract of a research report established in 2007 when the Government of Rwanda and IBUKA Association found necessary to establish an institution in charge of commemoration and prevention of Genocide. Murambi Memorial located in Nyamagabe District, in the Southern Province was seen at time as one of ideal sites to play this role.

The study conducted by four known consultants in this field intended to facilitate leaders and other stakeholders committed for the action of commemoration and prevention of Genocide, for making decisions in relation to the establishment of an Institution in charge of the promotion of tasks and responsibilities of commemoration and prevention of Genocide.

The authors of the study were the Researcher and journalist Mr. Tom Ndahiro, the Researcher and Professor of human sciences Dr. Francois Masabo, the Researcher, Journalist and professor of journalism Mr. Paul Mbaraga and the Researcher Mr. Philibert Gakwenzire.

This extract is published at the initiative of Paul Mbaraga with help of some media houses as a contribution of thinking memory of Tutsi genocide in Rwanda on the 20eme commemoration.

It comprise three short parts and recommendations which can be presented and read in one dossier or series of successive A,B,C editions
A. Responsibility of Commemoration.
B. Achievements in the field of Commemoration:
a. Individuals and private organizations
b. The Government of Rwanda
c. On International level
C. Hindrances of acts of Commemoration.
D. Thanks and recommendations

A. Responsibility of Commemoration

At the time of making decisions related to actions in line with tasks and responsibilities of commemoration, the following main components should be taken into consideration:
• The crime of Genocide is perpetrated against a specific group of people, by people supported by a government and it is a crime committed by a government. Genocide is not a crime unpredictably committed. Genocide happens when it has been prepared on the basis of a policy and ideology of hatred established for a long period of time. The 1994 Tutsi Genocide was an end result of a plan made since 35 years before.

•Within the period before April 1994, a policy of oppression and progressive extermination of the Tutsi prevailed. On the Government’s initiative, a policy stressing differences between ethnic groups and divisionism, racial discrimination and inequalities between those groups has been implemented.

The policy of hatred against the Tutsi has been strengthened. They were dehumanized and decisions were made to consider them as evil people and negative elements. For those reasons, they were rejected; their rights were denied at the extent that they were killed without subsequent answerability on killers.

In the same objective, the Tutsi were quarantined in an area they didn’t use to live in. For example, in Gikongoro, Ruhengeri, Gisenyi, and Kigali Rural. They were deported to Bugesera and Rukumberi. That area they were quarantined in was famous for sheltering big numbers of very dangerous flies called tsetse. After October 1990, Tutsi Genocide was perpetrated in some regions of the country.

For instance, people from the Abagogwe social group were exterminated as well as the Tutsi of Kibilira and Bugesera Districts, and the Abahima of Mutara. Those atrocities were carried out within the framework of piloting extermination of all Tutsi on the whole territory of the country.

•The commemoration of Tutsi Genocide is a way we go through in order to understand that extraordinary cruelty. Along that way, our minds and consciousness are focused on people that were exterminated. During this commemoration of massacred people, different methods of killing planned and used by other human beings are also taken into consideration.

There is no other way to recognize the dignity of people slaughtered as a result of the ethnic group they belong to, and to keep them in memory, apart from commemorating the fact that they were not killed due to a specific crime, but they were killed because of what they are.

•Remembrance of people killed because of their ethnic groups, adds value to their existence and to the extent of importance they were or could be of for humanity.

To understand the level of hatred entrenched against the Tutsi in Rwanda and the level of atrocities perpetrated against them, we have to remember that common blood human relationships were not as important as to belong to the same ethnic group as it was mentioned in identity cards.

•The action of commemoration should contribute to re-establishment of human dignity through remembrance of methods used to destroy it while brutality towards humanity is intolerable. During the commemoration of the Tutsi Genocide in Rwanda, it is necessary to demonstrate how Rwandans denied their patriotism and exterminated other Rwandans because of an ethnic group they were forced to belong to.

The commemoration should include historical events based on evidences demonstrating how Rwandans destroyed other Rwandans’ value on the basis of a policy focused on giving importance a History that was based on ideology brought by colonizers.

•The fact that this fabricated ideology was given value is one of the fundaments of the policy of hatred against the Tutsi, since the period during which the country was preparing for independence. This policy promoted divisionism among people instead of promoting factors that unify people like culture, language, national clans, beliefs, etc.

•Memorials of Tutsi Genocide are expected to use all possible methods to demonstrate the History of Genocide (planning and implementation, the main instigators of plan of Genocide) in a way that visitors will not need additional explanations about how Genocide was perpetrated and will not be deviated by people that deny and bring Genocide into disrepute.

•Some of the common characteristics related to Genocide in different countries where it was committed are revisionism, negationism, trivialization of Genocide and wiping out its specific evidences.

Any factors that would prove the truth about Genocide and refute its revisionism, negationism and trivialization, should be given due attention within the context of keeping restoring the dignity of people that were exterminated as a result of their ethnic group while perpetrators pretend to say that those victims were responsible of their death.

There are written documents from people that carried out sensitization about Genocide, perpetrators’ testimonies, survivors’ testimonies and testimonies of other people that were not part of the targeted ethnic group but willing to tell the truth about Genocide.

•Tutsi Genocide in Rwanda took place at the time when communication technology was far advanced in the World. As a result, Genocide crimes were watched they were being committed and some events got known all over the World faster than the time it takes to communicate about an event to a family member living in a neighboring area.

Various mass media carried out sensitization about killing, triggered Rwandans to kill their relatives, their nearest neighbors whom they shared lands with. There are even foreign mass media that closely followed the Genocide against Tutsi in the same way they followed elections in South Africa. These are good sources of evidences.

•While commemorating, we should take into account the following factors: the History of Rwandans, the beginning of conflicts, the History of Genocide, people that were killed during Tutsi Genocide, survivors, people that protected Genocide targets, eye-witnesses of that dreadful crime, people involved in that malicious crime, and Genocide policy and plans.

•There shouldn’t be any ambiguity or confusing information in explanations and activities related to commemoration: for words or acts, it is necessary to show pictures of people concerned (when available), the time the words were said and when the acts were perpetrated and original written documents for proof (from a newspaper or a book, meetings’ reports or any other administrative documents).

•While commemorating Tutsi Genocide committed in Rwanda, it is also necessary to highlight heroism in the action of protection of people that were targeted. Within this category there are civil populations that protected their neighbors, the Rwanda Patriotic Army and foreigners that rescued Genocide targets.

Memorial sites should also indicate how the international community didn’t intervene in favor of the Rwandans while they were aware of the Tutsi Genocide planning. Besides they refused to intervene when Tutsi Genocide was being executed in their presence. The International Community was called for intervention but it deliberately refused, and some countries chose to protect killers, instead.

B. Achievements in the Field of Commemoration

After stopping the Tutsi Genocide that was implemented by an interim government established on 8 April 1994, different activities in the field of commemoration were completed.

They were accomplished by individuals, national and international associations, the Rwandan Government and foreign countries. We do not intend to enumerate all achievements, we will mention some examples.
a. Individuals and private institutions

Individuals and private institutions commemorated and provided information about Tutsi Genocide in different ways. The activities carried out include:

•Some families of Genocide survivors privately undertook the action of exhumation and burial in dignity of their relatives that were killed. The sites of burial are considered as symbols in memory of the departed as a result of Genocide;

•Genocide survivors have put in place associations and institutions with tasks and responsibilities to commemorate, to collect information about how and where their departed relatives were killed, to search for their bodies and to bury them in dignity;

•Publishing articles in newspapers with description and analysis of Genocide events.

•Books were written on the basis of testimonies or research results including students’ research papers in different levels of higher education in various universities. Written documents include testimonies from survivors that wrote about their personal experiences.

There are also books written as a result of research carried out about Tutsi Genocide and about Genocide criminals (individuals). Tutsi Genocide planners and people mainly involved in the killings were emphasized on.

•Some books were written about the participation of different church authorities and of their members in Tutsi Genocide.

Other publications are about social life of Genocide survivors, Gacaca Courts’ testimonies, people’s heroism in protection of Genocide targets, about negative attitude of the International Community in relation to Tutsi Genocide. Some of publications concern individuals, groups of people, or specific areas;

•Journalists from various local and international radio stations and television companies, organized programs about how Genocide was committed, about testimonies of survivors, witnesses and perpetrators;

•Institutions and individuals produced films and documentaries;

•Different authors including Tutsi Genocide survivors (personally) and citizens of foreign countries wrote songs, rhymes, poems, plays and other works intended for the commemoration of Genocide.

Those works include the History of Genocide, its consequences especially deep sorrows caused to survivors, condemnation of Genocide crimes and sensitization about prevention of Genocide;

•Many people including mainly Genocide survivors, during the hundred days of Genocide commemoration, spend nights around fire. During those nights, they remind one another about events that happened in Genocide.

Those nights are intended to provide survivors with opportunities and other persons interested to commemorate their beloved departed and to remember about their significance for the country.

It is also an important opportunity for many people to know about how Genocide was committed and several people learn about that for the first time on this occasion. These include Genocide survivors that were small children in 1994 and people who repatriated and who were not in the country at the time of Genocide.

Moreover, during those nights, measures to prevent Genocide and to fight other wicked acts perpetrated as violation of Rwandans’ rights in particular are taken into account.

•During the week of national bereavement, actions of commemoration are accomplished all over the country, including the Blazing Fire which is put on along the hundred days during which Genocide lasted.

The Blazing Fire is put on at Gisozi Genocide Memorial, in Kigali City. Actions completed during that time include the burial in dignity of the departed, victims of Genocide.

Other activities include visits to Genocide memorials and organization of conferences. Those conferences are mainly about survivors’ testimonies and Genocide planning and execution. This is one of the ways to find out the truth about Genocide.

b. The Government of Rwanda

After the 1994 Genocide, the Government of Rwanda made considerable achievements in line with the commemoration of Genocide. Some of those are:

•Soon after the Genocide, the Government of Rwanda has put in place a transitory Commission composed of experts from different ministries. This Commission’s tasks were later transferred to the Ministry in charge of culture.

The commemoration period was established on national level. April 7th was appointed as the Day of Commemoration of Genocide. It is also an opening day for the Mourning and Commemoration Week.

The Constitution of the Republic of Rwanda of 2003 provides for establishment of a Commission in charge of almost all matters related to Genocide and its consequences (article 179). On the basis of this Article, a law establishing that commission was passed and the National Commission of fighting against genocide is working since….

•The Constitution was established taking into consideration causes of Genocide. It includes basic principles and articles aimed at fighting genocidal ideology. Among those articles there is one stipulating that revisionism, negationism and trivialization of Genocide are punishable by law (Article 13). This is the reason why a special law was established to punish such crimes.

• In the field of justice Gacaca Courts were put in place and they were intended for trials of Genocide cases. One of their tasks was to find out the truth about Genocide. The functioning of Gacaca Courts included a stage of information collection.

At this stage the objective was to search for and make available the right information about Genocide, aiming to facilitate the action of commemoration. On the basis of functional provisions of those Courts, a lot of information about Genocide is now known as a result of testimonies that were given.

•The Police Headquarters contributed to establishment and rehabilitation of Genocide Memorials. Examples include Ntarama and Nyamata Memorial sites in Bugesera District; Gisozi, Nyanza (Kicukiro) and Rebero in Kigali City; Nyarubuye in Eastern Province.

And now The Murambi Center for Commemoration and Prevention of Genocide is planned to be put in place in Nyamagabe District, Southern Province. The remaining body parts of Genocide victims are kept in those memorials for conservation of evidences of the crimes committed.

•The Government of Rwanda granted IBUKA Association legal personality, the objectives of which include commemoration. This Association coordinates activities of different associations of Genocide survivors.

It is supported by the Government in the actions of commemoration. The Government of Rwanda, in collaboration with local and international non-profit-making associations, organized different international conferences aimed at discussing Genocide matters, Genocide History, its consequences and prevention measures.

• All governmental efforts relative to:

– The Rwandans unity and the equally rights for all Rwandans
– The Peace, Security, Gender balance and Solidarity between Rwandans
– The new value of the Rwandan identity for the pride to be Rwandan
– Services to the citizens in the city and the Imidugudus
– The involvement of citizens in the power affairs relative to the direction of their country and with regard to the people's daily life.
– The State of rights, transparency and prosperity opened for all
– The management by objectives and the demonstration of the interests of the citizens by results
– Orientation toward the culture of the freedom of expression of the opinions
– The good governance by imagination, innovation and the recourse on the traditional values
– The resolution of the problems by oneself materialized by the positive and spontaneous answers of citizens to the setting up of " AGACIRO DEVELOPPMENT FUND"

– The culture of the National Dialogue and the National Civic Service
– The culture of the good management of the public goods or property
– The school and the health care for all
– The productive foreign policy and the continuous of blossoming into international role

c. On international level

Some achievements were made on international level as well, in the field of commemoration of Tutsi Genocide perpetrated in Rwanda:

•The United Nations Organization has put in place the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda operating in Arusha. Apart from judging some of the Genocide organizers, investigation carried out on persons under legal proceedings by that court, testimonies given about criminals, this Court has been very helpful in revealing the truth about Genocide planning and implementation. That court keeps records of many evidences including recorded audio and video testimonies and written documents.

•In December 2003, the United Nation Organization, at the tenth anniversary of the Commemoration of Tutsi Genocide, ratified the Commemoration of Tutsi Genocide by all countries members of the Organization.

•During the month of March 2014, the security council of the UNO voted to the unanimity a resolution recognizing the semantics of genocide committed in Rwanda like genocide of the Tutsi or Tutsi genocide, concept that will be kept henceforth for all documents relating the genocide in Rwanda.

This semantic verdict is of importance like the genocide of the Jewish instead of the German genocide. It avoids confusion of the expression “Rwandan Genocide” that gave a breach to the revisionists to integrate the tendentious notion of “double genocide” in reference to the thesis of the" genocide of the hutus" that would have been committed in the same way to the genocide of the tutsi.

The designation of genocide of the tutsi by the prestigious UNO security council implies that hutu died in the context of the genocide of the tutsi were killed in the name of the tutsi, either because they refused to associate themselves to the acts of genocide against the tutsi, either because they protected some Tutsis, either because they were friends or married with tutsi.

•The Organization of the African Union has recognized the April 7th as the Commemoration Day of the Tutsi Genocide perpetrated in Rwanda.

•Some of foreign countries namely Belgium and the USA, have recognized that they didn’t fulfill their responsibilities in relation to prevention and fighting Genocide wherever it happens, leaving the Rwandans alone, and they have apologized for that.

•A Memorial of the victims of Genocide has been established near the Lake Victoria in Uganda. This Memorial is a place where bodies of the Tutsi thrown into the rivers of Rwanda and carried away to that area, were buried.

Hinderances in line with Actions of Commemoration

Although, there is commitment and many actions in relation to the commemoration of Tutsi Genocide are being completed, there is also an ideology and attitudes that hamper those actions. Murambi Centre for Commemoration and Prevention of Genocide is expected to find solutions for problems identified, that hinder objectives of commemoration:

•The acts of Genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi in 1959, 1963, 1964, and 1973 are not spoken about enough. This is another sort of revisionism, negationism and trivialization of Genocide. The results of research carried out prove that words and methods used by the MRND/CDR/PAWA political parties during the sensitization of the population about Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994 originate from the APROSOMA (Gitera who claimed to be the King of Hutu), MOUVEMENT SOCIAL HUTU (Kayibanda) and PARMEHUTU political party (Kayibanda).

•Since the stopping of Genocide up to now, there are words and written documents about revisionism, negationism and trivialization of Genocide intentionally or due to ignorance: the innocent people (INZIRAKARENGANE), victims of atrocities (ABAHOHOTEWE), cruelty (AMARORERWA), April war (INTAMBARA YO MU KWA KANE), sad events (IBIKORWA BITEYE INTIMBA cyangwa by’AGAHOMAMUNWA), ethnic conflicts (AMAKIMBIRANE Y’AMOKO), Rwanda Genocide (JENOSIDE MU RWANDA), etc. This is due to avoidance of openly saying ‘‘The Tutsi Genocide’’ by those who intend to get it forgotten about.

•In all countries where Genocide was perpetrated, planners and instigators deny that their acts are malicious crimes. At the time of Genocide implementation, they try to hide the truth through acts and words. And when they end it, they trivialize it, they name it differently or they make other persons responsible for it.

In 1959, it was called the ‘People’s Revolution’, in 1963, it was called ‘defense of the country and fighting cockroaches’; in 1973, it was identified as ‘protection of achievements of the 1959 People’s Revolution’.

Since October 1990 and at the time of the 1994 Genocide, all those definitions were used and they added that it was ‘reinforcement of security.’

•The proliferation hatred, carried out by associations of planners and executers of Genocide (PARMEHUTU, MRND/CDR/PAWA, RDR and FDLR) have negative impact on actions of commemoration of perpetrated Genocide.

So far, there are still many people that cannot distinguish Genocide from different wars that took place, including the one that was intended to fight it. This is the reason why there are still cases of revisionism, negationism and trivialization of Genocide. Those cases are recurrent and they happen even among Genocide survivors unconsciously.

•The Genocide propaganda was reinforced among the populations by the Government administration and leaders of political parties, as well as people of high merit, community leaders, and people considered as intellectuals.

Those people include church representatives, particularly Christian churches, leaders of various associations of rural populations, traders, teachers from different categories of schools, journalists and others. They used metaphoric words creating ambiguity pretending that a civil war was going on and not Genocide.

•Genocide planners use tricky ways intended to deny its occurrence and existence, and they make targeted people responsible for it, trying to prove that victims are offenders, and that killers were defending themselves.

In addition, for the case of Rwanda the Genocide perpetrators falsely claimed that the Tutsi had a plan to establish a ‘‘Hima-Tutsi Empire.’’

This opinion was widely spread among foreigners, wrongly convincing them that the Tutsi intend to conquer the whole Great Lakes Region, inviting them to be careful to avoid falling in the conquest.

The sad thing is that among politicians, journalists and representatives of different religious organizations including those from the neighboring countries believed this information to be true.

•That genocidal ideology is still recurrent among big numbers of Rwandans. Many of those live out of the country and they keep using international mass media to spread that ideology without restraint. Genocide planners and implementers still have capacities to spread genocidal ideology inside and outside the country.

They are able to do so because they benefit from support of some international organizations and countries that have supported them before and during Genocide.

As a result, the mass media they use cause persistent impact of that ideology within the country.

Those media include international radio stations broadcasting in the Great Lakes Region in Kinyarwanda and Kirundi languages. Those radio stations now serve as propaganda channels for RDR and FDLR.

•The Tutsi Genocide was perpetrated by Rwandans against other Rwandans and it was stopped by Rwandans. The families of perpetrators and families of victims live in neighborhood in the same villages in the same country. Apart from that, some of those families had close marital relationships, strong friendly links (igihango) and baptismal links.

The commemoration of Genocide consists also of remembering that there are perpetrators and victims. Among consequences of Genocide some people are constantly reminded about their departed.

Some other people wish the Genocide to be forgotten about because now killing the Tutsi is a crime punishable by law. The Commemoration of Genocide is hardly acceptable for those who eliminated their close relatives, namely their children, nephews and nieces, etc. Some people have killed their sons-in-law or their and sisters and brothers-in-law, those they had strong friendly links with (igihango), etc.

•There is a problem of some Rwandans who do not want to separate from those who still have genocidal ideology. Among the latter, there are people who didn’t perpetrate Genocide crimes but who have family relationship with Genocide perpetrators.

They prefer helping them to hide and deny the truth about Genocide, instead of urging them to feel resentful about crimes they have committed.

There are some other people who took part in Genocide but not willing to say anything about what they know and they recommend other people to keep silent, and so denying their contribution to the revealing of the truth about Genocide.

•Up to now, some people intend to wipe away evidences from the sites where people were killed during Genocide. Big numbers of people were eliminated on some of those sites. Some examples include many churches where many Tutsi were exterminated and now there are no evidence for that (At time of this report in 2007 it was the case of Simbi, Cyahinda, Nyumba, Sainte Famille, Saint Paul, Kibuye and other places.

Today the catholic church Charles Lwanga in Nyamirambo has set up un memorial of the victims killed in it). This fact does not contribute to the reminding of killers living near those sites about atrocities they committed because among people who keep praying in those churches, some were involved in killings.

•There are also cases where some church leaders, specially the Christian ones, seem not willing to let that their followers keep remembering that their place of worship were once slaughter sites for the fugitives that fled to those churches expecting them to be safer places and some of those church representatives were involved in Genocide.

•Although the law governing the punishment of Genocide crimes was passed, there is not yet a specialized research institution in relation to Genocide matters. This is the reason why there is still low capacity of keeping records, processing and making available Genocide evidences.

This becomes worst because many Genocide survivors and witnesses have died without having got an opportunity to tell about their own experiences and about events they witnessed.

Thanks and Recommendations

So far, in Rwanda or where else on the African continent, there is no professional institution in charge of commemoration and prevention of Genocide. It is necessary to establish such institution in Rwanda as a country where Genocide was perpetrated.

It would be an international organization in terms of capability, structure and functions. This would enable Rwandans, Africans in particular and the human kind in general to complete tasks and responsibilities related to Commemoration and Prevention of Genocide.

•Designing programs and teaching materials about Genocide as a crime based on severe violation of fundamental human rights; perpetrators as well as targets’ rights.

•Programs, teaching/learning materials and teaching aids will be elaborated in that Center. Taking into consideration the level of development of the World in general and of Rwanda in particular, learning/teaching methods will be based on ICT. The lessons will focus on the following:

•Designing programs intended to define Genocide and methods of fighting genocidal ideology focusing particularly on all sectors of education (at all levels of education), in all categories of populations, private institutions and all levels of administration.

•Analysis of the history of the Rwandan social life that has been diverged due to the policy of discrimination, before and during colonization period, after independence, and even after the 1994 Genocide.

•Preparing learning programs aimed at describing clearly acts of revisionism, negationism and trivialization of Genocide and to identify authors of those acts. This will be one of methods to fight those acts because revisionism, negationism and trivialization of Genocide are similar to sensitization about it.

•Those learning programs should motivate the youth and other categories of populations to carry out or continue research in the field of prevention of Genocide.
By publishing this dossier I would like, as an in love with my country, to congratulate both my compatriots especially the survivors of genocide for their courage of resilience so that the traditional unit of the Rwandans also survives and our leaders to continue to keep care on memory of Tutsi genocide for never again. So that "never again" is not a simple slogan but a shy determination.

I thank the media that grants me their forum to celebrate the Rwandans who had courage, these to ask for forgiveness, those to grant the forgiveness; to admire and to thank the President of Republic and his successive government teams for all their work of reconstruction of Rwanda and the soul of the Rwandans from the ashes of Genocide, but especially to have put the accent on the forgiveness and the reconciliation.