Overcoming The Past

Rwandan President Paul Kagame spoke to a full auditorium in the Student Union Monday about challenges facing the new democratic government in Rwanda in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide.

The genocide in Rwanda occurred in 1994, when the Hutu Power political party took control of the government and propagandized the mass murder of the minority, upper-class Tutsis. What resulted was the estimated death, most of which by machete, of 800,000 Tutsis and their sympathizers in 100 days.

"These killings took place in broad daylight and the world turned a blind eye and a deaf ear," said Amii Omara-Otunnu, the chair-holder of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on campus. "President Kagame and his comrades marshaled up the courage, stood up and spoke out, when the rest of the world kept quiet."

Since the genocide, 3 million refugees have moved back to their Rwandan villages and 60,000 genocide suspects have stood trial. Rwanda held its first democratic elections in 2000 and now 49 percent of their legislative seats are occupied by women, the highest percentage in the world. Rwanda has also seen the advent of its first free press.

Kagame began by explaining the topic of his lecture, The Challenges of Human Rights in Rwanda After the 1994 Genocide, "is very complex, as most human issues are."

He listed some of the challenges his government has faced since the genocide: learning to trust the international community again, bringing justice to the genocide survivors, and rebuilding the social and economic infrastructure in Rwanda.

"In a society like ours, human rights have to be institutionalized," Kagame said. "It is the less glamorous side of human rights, but it is absolutely crucial."

After Kagame finished speaking, he answered pre-selected questions from the audience, which were read by Omara-Otunnu. Kagame said the delicate balancing act of trying to manage a free press while making sure the press is not used to perpetuate hatred or intolerance, as it was before the genocide. He applied this same "balancing act" solution when explaining the compromise between uniting his country and respecting racial diversity.

"We do not want to be held hostage by our past," Kagame said. "We should lay blame on whom it belongs, but above all else we must move on."

The president also spoke of the critically acclaimed film, "Hotel Rwanda."

"The film was successful in highlighting the genocide that took place," he said. "But I think that they could have chosen a better hero, like a survivor of the genocide, who actually faced death and defied it."

Omara-Otunnu personally invited the president to speak at UConn when he traveled to Rwanda in July. The Kagame agreed immediately. The president was familiar with Omara-Otunnu's work in human rights, UConn being the only UNESCO chair in North America.

"First hand, it is impressive how sincere and humble he is, that is something you don't get through the media," Omara-Otunnu said. "He is as focused as a laser beam."

Kevin Butterfield, a pastor at The Sanctuary in Fairfield, has visited Rwanda twice as a volunteer for an HIV/AIDS homecare program. He said one thing Kagame did not mention was that many Rwandans are still nursing emotional wounds from the devastation and brutality of the genocide.

"We said 'Never Again' after the Holocaust," Omara-Otunnu said. "We have not learned from the past. It is important that students can hear first hand from someone involved in the most momentous and tragic event in modern history."