It’s a tragedy that remains fresh in the minds of those who experienced it, with an aftermath that has resounded through generations.
Thirty years ago, from April to July of 1994, 800,000 Rwandans — most of them Tutsis and moderate Hutus — were slaughtered by the Rwandan military and Hutu militia in a mass genocide.
On Saturday, dozens of Calgarians gathered at Mount Royal University to attend a memorial event put on by the Rwandan Canadian Society of Calgary.
“When the genocide happened, I was not as old as some of my children,” said Jean-Claude Munyezamu, the organization’s president.
“So the time is 30 years. But when it comes to our memory, we are still frozen in time. It [feels] like yesterday. We just tell the time because we see the children. The pain is still there and we miss our people.”
Munyezamu has lived in Calgary for the last 26 years. He left Rwanda in 1993 before the genocide, but when he returned afterwards he said it was a country he no longer recognized.
Munyezamu said events like the memorial are important to preserve the truth about what happened in 1994, and to ensure that similar atrocities aren’t repeated. Because of the role Canada played in helping to stem the conflict, he hopes its an anniversary all Calgarians can find a connection to.
“After 30 years, I think this should be also Canadian event because the Canadians were leading peacekeeping missions in Rwanda. They witnessed the horror, we experienced it. So there is something we share.”
Due to the ongoing friction in the region around Rwanda, Munyezamu said continuing to promote “collective healing” remains vital.
In 2015, hundreds were killed in Burundi, which shares a border with Rwanda, after President Pierre Nkurunziza announced his plans to run for a third disputed term in office.
Roméo Dallaire led the UN’s peacekeeping mission when more than 800,000 Rwandans — most of them Tutsis and moderate Hutus — were slaughtered by the Rwandan military and Hutu militia. Thirty years after the genocide, Dallaire criticized world leaders for seemingly not learning from past atrocities and not going ‘beyond the talk’ to intervene. Dallaire, who was also a senator, said Canada has ‘lost that extraordinary position’ of an innovator and reliable actor when it comes to international diplomacy.
Organizer Diane Umwali brought her two young girls, who are 12 and 5, to the memorial on Saturday. She attends the event annually, and said it’s important the younger generation knows the history of their community.
“It’s really important for us because this is part of who we are, which is, well, it’s a bad story, but [one] that has made us grow, be resilient,” she said.
“There’s a lot of things that we gain from it, not just being sad every year, but getting ready to, you know, live and getting hope for the future for our children.”
Clementine Msengi, an author and survivor of the genocide, was the keynote speaker at the Calgary event. She was a young adult when she miraculously escaped the violence, but she lost many loved ones, including her parents.
“I was there. I lived it. I suffered and my family suffered and the families of many other people suffered.” she said.
Msengi wrote a book about her experience entitled Spared: Escaping Genocide in Rwanda and Finding a Home in America.
“I’m grateful despite what happened. I can breathe. I can walk outside freely without being in hiding. There’s so much to be grateful for, and my message today when I deliver my keynote is to be grateful because life is not promised to anybody.”