As part of the 18th Genocide commemoration events, the National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (CNLG) has organized, an International Conference under the theme: “18 years after the Genocide Perpetrated against Tutsi: Testimonies and Reflections”.
The two day conference is being held in Kigali between April 5-6th, 2012. The Conference focuses on the following sub-themes related to the Genocide Perpetrated against Tutsi, namely; Linkage between pre-genocide violence and the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi, Positions on Literature about the Genocide Victim, Post-Genocide Effects and Recovery Programs, Post-Genocide Denial, Memory and Reconciliation, Legacy of Post-genocide National and International Justice.
Presiding at the conference, the Prime Minister Dr. Pierre Damien Habumuremyi emphasized the Government of Rwanda’s support to the National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide (CNLG). “The government will always support the commission to fight against genocide and its prevention. This will be done in taking care of the genocide survivors in order to rebuild the country,” Dr. Habumuremyi said.
On his part, the President of the Commission, Mr. John Rutayisire said the purpose of the conference is to reflect on the past and prepare for a brighter future mainly for the new generation not to get misled by the wrong history of their country.
Presentations at the conference are being conducted by renowned professionals and researchers in the field of genocide and are facilitated in three languages- French, English and Kinyarwanda.
Rationale of the Conference is that since 1994 the genocide perpetrated against Tutsi attracted widespread interest inside and outside Rwanda and despite the impressive number of studies, many aspects are still underexplored. However the victims’ voiceless status which dominates most writings and international trials, the little knowledge on antecedents and motives of the atrocity endured and the linkage between ancient forms of violence and the 1994 horror, advocate for positions both against and beyond the existing literature.
While scholars were relatively prolific in writing on the 1994 genocide, there is little comparative analysis of legal sources. This topic comes as an opportunity to assess the legacy of various judicial instances, both national and international, in handling prosecuting and punishing genocide perpetrators.
Given the proposed multidisciplinary approach to genocide studies, the exploration of legal sources, already abundant since the 2000s, shall not be relegated for long.
The topic is chosen in the line of the context of 18th genocide commemoration-a period characterized by the increase of speeches and writings that deny the genocide against Tutsi and seek to undermine its memory in Rwanda and worldwide. Documents, from different sources are deliberately intended to write an entirely new history of the genocide while denying its reality.
