Following the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the youth have on several occasions pledged to make peace and unity a lifestyle.

The same goes for Rwandans in general, including through peacekeeping missions on the continent and beyond.

For Rwandans, the quest for global peace is not something to be overestimated given the harsh lessons from 1994. For this reason, the country has always endeavoured to explore different ways it can contribute toward peace at home and abroad.

One such way saw Rwanda Peace Education Programme (RPEP), Aegis Trust and different stakeholders, last week, conclud a Peace Week, capping up a three-year peace education programme that involved different activities.

Some activities of the Peace Week included the Ubumuntu International Youth conference that ran from June 20 to 25 at Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre in Gisozi.

The conference ran under the theme, "All for humanity,” and brought together over 100 young peace-builders from 16 different countries from across the world.

The conference was organised to educate young people about Genocide and its effects, post-Genocide reconstruction, and genocide prevention, according to Marc Gwamaka, the national youth coordinator at Aegis Trust and the initiator of the programme.

"The purpose of the conference was to create a network of young people from across the world who are committed to becoming peace builders. From day one they were engaged in discussions concerning the definition and impact of genocide, reconciliation activities and cultural exchanges,” he told The New Times.

The participants came from Burundi, Kenya, Zambia, Canada, China, Germany, Rwanda, among others.

An online application form was put on the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre web site through which the participants registered.

"We wanted the participants to learn as much as they could during their stay. They visited different memorial sites and engaged in conversations with reconciled communities which have both Genocide perpetrators and survivors. From here they have become a part of a network of dynamic youths that will keep on evaluating different materials and leading peace initiatives,” he said.

The Peace Week also included a mobile visual exhibition featuring different art pieces focusing on peace.

Rwanda Peace Education has in the last three years focused on research and peace training, and established the online Genocide Archive of Rwanda.

Participants’ experience

The conference sought to inspire and challenge participants to become peacemakers in their communities, with the main target being the youth.

The majority of the participants who spoke to The New Times said they were left challenged with defining what their own contribution towards peace building and preventing genocide could be.

Malvine Nkurikiye, from Burundi, said the conference was an opportunity for Burundians to create networks of peace and unity-minded people and advocate for peace and become active in peace-building.

"The conference really opened my eyes regarding the systematic steps leading to genocide. I spoke to one of the perpetrators of the Genocide on the impact youth can have when they choose to fight for or against peace and that was an eye opener concerning the power of youth for me. As a Burundian, my hope in recovery for Burundi was renewed. Rwanda shows us that any nation can recover when people are united,” Nkurikiye said.

Maya Pecanac, a lawyer from Bosnia and Herzegovina, said raising genocide awareness through the world’s next generation (youth) can bring about sustainable peace solutions.

"We had genocide in Bosnia in 1995 as well and it’s bewildering to see how people can really lose their humanity and how Ubumuntu (being human) can bridge that. It was enlightening to share facts and similarities and work on ways to ensure genocide never happens again instead of merely chanting slogans. It’s important to stop denial of genocide and for people to remember genocides so that they can make sure it never happens again,” she said.

Namiko Umeda, from Japan, said the conference was an opportunity for her to learn more efforts toward prevention of genocide and the tools being employed to ensure so.

"It has been thrilling to interact with all the other youths from Africa and the rest of the world exchanging ideas and thoughts on peace matters and concerns. It was also very interesting to note the kind of perspectives young Rwandans have towards ensuring ‘Never Again,’” she said.

"There were many discussions about the Burundi crisis and there was a unanimous view on how killings by government agents can be ended. I learned that the youth have the power and passion to move other people to change and they can ensure their voices are heard.”

Francesca Freeman, from the US, said she committed the last four years of her university to pursue anti-genocide activism and that it was powerful to meet other young peace builders.

"We visited memorials and heard from Genocide survivors, which all had profound impact on our perceptions on genocide impact and ways of preventing it. The conference reinforced the idea of how important it is to have an international network on these issues and what we can do to support each other, especially the countries experiencing conflict. I really think the youth have the power to compel policymakers and governments to promote peace and prevent genocide,” she said.

Huguette Ingabire, a Rwandan, said the conference strenghthened her resolve to work toward ensuring ‘Never Again.’

"Genocide ideology and denial is still very much alive and uniting the youth in this manner multiplies our efforts and strengthens our message as we teach about the genocide to ensure it never again becomes a reality. I feel empowered belonging to this network of peace builders and change makers because I see the potential in our united effort to preserve peace and prevent genocide anywhere in the world,” Ingabire said.

"I take pleasure learning from all the other peace-builders as much as they learn from our own history. They tell me they now better understand the road to the Rwanda reconciliation and they have educated me on the genocides in their own countries like Bosnia and the Jewish Holocaust. The conference was a great experience but its only the beginning,” she added.

With efforts such as this, the youth are becoming active in determining the course of peace in their communities.

They continue to declare themselves ambassadors of unity and peace and insist that networks like these ease the spread of their ideas, values and messages.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw