Rwanda’s resilience is a result of a vision, determination, and resolve of a people dedicated to driving the country forward, Interpeace president, Itonde Kakoma, said on April 8, as he honoured the victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.
Interpeace is an international peacebuilding organisation whose work is geared towards preventing violence and building lasting peace. In Rwanda, it works with the Government of Rwanda, through the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE) to strengthen the resilience of Rwandans through community-based societal healing initiatives and research.
Kakoma was in Rwanda for the 30th Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi – Kwibuka 30. As part of the remembrance, he paid tribute to the victims of the Genocide at the Kigali Genocide Memorial.
During his visit, he met with residents of Juru Sector, Bugesera District who attended Interpeace’s healing and resilience groups created in their community and interacted on their journey of healing reconciliation, and resilience 30 years after the Genocide against the Tutsi.
On how he sees Rwanda 30 years after the Genocide, in terms of resilience, unity and reconciliation, he said "My observations are with great humility because I know what we see today is a result of considerable struggle and determination, and building against all odds, and against all expectations to be able to come out of atrocity – Genocide against the Tutsi – into a sense of renewal, based on that sacred memory.
"So, what I see today is nothing short of miraculous. But I know that miracles in this world are based on vision and determination and resolve of people who have committed themselves to not only remembering but [also] uniting in a way that propels Rwanda forward.”
"I think what I see today is also a testament not just for Rwanda, or for the region, or Africa, but for all of humanity in terms of our capabilities to use our minds, our hands, our technology for heal, and the heal of others, but to all to use it for building up states and people in communities. And the last 30 years have been a testament to that,” he observed.
On the contribution of Interpeace to Rwanda’s resilience or reconciliation journey, he said, "There are two words that I will use to categorise our work together as Interpeace in Rwanda, the first of which is accompaniment – to accompany a vision and determination of Rwandans themselves,” he said, underscoring that the principle that "solutions come within, and cannot be externally imposed, and if they are, they will necessarily be short-lived.”
"The second word I would use to categorise what that accompaniment looks like is partnership. Meaningful, reach, robust partnership. I believe those categorise how we as an organisation have been privileged to work together with the people of Rwanda in advancing a spirit of resilience, both in terms of vision but also in practice,” he said.
Interpeace has worked with local organisations such as Prison Fellowship Rwanda, Dignity in Detention, Haguruka, and Rwanda We Want to enhance Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS), support psychological prisoner rehabilitation and reintegration, foster social cohesion and resilience as well as strengthen livelihoods in community with funding from the Government of Sweden through its embassy in Rwanda.
Kakoma also met various local and international partners as well as government officials, including Dr. Jean-Damascene Bizimana, Minister of MINUBUMWE, and discussed ways to further nourish existing partnerships in the area of societal healing and resilience.
Interpeace’s 30th anniversary and 30 years after Genocide have something in common
This year 2024, Kakoma indicated, marks the 30th anniversary of Interpeace. And it’s not by chance that the year coincides with the 30th commemoration of atrocities amounting to genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, he stated.
"Our anniversaries are the same because we came into existence out of tragedy,” he said, pointing out that Interpeace’s birth was a result of the need to have a better way to respond and provide assistance, at that time, to war-torn societies.
"And so, I see our histories as inextricably linked,” he said.
On Rwanda’s performance in dealing with tragedies such as genocide, violence, or conflicts, and how it can be emulated elsewhere, he said, "What I observe is a deep sense of dignity rooted in ownership for what the fate of this country should be. And I think that’s a powerful lesson for any society, particularly those coming out of cyclical forms of conflict, and as a means to provide an alternative path to what have been cycles tragically in the region, and in Rwanda specifically.”