Gacaca archives will serve the next generations

Editor, RE: “Digitalisation of Gacaca archives to be completed by June 2018” (The New Times, September 6). Digitalisation of Gacaca documents is crucial in fighting against denial and trivialisation of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Genocide masterminds and their allies have always tried their best to deny the Genocide against the Tutsi or at least trivialise it so that people who may be misled by them think of the genocide as a civil war, inter-ethnic conflict or just as any kind of conflict between citizens. However, digitalising Gacaca documents will make the truth on the Genocide against the Tutsi known to even those who could be misled by Genocide masterminds who still want to carry on where they left off. This will expose the truth about how the Genocide was prepared and executed. Once the truth is known to as many people as possible, it won’t be easy for the masterminds to mislead the world once again. The true story of the Genocide against the Tutsi will be told and truth exposed. Besides, digitalising these documents will fast-track access to justice, especially those with property related court decisions that have not yet been executed. I believe that once the copies of the court decisions are securely stored in digital form, it will be easier for CNLG to find electronic copies of the trials requested by those who want their court rulings executed than perusing hundreds of hard copies. Moreover, digitalisation will keep the memory of the Genocide against the Tutsi alive since the microfilms used to store digitalised copies can last for about 500 years. I hope this is also a golden opportunity for generations to come to understand the history of their country, which I hope will serve as a lesson for them to make sure that such atrocities do not happen again. Bemba

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Gacaca archives will serve the next generations