Rwandans living in Benin, on Saturday, April 27, held an event for the 30th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, with a call to further the fight against its denial and trivialisation, according to a statement from Rwanda’s diplomatic mission to the West African nation. The commemoration was attended by Rwandans living in Benin, officials of the Government of Benin, members of the diplomatic corps, and Rwandans living in the neighbouring Togo. ALSO READ: Where are the 1,100 Genocide fugitives? Rosemary Mbabazi, Rwanda's High Commissioner to Ghana, who is also accredited to Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, noted that remembrance is a responsibility owed first to the innocents killed during the Genocide and secondly, to the young and future generations. “When we remember, it is not to bring back bitter memories of the pain and suffering that Rwandans endured 30 years ago. We remember to honour the lives of the loved ones we lost who can never be replaced. We also remember for the sake of our young and future generations because as the world has seen many times before, forgetfulness gives birth to repetition.,” she said “Given our collective human history, the Genocide against the Tutsi should not have happed but because it did, Rwanda has committed to raising awareness to the causes and effects of genocide so that, together, we may prevent it from happening again elsewhere,” she observed. Emphasising the importance of remembrance, Mbabazi pointed to the denial and revisionism of the Genocide against the Tutsi which is one of the ways in which perpetrators of genocide and their accomplices use to erase the memory of their actions and by so doing bring facts into disrepute. “Denial is a product of the same ideology that leads to genocide, and both must be relentlessly fought,” she said. To be able to fight genocide denial and revisionism, participants, including representatives of the international community, were encouraged to learn more about the history of the Genocide against the Tutsi, to teach that history to younger generations by including it in their academic materials, and working with Rwandans to establish lasting monuments to remind many of what happened. The commemoration of the Genocide also provided an opportunity to learn about Rwanda’s story of reconciliation and nation building, which has been led by Rwandans with the support of friends and partners. ALSO READ: New report highlights progress in reconciliation Ambassador Martinien Ako, the Deputy Secretary General in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Benin, who read the keynote message from the Beninese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, said that the people of Benin share in heavy emotions imposed on the collective human conscience by the Genocide against the Tutsi. He commended Rwanda’s recovery despite the deep destruction dealt by the Genocide against the Tutsi on the country’s social and economic fabric and registered Beninese pride in Rwanda’s rebirth. He added: “It is encouraging how Rwanda under visionary and patriotic leaders has reconstructed itself in stability, unity, and harmony. Benin rejoices in the effort of the Rwandan people who have transformed their destiny; making the country an example of economic and technological progress.”
