Memory serves as the bedrock of individual and collective identities, anchoring societies and nations in the turbulent seas of history. In the aftermath of genocidal atrocities, where the very fabric of society is torn asunder, memory stands as a bastion of resistance against oblivion. For it is through memory that we honor the victims, learn from the past, and chart a path towards reconciliation and renewal. As the timeless George Santayana adage goes, Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Memory, therefore, is not merely an act of nostalgia, but a sacred duty, a beacon of light guiding men and nations through the darkest of times to a point of historical and moral clarity, as key safeguards against repeating past horrors. The following poem, inspired by Rwanda’s example, explores a new angle to echoes of memory. Optimism Blooms The muted drums Of remembrance Fill the air, A somber rhythm Echoing our despair. Each beat, a whisper; A painful, grieving sigh, Of lives extinguished Beneath a clueless sky. Children's laughter Silenced by the slaughter; A million lives; Of youths and loves Lost in blazes Of inhuman decrees. Each breath lost A seed sown at cost In fields of sorrow Watered by the blood Shed by hands of hatred. The world turned away As brutality held sway Its ears closed As a million died; Its voice for sense Silenced by indifference. Time has past Nudging hope to last. Yet, echoes of barbarity Still linger without clarity, In answer to the wear Rooted in the heart's despair. But from these tremors Of grief, a new day springs, A fragile blossom Pushing through ugly things. Optimism in bloom Weaving a hopeful thread, Through fractured memories And dreams newly bred. Hope's tender shoots Defying shadowed gloom, Reaching for the sun; Dispelling threats of doom. For interwoven With the shadows Of a chilling past Are endings of sorrows And compassion’s thrust, Washing away tears Erasing doubts And chocking fears As grit emerges And whispers softly Calling on the best Of the human race. To act in echo To the call of the sages To forever Hold forth And honor Their memory. The author is Rwanda’s former Ambassador to Turkey April 2025
