“We survived, but the fight isn't over” – Ibuka’s Gakwenzire on genocide denial

The fight against the denial and distortion of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi remains an ongoing battle—one that grows more urgent with each passing year. As efforts to rewrite history intensify, so must the commitment to preserving truth and memory. This is according to Philbert Gakwenzire, the president of Ibuka, the umbrella association of genocide survivors, who faults various external forces – some tied to Rwanda’s colonial past, and others from countries where the genocide ideology is not only rife but also protected, providing safe havens for perpetrators. Gakwenzire, an academic who took over the leadership of Ibuka in November 2022, speaks with calm authority, tapping into his deep knowledge of history to break down the evolving nature of genocide ideology, denial, and those behind it. ALSO READ: Reframing Rwanda’s origins: A look beyond colonial narratives He spoke to The New Times about what needs to be done to combat genocide denial and its ideology, which is increasingly manifesting itself in the region. ALSO READ: A luta continua: Confronting Genocide denial His words carry the weight of memory – not only as a Genocide survivor himself, but also as a history lecturer at the University of Rwanda – College of Education, and as the current president of Ibuka – an institution that has spent the past 30 years preserving truth, supporting survivors, and fighting denial. Gakwenzire was born on December 30, 1972, in Rubungo Sector, Ndera, located in the City of Kigali. His early life was deeply shaped by exclusion and discrimination. As a Tutsi, he grew up under governments that systematically targeted people like him –persecuting and tormenting individuals simply because of their identity. The year of his birth, 1972, holds particular significance for Gakwenzire. It marked the beginning of a life lived under the weight of injustice, setting the stage for the challenges and resilience that would define his journey. “That year means a lot in my history and the history of Rwanda – it means ten years after independence, and ten years of massacres conducted against the Tutsi. At that time, in our families, there were stories of persecutions targeting my family and the Tutsi in general,” “Our family members fled into exile in neighbouring countries. You can imagine the climate in which our families were living,” he says, emphasising the constant fear and marginalisation his family endured. He started primary school knowing that his family was excluded, and sooner or later, he began to experience it directly at the age of seven. The more he met and interacted with classmates and teachers, the more aware and conscious he became of how deeply entrenched discrimination was. It was not something he was told in a classroom – it was something he felt and experienced early on. It now became clearer to him that there was an emphasis on ethnicity, citing examples including physical inspections of pupils at the beginning of the academic year, where students were categorised under ethnic labels of ‘Hutu’, ‘Tutsi’, and ‘Twa’. ALSO READ: ‘I am no longer Tutsi like you’- the Belgian long-thought plan to divide Rwandans through made up ethnicity He says this also led to selection biases in education, adding that before you even finished primary school, there was already a sense of whether or not you would be allowed to attend secondary school – and those decisions were often based on your background. “I was fortunate to join a seminary in Ndera, and I was supposed to complete my secondary studies in June 1994, but my education was interrupted by the genocide. I survived, and after the liberation of the country, I continued,” Gakwenzire says. “At that time, we were a family of ten – our parents, my brothers and sisters. Only two of my brothers, one sister, and I survived. The others were killed,” he adds. His personal story is something he rarely talks about, often focusing on his academic and official work, but this time he was able to share—opening up about his personal experience and survival. Preserving memory is a continuous journey Gakwenzire says that Ibuka was established in 1995 with the mission of preserving memory, truth, and justice. Its main activities are rooted in helping Rwandans and the world understand what happened, what caused it, and how it can be prevented from happening again in the future. For that reason, Ibuka still has unfinished business. The work they do is continuous and cannot stop, especially considering that genocide denial and genocide ideology keeps evolving. “Today, we work more on memory, history, and justice. There are persistent challenges such as genocide denial and revisionism, which is why we must continue with what we do.” “We must focus more on education, especially for young people who weren’t there during the genocide, to ensure the mistakes of the past aren’t repeated,” Gakwenzire says, adding that the persistent genocide ideology in countries like DR Congo is of great concern to them. ALSO READ: Kwibuka31: Countries supporting FDLR must be held accountable - Ibuka He observes that today, genocide survivors continue to suffer due to denial, impunity, and the presence of genocide perpetrators still at large, both inside and outside Rwanda. This too is a form of genocide. Preserving memory is not just about remembering, according to Gakwenzire, but it’s also a form of resistance. “We suffered before the genocide. We suffered during it. But it didn’t stop there. Genocide denial is another kind of suffering,” he says, warning that genocide denial and revisionism, especially online—pose a real threat. Gakwenzire says that today, when survivors hear that what happened in Rwanda is happening to other people elsewhere, such as in eastern DR Congo, it affects them in one way or another. Similarly, the fact that genocide ideology can now spread easily, aided by social media and other modern communication platforms, is a major challenge, which they believe authorities should address. “It is important that people become conscious that there is nothing positive that comes out of hatred and denial,” Gakwenzire says, emphasising the need for justice to take its course. Gakwenzire says there is a need for authorities to step in to end impunity and ensure justice, including holding accountable countries that played a role in the genocide in Rwanda—or still do today. “We also must recognise that some countries – like DR Congo (then Zaire), Belgium, and France during the colonial period and the first and second republics – supported the regimes that carried out the genocide,” Gakwenzire says. He adds that even today, those same countries exhibit a kind of nostalgia that ties them to that past, including support for the same groups – such as the DR Congo, which continues to back genocidal forces like the FDLR, as it did before. Gakwenzire says there is a need for Rwandans to come together in solidarity to not only challenge these dangerous ideologies but also to defend the country against such attacks, which deliberately seek to divide people along ethnic lines. “We have to activate the solidarity and patriotism among us to reject this,” he says, adding that Rwandans need to be aware that there are people out there who do not like the progress Rwanda has made and assume they know what’s best for the country. “We must say no to any interference or attacks on our sovereignty. Patriotism must guide us, and solidarity is essential,” he says, adding that countries like DR Congo still harbour genocide perpetrators and support them in continuing their ideology—fighting and killing people based on ethnicity. “We must work with other nations and people of goodwill to bring justice and ensure non-recurrence,” he says, pointing out that it is unacceptable that 31 years down the road, there are still suspects living in different countries, including in Europe, who have not faced justice. “It’s unacceptable. Since 1948, the international convention for the prevention and repression of genocide has existed to prevent and punish genocide crimes. Many countries have signed it, and we also have national laws in line with it,” “There’s even a principle in the law which says that if these countries are not able to prosecute someone, they must extradite,” he says, adding that it is a responsibility to respect the convention and national laws. He said that those same countries must understand that the genocide against the Tutsi was a crime against humanity and can happen anywhere—not just in Rwanda—which is why the global community must uphold these laws and human rights. Preserving genocide memory is essential but also sensitive Thirty-one years down the road, Gakwenzire says preserving the history and memory of the genocide is both important and emotionally difficult. One of the challenges is that some people feel they are not yet ready. Gakwenzire says that for some genocide survivors, it is still difficult to share or write their testimonies because they relive their trauma, which is why many are still not ready to go through that pain again. He says survivors must be continuously supported and encouraged to share their stories, understanding that sharing reopens old wounds. “When you are telling what happened to you during the genocide, you are reliving that pain. That is why some people have not been ready,” Gakwenzire says. “There is hope. Over the past 10 years, we have seen many books being published by survivors,” he says, adding that more sensitisation is ongoing to encourage genocide survivors to come out and tell their stories. The role of social media Gakwenzire says social media has democratised information, and anyone can post anything without fact-checking. In the past, information passed through editors and professionals. Today, everyone can be a journalist online. “A great number of people have access to the media,” he says, reiterating the need to teach people to be critical, responsible consumers and sharers of information. Gakwenzire says it is also key for people to understand the impact of what they post. If someone spreads hate or denial, others must speak up and counter it – because everyone has a responsibility to protect truth and the dignity of victims and survivors. On countries struggling to name the Genocide against the Tutsi Gakwenzire says that it is a shame that today some countries still struggle to name the Genocide against the Tutsi properly, opting for other terms that are ambiguous and misleading. ALSO READ: Kwibuka 30: American lawmaker calls on US govt to adopt correct name of Genocide against the Tutsi He says this disrespects the victims, the survivors, and the truth of what happened in Rwanda. “They must recognise that the lives lost—those killed and those who survived—deserve acknowledgment. This isn’t about Africa versus Europe. Genocide can happen anywhere, and when it does, it must be named and condemned accordingly,” he said. “Failing to do so shows a superiority complex and a lack of empathy,” he said, adding that Rwanda remains ready to fight denial and distortion of its history. “It’s not difficult to do because the truth is on our side. We must be consistent in telling the truth, showing the evidence, and standing firm. The facts are clear,” Gakwenzire says. Part of that is survivors continuously sharing their testimonies, which cannot be denied or disputed by anyone. “Even if you can’t write, document your story in other ways – through video, through audio. We will need this for future generations,” he says. “Young people need to understand that what happened wasn’t just a tragedy for Tutsi – it was a tragedy for the whole nation, and for humanity,” he says, encouraging young people to use the platforms at their disposal, especially social media, to combat genocide ideology and genocide denial.

News

“We survived, but the fight isn't over” – Ibuka’s Gakwenzire on genocide denial