French researchers and historians have tipped Rwandan officials on the importance of preserving the memory of the Genocide against the Tutsi. From December 20-21, the experts are training various officials from the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE), AEGIS Trust, GAERG, and IBUKA on how to protect Rwanda’s history as a way of helping future generations understand it, fight genocide denial, and ensure that such atrocities never happen again. The training is part of a partnership between MINUBUMWE and SHOAH, a France-based Jewish organisation that works with memorial sites to preserve history. Speaking to the media, Jean Damascene Bizimana, the Minister for National Unity and Civic Engagement, noted that learning to preserve the history of the Genocide against the Tutsi is a continuous process, and that is why it is important to bring in such experts to teach their Rwandan counterparts. “This training is of great importance not only for the staff members of the ministry but also for our partners like Aegis Trust and GEARG. They also work with memorials which is why it is important that they get that information,” he said. Currently, Rwanda has 200 memorial sites, which Bizimana believes are an important tool for preserving the history othe Genocide. There are plans to merge the memorials for easy management. “We have eight Genocide memorial sites at the national level, and others at district level, we also want to make sure that they meet the standards and be able to provide information local and international, we have plans to inter-connect some but again avoid to mismatch the history,” he added. French historian and researcher Stéphane Audoin-Rouzeau, who is one of the trainers, said that three years ago when he was in Rwanda training wasn’t easy since France hadn’t fully accepted its responsibility in the Genocide against Tutsi. “Rwanda has made tremendous progress in preserving the history of the Genocide and maintaining the unity and reconciliation and that is why this ministry has been put in place, the efforts that this country put is a lot,” he said. Zakhia Mbabazi one of the trainees and a Partnership and Cooperation Analyst at MINUBUMWE said that the training is giving her a clear understanding of how Genocide ideology can be uprooted. Mbabazi added that preserving the Genocide history has to begin from the start, how did the difference in identification comes up and preserving this helps the youth to have a better understanding.
