Youth promote peace through art

As Rwandans commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, hundreds of young people met in Kigali to learn about peace building and how art can be used to express peace, conflict, the Genocide and the future Rwanda they want. Youth aged between 13 and 27 participated in the “Art for peace” workshop that was facilitated by AEGIS Trust, an organisation that aims at preventing crimes against humanity and genocide. “If we can spend time talking to the young about prejudices and causes of conflict and they understand, they are less likely to cause conflict as they get older,” said Andrew Fern, an international youth co-ordinator at AEGIS Trust. The training was conducted under the auspices of Umuseke, a Rwandan association that specialises in training and developing programmes on teaching peace through art and Ivuka Arts Kigali, a group of seasoned artists who nurture young talent. “We want youth to demonstrate what their understanding of peace is ahead of remembering the Genocide against Tutsis after 20 years,” said Constance Mukankusi Gateja, an adviser at Umuseke. Umuseke plans to train more youth in schools and form more peace clubs.