Every Rwandan has a role to play in the fight against genocide ideology and denial, Faustin Mafeza, a researcher at the National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (CNLG) has said. He made the remarks during the commemoration event organized by the Bible Society of Rwanda (BSR) to honor religious leaders and BSR employees who were killed in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The commemoration that took place at the organization’s headquarters in Kigali, was attended by representatives from various Christian denominations across the country. “Just like when we were deserted during that tragic moment and we managed to overcome it, we must not expect other people to come and fight denial of what happened here,” he said. He added that although a lot had been achieved in peace building during the last 21 years, there is still a lot to be done to ensure that the population, especially youth, get to understand what happened to their motherland. Mafeza commended the role of the church in peace building and called upon church leaders to also put much emphasis in educating the young generation about the importance of a peaceful country. This, he said is one of the measures that will empower the youth to contribute in the fight against genocide denial. Some of the religious leaders who were remembered include Pastor Alphonse Nkurunziza, Thomas Karangwa and Amon Iyamuremye. During the commemoration, survivors of the genocide testified that some pastors killed fellow pastors and Christians. The Chairman Board of Director BSR, Darius Kankiriho, said churches have the responsibility of educating the population and to nurture God fearing people to help mould responsible citizens. “Like we have heard [from testimonies], it’s disturbing that those who were supposed to help and support upbringing of well disciplined people, engaged in killing others; the church has a big role to play in contributing to peace,” he said.
