SUMMER 2014 PEACE BUILDING REPORT€¦ · SUMMER 2014 PEACE BUILDING REPORT 5 In the summer of 2014, NAR hosted its 7th Peace-Building Institute from ay th une 14th. Guided by the

1SUMMER 2014 PEACE BUILDING REPORT

SUMMER 2014PEACE BUILDING REPORT

ANNUAL REPORT

What can Rwanda teach the world?

MAY 28TH-JUNE 15TH 2014

2 SUMMER 2014 PEACE BUILDING REPORT



Designed By Never Again Rwanda

All Rights are reserved

© Never Again Rwanda 2014


ACRONYMS

AERG : ASSOCIATION DES ETUDIANTS ET ÉLEVES RESCAPÉS DU GÉNOCIDE

CNLG : NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST GENOCIDE

GEARG : GROUPE DES ANCIENS ETUDIANTS RESCAPES DU GÉNOCIDE

ICTR : INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR RWANDA

NAR : NEVER AGAIN RWANDA

NURC : NATIONAL UNITY AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION

PBI : PEACE-BUILDINGINSTITUTE

RGB : RWANDA GOVERNANCE BOARD


2014 SUMMER PEACE-BUILDINGINSTITUTE

INTRODUCTION

In the wake of the 1994 Genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi, one million

men, women, and children were brutally murdered in 100 days. When the

Genocide came to an end with the liberation of the RPF, the country had

been destroyed and the people devastated. The founding members of NAR, a Hu-

man Rights and Peace-Building Organization that resulted in response to the 1994

Genocide against the Tutsi, recognized that the minds of young people were used to

destroy the country.

Even as a post-Genocide society, they observed that divisions continued to exist

between young Rwandans. Guided by a vision of a nation where young people are

agents of positive change and work together towards sustainable peace and devel-

opment. NAR’s overarching goal is to support young people and the population at

large to become agents of positive change and to work together towards sustainable

peace and development. NAR aims at empowering Rwandan youth and the popu-

lation at large with opportunities to become active citizens through peace building

and development.

One of NAR’s many projects is a semi-annual peace-building institute (PBI) where

Rwandan, regional, and international youth come together to deepen their engage-

ment in the fight against Genocide and create peaceful communities. It is a platform

where youth can discuss and reflect on the 1994 Rwandan Genocide committed

against the Tutsi and draw lessons learned from this Genocide to help in preventing

future conflicts of this nature. While the main focus is Rwanda, participants also

reflect on current events and new trends of conflicts across the globe. This compara-

tive analysis broadens their understanding of peace-building in all its complexities.


In the summer of 2014, NAR hosted its 7th Peace-Building Institute from

ay th une 14th. Guided by the reflective uestion What Can

Rwanda Teach the World? NAR hosted eight male and six female young

leaders with a passion for peace-building for a two-week long workshop.

articipants included four students from the niversity of Rwanda, one

graduate from a erere niversity, five merican college students from

Keene State College (KSC0), New Hampshire and four from Weber State

niversity W , tah1. articipants were given an institute handboo

prior to the I in order to prepare for the presentations and activities.

Three Rwandan facilitators coordinated the I activities s. etty ute-

si, Dr. Ismael Buchanan and Dr. Charity Wibabara. They were joined by

two American co-facilitators: Dr. M.Therese Seibert from KSC and Dr.

Stephanie Wolfe from WSU. In addition, the following guest speakers con-

1 The criteria for the selection of participants were as follows:• In pursuit of a Bachelors degree in social science/politics or a related field or a graduate in any

of these fields• Collaborating with community projects/experience working with community actors through

groups and societies.• Language skills: a good command of oral English • Active participation and ability to transfer and share the learnt skills and knowledge.


tributed significantly to the I Ildephone arengera, red usi, Irene r-

ben, r. udith aessler, hisha iye aphatal, and goga ristar ue. ore

details about the participants, facilitators, and speakers appear in the Appen-

dix.

The PBI is designed in such a manner that enables the participants to attend

a number of presentations by researchers and e perts in their field, and as a

result, they ac uire nowledge that is current and credible. resentations are

typically interspersed with discussions in order to promote critical thinking

and develop public spea ing s ills. iscussions are inclusive they ensure that

all participants share their views on various topics. In addition to the discus-

sions facilitated by the presenters, NAR also infuses the PBI with small group

METHODOLOGY

In order to promote ownership of the I, participants were divided into

three groups: One group started the day off by leading an ice-breaker, a sec-

ond group provided a recap of the previous day, and a third group were in

charge of time keeping.. These responsibilities were executed on a rotational

basis among the three groups on a daily basis. NAR kept participants engaged

in the two-week PBI by using an eclectic mix of learning methods that includ-

ed presentations and discussions, group activities, site visits, and films.


discussions, assigning each group a topic that all group members reflect on,

discuss, summari e on a flip chart, and then report to all participants. R

introduced a formal student presentation into this year’s PBI, which focused

on perpetrator behavior.

There was never a full day of presentations, as R incorporated a number of activities into

the I that promote critical thin ing, self reflection, and cross cultural dialogue such as

world caf where students rotate across different tables that address various issues, a W T

analysis that challenges participants to assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and

threats of a policy or program, and the problem tree that motivates students to describe the

root causes and conse uences of Genocide.

The PBI is brimming with

site visits that offer a wide

array of learning experi-

ences. articipants delved

into Rwandan history with

an emphasis on the Geno-

cide by visiting the Giso i

Genocide Memorial and

the Presidential Palace


Museum. Students were also able to learn on-site while interacting directly with Rwandan

leaders when they visited government institutions such as arliament, ational ommission

for Unity and Reconciliation, National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide, Rwanda

Governance oard, and the prosecutor s office for the International riminal Tribunal of

Rwanda. The representatives of these institutions who engaged the I team were fran

about the challenges Rwanda still faces in light of the astounding progress Rwanda has made

in just twenty years after Genocide. In addition, the participants witnessed testimonies of

reconciliation between Genocide perpetrators and survivors when they visited yi ere nity

and Reconciliation Club at Kinyinya. And they were able to experience Rwanda’s rich culture

firsthand when they paid a visit to World ission where students performed Rwandan music,

cultural dances, and poetry.



wide variety of visual aids were used to enhance participants learning throughout the I

including several ower oint presentations, three documentaries, and one film. The well

researched and informative documentary Ghosts of Rwanda provided a realistic and dra-

matic account of the Genocide, drawing on interviews with ey figures, including government

officials, diplomats, and eyewitnesses. In particular, the documentary e amines the social,

political and diplomatic failures that converged to conduce neither to the prevention nor the

stop of, but to enable the exacerbation of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, while in the same

vein, e posing how the international community and the . . failed to intervene to stop the

Genocide.

The ever gain Rwanda documentary haring the ast, haping the uture, which result-

ed from a study tour of Holocaust memorials throughout Germany and Poland organized by

R with representatives from G, I , G , and the igali emorial enter,

was designed to inspire the Rwandan society to find a balance between the urge to commemo-


rate the past and the longing for a reconciled future. The Holocaust Memorial in Berlin also

prompted reflection on the similarities and differences between the olocaust and the 1994

Genocide gainst the Tutsi. This comparative analysis of the rime of Genocide ac uainted

the participants with a comprehensive nowledge on the significance of commemoration in

the fight against genocide and genocide ideology.

s We orgive is a powerful and inspiring film that focuses on the

difficult topic of forgiveness. ould you forgive a person who mur-

dered your family? The documentary narrates the story of Chantal

and Rosaria, two women who face the men who slaughtered their

families during the 1994 Genocide. truggling to live again as neigh-

bors, these survivors and illers discover the power and the pain of

radical reconciliation.

ong oat is a movie that highlights

the efforts of a young man to find out

the truth about his family. During

prison visits to his father, he tries to

persuade his father to tell him the truth

about his actions during the Genocide.

owever, his father maintains his

silence over the issue. This young man

also develops a friendship with a young

woman who survived the Genocide and whose father was coincidentally murdered by the

young man s father. n old coat from which the movie derives its title, serves as a reminder

of the role divisionism played during the Genocide. This movie reveals that Rwandans are

willing to unite and reconcile but only if those who committed the crimes of Genocide volun-

tarily come out to tell the truth and help identify where they put the bodies of the individuals

they illed so that they can be given proper burials by their loved ones


LAYING A FOUNDATION FOR PBI

efore delving into the thematic wor of the I, its founding chair and president welcomed

participants and gave a eynote speech, Rwandan participants presented a poem, partici-

pants specified I e pectations, and two participants engaged in a role simulation that fos-

tered cultural awareness and respect. The Rwandan participants also prepared a short poem

as a welcoming performance, which was composed by one of the participants, avid usi.

The poem was entitled Rwanda the culture of acceptance and hope . ach participant read

a stanza of the poem.


PARTICIPANTS EXPECTATIONS

To achieve the goals and ob ectives of the I, s. etty utesi as ed the participants to

come up with their own expectations for the institute. Their responses were as follows:

1. To have a greater understanding of the unity and reconciliation process in Rwanda

2. To learn from other students their perspective on peace building

3. To clearly understand peace-building in general

4. To fully understand what Genocide is all about

5. To understand my role as a citizen to my country’s peace-building process

6. To be a good critical thinker and to make a difference in the society

7. To call upon people to build peace and oin together despite their cultural diversity

8. To learn how to personally contribute to global peace

9. To learn the Application of peace-building strategies

10. To learn about conflict resolution

11. To learn about Rwandan culture and history in order to solve personal and community

problems.

12. To understand root causes of conflict in order to understand how to resolve them

13. To understand Rwanda s transformation over the last twenty years

14. To develop ulti cultural understanding

15. To learn cultural diversity

16. To understand genocide prevention from a worldwide perspective

17. To understand why people became perpetrators

18. To create a platform for cross-cultural dialogue

19. To raise awareness

20. To understand mental transition

21. To develop a better understanding of peace building methods and how to apply them


ROLE SIMULATION

Role simulation is a learning method that focuses on role playing. For the PBI, one Rwan-

dan female participant and one merican male participant volunteered to ta e on roles that

highlighted gender distinctions. In this role simulation, men wear shoes and are asked to sit

on the chairs women are barefoot and are invited to sit on the floor. The two lbatrossians

male and female participants don t spea they clic , hiss, and hum. They lead the greeting

ceremony, in a calm, warm and friendly atmosphere. First, the man greets each participating

man, by touching his shoulder with another man’s shoulder (or some other unusual way of

greeting). Then, the woman greets all the other women in the room by, caressing their feet.

ubse uently, a bowl of water is passed around men and women are invited to refresh their

hands, but in different ways. e t, food is offered to the visitors by the lbatrossian woman

she places food in the men s mouths and as s the women to ta e their food from the plate. ve-

rything is done serenely and with great dignity. There are pauses in which both sit down (the

man on a chair, the woman on the floor in those moments, the man might caress the head of

the woman. t the end, the two lbatrossians together choose the female visitor with the larg-

est feet, greet every participant again and then leave with her. a ority of the participants were

uic to point out that the e ercise portrays men as being superior and women inferior. ow-

ever, the lbatross culture values women more than men, which is why women remain closer to

the earth that is deemed sacred. or e ample, women don t wear shoes and sit on the floor. The

men eat food first in order to protect the women from eating anything poisoned or bad. etty

Mutesi pointed out how the Albatross experiment is linked to the PBI expectations. The partici-


ANNUAL REPORT

pants discussed and agreed on the importance of respecting other people s point of view, and

how they need to be aware of their own culture, both the negative and the positive aspects of

it in order to have a successful e perience.


AN OVERVIEW OF THE THREE MAIN THEMES:

Genocide: History and

Prevention

Transitional Justice Good Governance and

Development

• Cross-cultural understand-

ing and dialogue

• Exploring Genocide in

the context of the Rwandan

Genocide committed Against

the Tutsi.

larification of the stages of

genocide

• Social psychology and per-

petrators

• strengths, weaknesses,

opportunities and threats

(SWOT) analysis-working in

a post genocide environment

The evolution of Transi-

tional Justice

• Transitional Justice and

its implementation in

Rwanda

• Experiences from Gacaca

Courts

• Problem tree for the after

-effects of the 1994 geno-

cide.

Reparations efforts in

Rwanda and beyond

• Coping with genocide.

International comparison,

cases of Germany, Cambo-

dia, Bosnia and Rwanda.

Regional conflict dynam-

ics

• Ground breaking ap-

proach to peace building

• Inter-linkages between

Transitional Justice and

peace-building

•How people became perpe-

trators

Inclusive economic growth

versus democratic participa-

tion

rtificial families as a way

of healing and rebuilding

their lives

• Senate’s role in promoting

Good Governance in Rwanda

Governance practices and

challenges from a US per-

spective

Governance strategies to

promote Unity and Recon-

ciliation

Reflections on Rwanda s

history, present and future


THEME 1:

Genocide: History and prevention

rticle of the convention on the prevention and punishment of the crime of Genocide 194

..Any of the following acts com-mitted with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:(a) Killing members of the group;(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life cal-culated to bring about its phys-ical destruction in whole or in part;(d) Imposing measures intend-ed to prevent births within the group;(e) Forcibly transferring chil-dren of the group to another group.

— Conven-tion on the Prevention and Punish-ment of the Crime of Genocide, Article 2


Time ay escription of events Facilitator

ay 1 Wednesday, ay th Theme Genocide istory and revention

9:30-10:25 Welcome session at St.Francois Betty

10:50-12:30 Discussion: Cross-cultural understanding

and dialogue-Albatross experiment

14:00-17:00 ite visit Tour Giso i memorial site

Day 2 : Thursday, May 29th

9:00-9:30 Recap and ice-breakers Participants Groups 1,2 & 3

9:30-9:40 Reflection on the Giso i isit Betty

9:40-10:40 Open group discussion and debate on Geno-

cide what can you do to prevent Genocide

Betty

11:10-12:20 creening the film clip Ghosts of Rwanda

and discussions on the film clip

13:20-13:25 larification of the stages of Genocide Betty

15:00-17:00 Student presentations: Social psychology and

perpetrators

Kelly and Alex

Day 3: Friday, May 30th

8:30-8:50 Visit to CNLG

9:00-10:00 G representative shares e perience on

strategies of Genocide prevention ses-

sion

Odette Kanengwa

14:00-16:00 Discussion: Coping with Genocide. Interna-

tional comparison, cases of Germany, Cam-

bodia, Bosnia and Rwanda

Irene

16:20-17:00 valuation and wrap up

Day 4: Saturday, May 31st UMUGANDA: Cyaruzinge Village

Day 5: Sunday, June 1st Free day


This section of the I covers Genocide in general and e amines the 1994 Genocide against

the Tutsi in-depth so that an understanding of why and how it happened can inform the work

of peace building and Genocide prevention. uring this part of the I, participants visited

the Gisozi Genocide Memorial, attended a presentation and discussion at the National Com-

mission for the ight gainst Genocide, learned about perpetrator behavior, studied the eight

stages of Genocide, and participated in umuganda.


GISOZI GENOCIDE MEMORIAL (KIGALI MEMORIAL CENTRE)

The igali emorial entre was opened in pril 4, mar ing the 1 th nniversary of the

1994 Rwandan Genocide. The entre is built on a site where over , people are buried.

It includes three permanent exhibitions: documentation of the Genocide, including its his-

torical and colonial roots, a children’s room that displays photos of the Genocide’s youngest

victims along with a brief account of their lives, and an e hibition that briefly describes other

Genocides in Armenia, South-West Africa, Bosnia and Cambodia. To ensure Genocide pre-

vention not only in Rwanda but also around the world, education and awareness on how and

why Genocide has happened before is essential in preventing future genocides.

After returning from the memorial, Ms. Betty Mutesi facilitated a discussion on what partici-

pants learned from the memorial. Important ideas emerging from this discussion are high-

lighted in the following uotes

“The UN is responsible for helping people, however, most of the time they

don’t have a sense of urgency. They don’t send the help needed; they wait for

people to die before they start acting. If they act urgently, more people will

be saved. The bureaucratic system within the UN needs to change.”

-David Nkusi, Rwandan participant


“I now understand how Genocide starts; by creat-ing differences between yourself and someone else. We need to develop a civil society and have an educated community in order to prevent future Genocides.”- Kylie Wilson, American participant

THE NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST

GENOCIDE (CNLG)

The National Commission for the Fight against Genocide was created by law in 2007 and

started operating in . With a vision of a world free from Genocides, its mission is to

prevent and fight against Genocide ideologies. uring this visit, the participants were able

to get in-depth knowledge through a presentation by Ms. Odette Kanengwa a researcher at

G on the success stories and challenges that they have faced over the years. s. aneng-

wa described G s research areas that include prevention and unity, comparative studies,

addressing denial, Genocide effects and recovery, and Genocide history. he also discussed

CNLG’s documentation projects such as the herculean task of compiling documentation from

the Gacaca trials. In addition, she went over the advocacy and outreach wor that G does

with survivors. er tal was followed by a uestion and answer session.


10 STAGES OF GENOCIDE AND STUDENT PRESENTATION ON PER-

PETRATOR BEHAVIOR

rawing from r. ames Waller s boo ecoming vil, students elly hristianson and

le ander abibi conducted a ower oint presentation titled ocial sychology and er-

petrators, that summari ed r. Waller s theory on how ordinary men and women become

genocidal killers. The presentation discussed cultural, psychological, and social factors that

contribute to ordinary men and women turning into genocidal illers. ubse uently, a small

group activity addressed the uestion ow can this theory help prevent Genocide and mass

atrocity from occurring ll the groups analy ed the importance of diversity within culture in

order to promote mutual understanding of the other. They also discussed the importance of

education and critical thin ing s ills in relation to Genocide prevention. The participants saw

this model as a two way model as it is effective in understanding Genocide prevention, as

well as understanding how people become perpetrators.

Ms. Betty Mutesi facilitated a discussion on the 10 stages of Genocide discussed in an article

written by Genocide scholar Dr. Gregory Stanton. What follows is a summary of what each

stage entails.


1. Classification in terms of racial and ethnic division

2. Symbolization the use of symbols to name and signify classifications

3. Discrimination actively treating a racial or ethnic group as inferior ivil society organi a-

tions have to wor on this in terms of Genocide prevention

4. Dehumanization-labeling a racial or ethnic group as something other than human, such as

the Tutsi being called snakes or cockroaches (People are dehumanized so that they can easily

be illed by the end of the day. ome legal te ts, such as constitutions, must be developed to

protect groups from dehumanization.)

5. Organization often organi ed by states, militia, and hate groups this often includes

stockpiling weapons such as machetes.

6. Polarization a critical stage where mass murder by one group may provo e revenge by

another eace builder must identify racial and ethnic divisions in order prevent violence

from escalating.)


7. Preparation identification of victims, households, and communities based on ethnicity or

religion.

8. Persecution political assassinations and persecution of specific groups, such as the el-

gians being targeted aving a unified army committed to stopping persecution can prevent

Genocide.)

9. Extermination illing victims of a targeted group who are not considered human

10. Denial characteri ing reports of Genocide as alleged because they don t come from of-

ficially approved sources or minimi ing the number of victims illed. echanisms to un-

dermine denial include tribunals that punish the perpetrators and Genocide memorials as a

testament to what happened.)

“Dehumanization as a stage of Genocide was very elaborate in

the Rwandan case where Rwandans were manipulated and brain-

washed to believe that fellow human beings were cockroaches or

snakes. And so the clear conscience that reasons against killing

was ultimately suspended and extermination took place with a

great abandonment of the guilt of the crime”

-Martha Birungi, Rwandan participant.

SUMMARY OF DISCUSSIONS

arge and small group discussions were part of every presentation given by etty utesi and

Ildephonse arengera they also occurred after every site visit.

The following main points were discussed.

erceived or actual incompatibility of interests, values and beliefs led to conflict and even-

tually the Genocide in Rwanda.

• The media played a big role during the Genocide by mobilizing Hutus to kill Tutsis

The did very little to stop the Genocide and eventually abandoned Rwanda to its fate.

• Peacekeeping was/is weak

• The international community had the capacity to stop the Rwandan Genocide yet they

didn’t


• Rape was used as a weapon of war

The role of the church before and during the Genocide was significant

• The importance of NDI UMUNYARWANDA policy, which promotes unity among Rwandans

ritical thin ing is vital in the fight against Genocide

emorials can be effective in preventing future genocides

The importance of education in prevention of genocides

The presence of G s and other organi ations that offer trainings for survivors and those

living with trauma is important

In order to prevent the degeneration of a society into that of perpetrators, ac nowledgement

of differences and acceptance of diversity between and among its people is imperative.

UMUGANDA

The first thematic section of the I ended with I participants engaging in umuganda,

which is a mandatory voluntary community wor on the last aturday of each month in

Rwanda. ommunity members come together to build homes, clear land for cultivation, and

conserve the environment.


The I participants did their community wor at yaru inge village, which is a small village

of indigenous Batwa (also known as Twa) on the outskirts of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.

The Twa people were the original inhabitants of Rwanda. They generally hold a socially sub-

ordinate position, and have been driven from their land without compensation. Their health

indicators are significantly worse than those of mainstream Rwandan society and their access

and use of health services is minimal. They suffer from e treme poverty. The Rwandan gov-

ernment has integrated this population into the development processes to fill the gaps of the

past. yaru inge village was built by the government in con unction with the ealth evelop-

ment Initiative Rwanda in 11. s part of the development plan, a school was constructed.

I participants gave a helping hand to the community by helping them clear land which will

serve as a playground for the children who will oin the school. veryone was glad to be part

of the community service including the children who were very friendly and eager to ma e

new friends.

As part of umuganda, community members get together to discuss some of the problems fac-

ing their community which is part of the unity and reconciliation process. They also use it to

reach out to various authorities


THEME 2TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE

Transitional justice refers to a set of judicial and non-judicial measures implemented by a

country in order to address past human right abuses. Rwanda used these measures to bring

perpetrators to justice and to redress the legacies of the Genocide through the International

Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda and the Gacaca courts. The after-effects of the Genocide were

devastating. Innocent lives had been lost, individuals had been displaced from their homes,

and people were living in fear. These measures enabled the Rwandan population to have a

sense of faith and hope that those who committed Genocide crimes would be brought to jus-

tice. Various programs and institutions were put into place to educate Rwandans about for-

giveness, development, unity, and reconciliation. It seemed impossible, but within years

Rwanda has made tremendous strides toward reconciliation and unity. eople have learnt

to forgive, and this is visible within local communities. Topics covered in this thematic sec-

tion include the evolution of transitional ustice, the after effects of Genocide, gacaca courts,

the ICTR, linkages between transitional justice and peace-building, and how people become

either perpetrators or rescuers.


Time Day/Description of events Facilitator

Day 6: Monday, June 2nd Theme: Transitional Justice

8:00-8:30 Recap and ice-breakers PARTICIPANTS GROUPS 1,2 &3

8:30-9:30 The Evolution of Transitional Justice STEPHANIE

9:45-10:50 Transitional Justice and its implemen-

tation in Rwanda

STEPHANIE

11:45-1:45 Discussion “Experiences from Gacaca

courts”( Challenges and successes)

DR. CHARITY

11:45-1:45 Watching and discussing the film “Long coat”

DR. ISMAEL

4:20-5:00 Problem tree for the after effects of the 1994 Genocide

IRENE

DAY 7: TUESDAY, JUNE 3RD

9:00-9:30 Recap and ice-breaker PARTICIPANTS GROUPS 1,2 &3

9:30-11:00 Reparations: Efforts in Rwanda and Beyond

STEPHANIE

11:30-13:00 ICTR discussion CHARLES KAMURU

DAY 8:WEDNESDAY,JUNE 4TH

9:00-9:30 Recap and ice-breaker PARTICIPANTS GROUPS 1,2& 3

9:30-10:15 Regional conflict dynamics FRED NKUSI

10:45-11:45 Ground breaking approach to peace-

building. Rwandans rebuild their life

after the 1994 Genocide

FRED NKUSI

11:45-12:30 Inter-linkages between Transitional

Justice and peace-building

FRED NKUSI

1:00-3:30 How people became perpetrators DR. JUDITH

3:30-5:00 Free time

DAY 9:THURSDAY, JUNE 5TH TOPIC: RESCUERS

9:00-9:30 Discussion on Rescuers & Group

activity

THERESE

9:30-10:15 Continuation of Discussions


14:15-15:45 Continuation of Discussions

16:00-17:00 Watching documentary T Rescuer

eople Who aved ives dur-ing the Genocide in Rwanda,


THE EVOLUTION OF TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE

r. tephanie Wolfe gave an informative and insightful presentation on the evolution of

transitional ustice, which is a new field that only emerged after the old War. he focused on

Germany during WW II and the Rwandan Genocide. he also gave a detailed e planation of

the five types of transitional ustice which are briefly described below

1. riminal ustice the implementation of the rule of law, typically through trials It is very

important for it to be dispensed it provides documentation of the genocide and it is impor-

tant for building trust.)

. egislative ustice creation of laws and constitutions applied according to the struggles

people are facing

. istorical ustice focuses on historical treatment of the event It focuses on uestions li e

ave the survivors been recogni ed re the survivors permitted to give their testimonies

4. Symbolic Justice-apologies, memorials, and monuments (In reference to the 1994 Geno-

cide against the Tutsis, the I went bac to what happened even before in 19 9, 19 and

1973.)

5. Rape Justice-ensuring rape suspects are brought to justice


Irene Erben taught par-

ticipants about a learning

method called the problem

tree. Working in small

groups, the participants drew

tree sketches to symbolize

the causes and conse uences

of the 1994 Genocide. They

then presented the content of

their tree, and these presen-

PROBLEM TREE FOR THE AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE GENOCIDE

tations were followed by a general discussion


One of the many home grown solutions to the after-effects of the Genocide, was the adoption

of Gacaca jurisdictions which by design was part of a system of community justice inspired

by tradition and was established in Rwanda in 2001. Just in a period of ten years, 2 million

cases were tried by the Gacaca court. In addition to e pediting court cases, Gacaca served as

a healing process and a form of relief for both the victims and the perpetrators.

r. harity Wibabara as ed the uestion What is your understanding of Gacaca courts

These were some of the responses the participants gave

• Traditional form of justice – where perpetrators confess

• Used to promote unity among Rwandans

• Led by respected people ( inyangamugayo)

• A mechanism where people sit together to judge criminals from their own community

GACACA COURTS: CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES

r. Wibibara also as ed the uestion Was it necessary for Rwanda to adopt the Gacaca

court system that did not observe the International trial standards The main responses

were as follows:

It was less than 1 trained lawyers left alive after the genocide. The infrastructure was com-


pletely destroyed

Gacaca was time efficient

Why it wor s specifically in Rwanda levated unity, people were encouraged to reconcile.

• Truth and Reconciliation commission – it encouraged confessions. It would be hard to lie

when you have more than one witness.

Rwanda does not have the death penalty, hence more people were encouraged to confess

Gacaca had a positive impact on the society especially since more people were able to at-

tend and gain closure

It helps re integrating perpetrators into the community in order to rebuild lives.

We can learn from the Gacaca system. It might not be possible to

integrate the system into other countries, but we can learn and

understand the importance of unity, the importance of trust, local

justice attachment, and restorative justice. The world can truly

learn from Rwanda.

– Zachary Venstra, American participant.


ICTR – UMUSANZU MU BWIYUNGE CENTER

uring a site visit at the prosecutor s office of the I TR in igali, harles amuru gave the

participants an instructive ower oint presentation on the history, organi ational structure,

mandate, challenges, achievements, and progression of I TR. The I TR is an international

court that was established in ovember 1994 by the nited ations ecurity ouncil by Res-

olution 9 in order to try and prosecute the genocidal leaders responsible for the crimes

of the highest caliber during the 1994 Genocide gainst the Tutsi between anuary 1st and

ecember 1st 1994. The I TR has completed cases and set several international udicial

precedents. The conviction of rime inister ambanda mar ed the first time a head of

government was held accountable for crimes tried in an international court of law. nother

precedent was set in the 199 ayesu udgment which defined rape as a tool of genocide for

the first time. The presentation was followed by a uestion and answer session and a guided

tour of the local, prosecutorial office. I TR head uarters is housed in rusha, Tan ania


AFTER GENOCIDE: AN INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON

The comparison between the four countries is based on the measures taken by the four

countries mentioned below. ach of these countries e perienced genocides due to the vari-

ous political reasons and the need for dominance. Based on the measures taken after the

occurrence of these genocides, international (ICC, ICTR) and local courts (Gacaca) were put

in place in order to bring the perpetrators to ustice. In terms of reparation survivors organ-

i ed themselves into groups and G s enabling them to rebuild their lives, repossess their

properties and fully participate in the reconciliation process through continuous emphasis on

awareness through platforms created by their groups and Organizations.

Rwanda Germany Cambodia Yugoslavia

Coping with inten-

sity of over 1 illion

people killed in 3

months.

Post-Holocaust

justice challenged by

old War division of

Germany

Addressing the fact

that the Khmer

Rouge radically

changed all aspects

of society

Dealing with geo-

political challenges

from the breakup

of ugoslavia into

separate warring

countries: Bosnia-

er govina, erbia,

and Croatia

ountering vital role

of hate media

Trials used to teach

people lessons from

the Holocaust.

Coming to terms

with the death of 1.7

million Cambodians

Addressing trauma

from rape camps and

concentration camps

Dealing with wide-

spread trauma and

physical scars

Coming to terms

with the collective

guilt of an entire na-

tion

Political power strug-

gle ensued after gen-

ocide hmer Rouge

still had power

People encouraged to

participate in truth

and reconciliation

process

Reuniting displaced

families


red usi gave a ower oint presentation on conflicts currently occurring in omalia,

entral frica Republic, and outh udan. is presentation was interactive resulting in

lively discussion among participants. elow are the highlights of what was discussed on each

country.

Somalia:

resident ohamed aid are was overthrown in 1991 by the terrorist omali ational

ovement .

• Clan identities are malleable and shaped by leaders who pursue power and control of re-

sources.

lans are not necessarily in conflict historically but clan identities can be manipulated pur-

posefully to get control over resources and power.

There is an absence of good governance omalis tend to be suspicious of the government

• There is a lack of accountability that creates a culture of impunity.

Central Africa Republic (CAR):

Tribalism and ethnic favoritism contribute to conflict.

REGIONAL CONFLICT DYNAMICS


• Patasse faced military coups and army mutinies in his 10 years of rule leading to deep eth-

nic divisions in the military as the mutineers accused atasse of tribalism and ethnic favorit-

ism.

• Political power struggles occurred in 1993, 2003, and 2013.

South Sudan:

In anuary , The omprehensive eace greement , that is the aivasha gree-

ment, was signed between the udanese eople s iberation ovement and the Government

of Sudan.

The was meant to end the second udanese ivil War, and develop good governance

and provisions for sharing oil.

udan eople s iberation ovement withdrew from the Government of ational nity, ac-

cusing the central Government of violating the terms of

states the hartoum based government dominated by the ational ongress party

failed to withdraw 1 , troops from the oil field.

onflict is also occurring within outhern udan because of tribalism and nepotism.

ormer ice resident Rie achar accuses resident alva iir, a in a of dominating

public offices, corruption, and misuse of natural resources.

alva iir s close circles and henchmen were misappropriating resources of the country

while guided by mischievous slogans li e This is our time to eat . The principle of ero

Tolerance was not effectively applied on suspected corrupt officials who had been involved

in laundering public money in millions of dollars into foreign banks abroad.

reach out to various authorities


PEACE-BUILDING IN RWANDA

r. red usi gave an informative ower oint presentation on the approach towards

peace building in Rwanda. ccording to ean arie Gu henno, eace building involves a

range of measures targeted to reduce the ris of lapsing or relapsing into conflict by strength-

ening national capacities at all levels for conflict management, and to lay the foundation for

sustainable peace and development.

Peace-building is a broad concept that encompasses the processes of public deliberation,

truth and reconciliation, compensation to victims, and accountability of perpetrators. It is

inextricably linked to transitional justice and is closely tied to the rebuilding of state and

society after social conflict. or peace building to succeed, it must combat the root causes of

the conflict. elow are two e amples of home grown solutions of Rwandan peace building

measures:

• Itorero ry’ igihugu: homegrown approach to instill moral values of integrity and abil-

ity to deal with ones problems. ffers civil education to promote unity, truth, culture of hard

wor , and avoidance of a mindset that might deter development.

• Ndi Umunyarwanda: The purpose of the program is to know that we are all Rwandans

with dignity. It is not about being Tutsi, utu, or Twa it s about nowing what ind of

Rwandan you want to be. Our goal is dignity for all.

HOW PEOPLE BECAME PERPETRATORS

r. udith aessler led a discussion addressing the uestion ow is it possible that ordinary,

nice people behave in the most atrocious manner, to the e tent that they ill innocent peo-

ple he began her tal by as ing participants to answer the above uestion. The participant

responses are as follows:

• If you don’t kill them, they will kill you

• Group identity –in order to feel accepted

eing rewarded for violence as opposed to conse uences

• The feeling that other people are not human beings as a result of dehumanization.


• Propaganda

• Exaggeration of differences

• Persuaded by leaders

oral ustification

• Fear

• Self-interest

fter discussing these responses, r. aessler answered the above uestion, drawing from

social psychological theory and research. he interspersed her tal with brief film clips sum-

marizing the Milgram and Zimbardo experiments. Below is a summary of key theoretical

explanations on why ordinary people commit heinous acts

• Cognitive dissonance occurs when someone is forced to commit a public act that they

privately do not want to do. This type of forced compliance was featured in the film about

the Milgram experiment where 66% of subjects agreed to subject others to shock for making

mistakes in a learning exercise. This experiment documented the human tendency to obey

authority. In order to lessen the psychic discomfort that accompanies cognitive dissonance,

the person will shift his or her thin ing to ustify the act. ften this involves the process of


the ust world hypothesis which occurs when perpetrators come to believe that their victims

deserve their mistreatment this is a form of blaming the victim.

• Rationalization is a defense mechanism that reduces an iety about behavior a person en-

gages in even though they believe the behavior is wrong. It involves ma ing e cuses for one s

mista es in order to avoid self blame or blame by others i.e., I was ust following orders.

• The concept of foot-in-the-door effect refers to people’s tendency to comply more

readily with a large re uest if they have already agreed to smaller re uests consistent with the

larger one. It involves committing increasingly egregious acts incrementally. This concept is

related to the compliance tactic of getting people to say yes to smaller re uests then e pand-

ing re uests to include more and more from the person.

Before participating in PBI I had negative thoughts about per-

petrators because I perceived them as animals who didn’t have

pity, but after studying how people become perpetrators and

the model of perpetrator behavior I have realized that people

can change.

-Nyiraminani Oliviette, Rwandan participant.

IBUKA RESCUER PROJECT

r. hisha iye aphatal, the ecutive ecretary of I gave a presentation describing

this NGO and summarizing its research on rescuers. IBUKA is an umbrella Organization of all

the Genocide survivors associations. Its mission is to fight for the survivors interests through

advocacy and by monitoring all the activities engaged in solving problems and challenges

faced by survivors.

The Rescuer Project is a pilot study of 372 rescuers across all districts in Rwanda that were

identified by 1 notables in their local areas. The concept of the rescuers in Rwanda is re-

ferred to as individuals who saved others by hiding one or several Tutsis, pleading the case

of one or several Tutsis for them to avert death or pay ransom for one or several Tutsis dur-


ing Genocide. To be classified as a rescuer, one must not have played a role in the Genocide

or adopted Genocide ideology. Recognizing rescuers is important since they are role-models

who show that resisting Genocide is possible they also reinforce the ideals of national recon-

ciliation and peaceful coe istence within a nation divided by the ultimate solution. aphtal

emphasi ed the fact that it was possible for people to save lives during the dar days in 1994.

Looking at rescuers, and from the killer’s

point of view, it forces them to take

responsibility for their actions. The kill-

ers did indeed have a choice; they did not

have to participate in the killings.

-Ahishakiye Naphtal executive secretary IBUKA

SUMMARY OF RESCUER RESEARCH

Dr. Therese Seibert sum-

mari ed research findings

from the IBUKA pilot study,

comparing them with find-

ings from Holocaust research

on rescuers. Consistent with

Holocaust research, rescu-

ers come from all walks of

life. While the IBUKA report

showed only 20% of rescu-

ers were women, this figure

is a result of the fact that if a

family rescued, only the gender of the male head-of-household was recorded. Also consistent

with Holocaust research, the IBUKA study found that education and religion are not strong


predictors of who will rescue. Out of the 372 respondents of the IBUKA study, the top three

reasons respondents gave for rescuing included friendship 1 , empathy for the victim

(24.8%), and family bond (25%). After completing the Power Point on rescuers, Dr. Seibert

assigned each participant a rescuer presented in the book titled Tribute to Courage and asked

them to work in pairs to apply theory and research on rescuers to their rescuer. Each pair

then presented their findings to the larger group. elow are three of the rescuers students

discussed.

• e devised methods to fight off militia, he gave orders that their houses and land must be

protected and he spent nights setting up patrols, and persuading people not to kill their

neighbors. -Ladislas Uzabakiriho

• She hid Tutsis in St. Pierre in ceilings and bedrooms, she got medication to heal the in-

ured and bribed soldiers in order to smuggle refugees over the border. -Felicite Niyibizi

• He called councilors to tell them not to get carried away by interahamwe propaganda. He

was killed in front of the Hutu residents to show that anyone who followed in his footsteps

would be killed.-Jean Marie Vianney.

DOCUMENTARY

• The participants watched

the documentary -

MUNTU – Rescuer –

eople Who aved ives

during the Genocide in

Rwanda, which provided

them with a realistic presentation and information on how many Rwandans ris ed their lives in order to save

others. The movie served as a form of testimonies which enabled the participants to learn

about Genocide from a different point of view.


Even if the worst acts of violence are committed

there will always be people who hold on to their

humanity and commit themselves to helping oth-

ers to survive though they are risking their lives

-Professor Dusingizemungu Jean Pierre

Their great act was to cherish life, saving many

who survived; otherwise, so many wouldn’t be alive

today. Being a rescuer requires a great sense of

humanity and humanity is an intrinsic value

– Freddy Mutanguha


THEME 3:GOOD GOVERNANCE AND DEVELOPMENT

Good governance is a manner in which power is e ercised in the management of a country s

economic and social resources for development. The Rwandan government has been able to

achieve good governance through unity and reconciliation, while promoting accountability

and transparency.

Good governance is leadership that every citizen partici-

pates in by providing their opinions/abilities. This could

help a country develop especially if leaders have the same

understanding as citizens.

- Aphrodis- Rwanda

Time ay escription of events Facilitator

ay 1 riday, une th Theme Good governance,

development and reconciliation

9:30-10:00 Recap and ice-breaker

10:00-11:00 Discussion on student projects

11:00-12:30 Group activities I participants and R

youth clubs share their experiences

14:30-16:30 ite visit World mission performances

Day 11: Saturday, June 7th free day

Day 12: Sunday, June 8th Free day


Day 13: Monday , June 9th

9:50-10:30 Rwanda Governance oard ow does

inclusive economic growth support demo-

cratic participation

Dr. Usengumukiza

13:30-14:30 rtificial families as a way of healing and

rebuilding lives of orphan survivors of

Genocide Against the Tutsi

Ngoga

14:30-16:30 Meeting Cyizere Unity and & reconciliation

club ( kinyinya)

16:30-17:30 Wrap-up NAR staff

Day 14: Tuesday, June 10th

9:30-10:00 Recap and ice-breaker

10:00-12:00 Visit to presidential palace Museum

(Kanombe)

14:00-16:00 Free time

Day 15: Wednesday, June 11th

9:00-9:30 Recap and Ice-breaker Participants Groups

1,2& 3

10:00-10:30 Tour of parliament building Charles

10:30-11:45 enate s role in promoting good governance

in Rwanda

Dr. Jean Damascene

13:30-15:00 tudent presentations Governance prac-

tices and challenges from a perspective

overview of the government structures

Mark and Alex

15:30-16:20 valuation and wrap up Dr. Ismael


Day 16: Thursday, June 12th

9:50-10:50 R Governance strategies in promoting

Unity and reconciliation

Richard

11:40-12:30 Watching a movie s we forgive

14:00-16:00 Discussion: World café- The role of each

participant in relation to Genocide preven-

tion and advocacy for good governance

when they all go bac to their respective

countries

Therese

16:20-17:00 valuation and wrap up NAR staff

Day 17: Friday, June 13th

iscussion Reflections on Rwanda s his-

tory, present and future ( in the regional

context) and other aspects of this year’s

peace-building institute

Dr. Charity

11:20-12:30 iscussion Reflection on the institute and

personal growth

Dr. Charity

14:00-16:00 • iscussion Goals and ob ectives

• Wrap-up discussion of the themes and

purpose of the institute

inal evaluation of the institute

Dr. Charity


WORLD MISSION SITE VISIT

articipants travelled to the youth club World ission in order to learn about their R

supported small business. World Mission was established in 2010 in Kinyinya Sector and

mobili ed through R. World ission members face financial challenges, and many of the

members have not been able to afford formal education. R supports the members as they

ta e responsibility of their own lives by starting small businesses. ome of the activities the

club members are involved in include traditional dancing. World ission members treated

participants to Rwandan cultural performances, which were comprised of folk songs, tradi-

tional guitar, and traditional dances from all ages, including little girls aged 4-7 years old. The

PBI participants joined the dancers. It was an amazing experience especially for the American

participants.


RWANDA GOVERNANCE BOARD

r. sengumu i a elicien provided participants with an overview of the structure and wor

conducted by the Rwanda Governance oard. Its mission is to promote investment and

economic development in Rwanda in both public and private institutions. It focuses on four

areas economic globali ation, investment in human development, investment in the IT sec-

tor through fiber optic installment , and good governance.

RG conducts regular research and surveys on issues pertaining to good governance in order

to achieve good service delivery, sustainable development, and prosperity in Rwanda. r.

Usengumukiza noted the following indicators of economic progress in Rwanda:

Increased e uality in terms of giving all political parties an opportunity to share power

uality service delivery ach district has an accountability day to show case their progress

which involves individuals such as ayors.

Increased gender e uality

dvancements in safety and security


overty reduction

Dr. Usengumukiza also noted Rwanda still faces the following challenges:

• Impact of Regional issues on internal security (Cross Border issues)

• Population growth (Rwanda is densely populated)

• Balance of payment: mainly because Rwanda depends on import- export which tends to be

very e pensive.

conomic ine uality income is not evenly distributed.

RG aims to promote economic development by establishing measures in order to shift from

the least developed countries to middle income economy by .


PRESIDENTIAL PALACE MUSEUM

The museum was the primary residence of the former residents uvenal abyarimana who

served as resident from 19 1994 and astor i imungu who served as president from

1994 . ffering an overview of Rwanda s history, the palace has various historical arte-

facts which include furniture, paintings, pictures of Genocide victims, and traditional courts.

palace guide provided insights into the president s political and family life at the palace.

The guided tour also provided a narrative for factors that contributed to the Genocide as well

as how Rwanda has recovered and advanced since the Genocide. ocated at the museum is

flight debris of the residential plane that was shot down on th pril 1994.


PARLIAMENT

articipants received a guided tour of parliament by harles urigande who also described

the structure of Rwandan government. ur guide also too us to the senate where partici-

pants were able to sit in the senate seats and as him uestions. fter a short presentation on

the roles and functioning of parliament in Rwanda the participants had a chance to meet with

is cellency the president of the enate r. ean amascene tawu uriryayo who gave an

enlightening presentation and then answered uestions posed by participants.

In , ust fourteen years after the horrific genocide, Rwanda elected the world s first

women-dominated legislature. Currently, 56% percent of the Rwandan parliament consists

of women, making it the most female-friendly national legislature in the world. Women also

grabbed one-third of all cabinet positions as well as the Supreme Court chief and speaker of

parliament.

The Rwandan parliament contributes significantly to the promotion of good governance in

the post genocide era. Rwandan parliament is comprised of two chambers the upper cham-

ber, which is the enate that consists of members who serve an eight year, nonrenewable

terms. The lower chamber is the hamber of eputies that has deputies who serve five

year terms.


NATIONAL UNITY AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION

r. Richard ananga gave a brief ower oint and showed a film clip to provide participants

with an overview of the ational nity and Reconciliation ommission R he also

answered uestions from participants. arliamentary law created the ational nity and

Reconciliation Committee in March 1999, as a result of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

It serves to promote unity and reconciliation among Rwandans and fights to overcome dis-

crimination and alienation between and among Rwandans. It also fosters good governance

in order to build a peaceful and united country, and it assigns the primary responsibility of

rebuilding Rwanda. To achieve its ob ectives, R uses the following mechanisms

Research on sources of conflict and how to address conflict

• Community dialogue

• Partnerships with NGOs

• Home grown approaches to reconciliation and unity based on Rwandan tradition that in-

clude ingando, gacaca, umuganda, and village community settlements


ARTIFICIAL FAMILIES

r. goga ristar ue gave a short presentation on rtificial families as a way of healing and

rebuilding the lives of orphan survivors of the Genocide gainst the Tutsi . The aftermath of

the 1994 Genocide led to loss of lives and displacement of families. This motivated 1 niver-

sity student survivors to form RG ssociation des eleves et etudiants rescape du genocide

which was later changed to G RG in .This association strived to find solutions to

some of the problems survivors were facing such as social isolation, lac of education op-

portunities, and hopelessness by creating artificial families. These artificial families enabled

survivors to have a sense of belonging, moral support, hope, guidance and protection.


YOUTH CLUB PROJECTS

The first R clubs were formed by secondary school students who attended an essay writing

competition organi ed by R in 4.This event motivated students to establish R clubs

in their respective schools to build sustainable peace through various pro ects and activities.

ver the year s youth have started clubs at their respective universities while non schooling

youth have formed associations. oth schooling and non schooling youth benefit from R

trainings, wor shops, events and networ ing among other youth clubs and associations. ne

of the youth clubs in secondary school initiated a salon project. This project will not only ben-

efit the club members but the entire school as well. niversity students from various univer-

sities in Rwanda also organi e pro ects that benefit their surrounding communities.


Youth Club Projects (LDK Salon Project and

Student Club for Unity and Reconciliation)

The LDK Salon Project was repre-

sented by its Vice Chairperson Asi-

imwe am R I I who gave a

brief introduction about their project.

They have a salon on their school

premises they render shaving ser-

vices to the students who go to school

at Lycee de Kigali (LDK) their goal

is to have more students coming to

their salon, but this can only happen

if they have enough supplies to serve

a large population. o far they have

one shaving machine and they would li e to ac uire more funds to purchase at least three

more shaving machines, mirrors, chairs, cotton wool, spirit combs, and brushes. They would

also like to design their salon in a way that will attract more customers. The Student Club for

Unity and Reconciliation organizes debates and reaches out to their surrounding communi-

ties, teaching them how to use resources to attain sustainable development with emphasis on

unity and reconciliation.


SUMMARY OF DISCUSSIONS ON GOOD GOVERNANCE AND DEVELOPMENT

outh clubs their achievements and challenges

Inclusive economic growth support versus democratic participation

rtificial families as a way of healing and rebuilding lives of orphan survivors of the 1994

Genocide against the Tutsi

The senate s role in promoting good governance in Rwanda

Governance practices and challenges from a perspective an overview of the govern-

ment

Governance strategies to promote unity and reconciliation

Individual roles in relation to Genocide prevention and advocacy for good governance upon

return to their respective countries

Reflection on Rwanda s history, present and future in the regional conte t

Reflection on the institute and personal growth


TESTIMONIES (CO-FACILITATOR)

DR.THERESE SEIBERT

As a professor of sociology at Keene State College who also

teaches courses in the Holocaust and Genocide Department,

I have been wor ing with ever gain Rwanda R since

and have led three student trips to Rwanda that included

student participation in NAR’s Peace building institute (PBI).

I can therefore speak from experience about NAR’s success

with delivering an outstanding I. ut before delving into the

institute itself, let me say a word about security since that con-

cern almost always comes up when I tell others that I am taking

students to Rwanda. Simply

stated, the country is safe. I

have been significantly more

concerned about student

safety when taking students to New Orleans for post-Katrina,

service learning courses. R staff members also helped my

students and I organi e field trips throughout Rwanda before

the PBI in addition to helping us understand and appreciate

Rwandan culture. They are wonderful to wor with in every respect nowledgeable, profes-

sional, respectful, and friendly. To ensure that the institute is proceeding well, staff mem-

bers collect assessment information from participants throughout the PBI, and they use this

information to ma e improvements.

NAR succeeds in keeping participants engaged by using an eclectic mix of teaching methods.

While participants attend a number of presentations, they are peppered with discussions

and debates. oreover, there is never a full day of lecture. The I is brimming with field


trips that allow students to learn on site while interacting directly with government and G

leaders. ome of the places we visited include Giso i emorial, arliament, ational om-

mission for Unity and Reconciliation, National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide,

Rwanda Governance oard, the prosecutor s office for the International riminal Tribunal of

Rwanda, World Mission, Presidential Palace Museum, and Kinyinya’s Unity and Reconcilia-

tion Club. Organizational leaders were frank about the challenges Rwanda still faces in light

of the astounding progress Rwanda has made in just twenty years after Genocide. We also

witnessed testimonies of reconciliation between Genocide perpetrators and survivors. This

ind of on site, interactive learning is deep and profound and cannot be replicated in a class-

room. R also infuses the I with a number of activities that promote critical thin ing,

self reflection, and cross cultural dialogue such as world caf , W T analysis, and the prob-

lem tree. s a testament to their effectiveness, I plan to incorporate these activities into my

own courses. R also screened several films such as Ghosts of Rwanda, ong oat, and s

We orgive that were followed by a critical discussion. I have used Ghosts of Rwanda often

and recommend it I plan to use the other two films, which confront the challenges Rwanda

still faces amid its notable advancements in post Genocide reconciliation.

The I is intense with many issues covered within the topics that frame the I Genocide

istory and revention, Transitional ustice, Good Governance, evelopment, and Rec-

onciliation. espite the fact that I have taught courses on Rwanda for well over 1 years, I

can honestly say that I took away a lot of information that will enrich my teaching. Because

presenters are researchers and e perts in their fields, participants ac uire nowledge that is

current and credible. Some of the highlights for me were the state of post-Genocide justice

within Rwanda now that gacaca has ended, the challenge of compiling mounds of gacaca

testimonies, issues the ICTR needs to address as it winds down, how to mitigate trans-gener-

ational trauma in youth who did not experience Genocide and are struggling to understand

what happened, how artificial families are replacing orphanages, how to support children

born of rape during the Genocide, Rwanda s economic vision and how it is addressing sharp

population growth and youth employment, and a comparison of Rwandan and American


governance. I found our discussions of peace building conflict areas li e outh udan, en-

tral frica Republic, and omalia very informative and provocative.

lot of learning too place outside of formal sessions through casual conversations between

Americans and Rwandans during lunches, breaks, and bus rides. We also participated in

umuganda for the first time at yaru inge illage, home to a historically marginali ed group.

We wor ed with residents of all ages to move roc s and brush in order for them to build a

playground by the local school. y students raved about the e perience. uring the I,

we also enjoyed performances that featured traditional Rwandan dances, music, poetry, and

singing. What students ta e away from the I goes well beyond ac uiring nowledge about

Genocide prevention and peace building students leave the I with a deeper understanding

of themselves, Rwandan culture, their own culture, and the world.


KATIE MORRISETTE (PARTICIPANT FROM USA)

Before coming to Rwanda, people had a stereotype.

They said I was brave to visit a post conflict country

and didn’t think it would be safe. I am so excited to

go home and prove everyone wrong. I felt safer here

than at home . ven when I was lost I was never

nervous. veryone here was willing to help me and

went out of their way to meet my needs. Rwanda

has blown me away with the progress they have made after ust years. The infrastructure

and cleanliness of Rwanda was shocking to me. The ability of people to reconcile and unite

after an atrocity is just so astounding and inspiring. This experience has really changed my

life. I want to share my knowledge of Rwanda and bring my peace-building abilities home to

improve my community. Rwanda has truly made me so appreciative of what life has given me

and now it is time to show my appreciation by trying to make a difference in someone else’s

life. I want to become more involved in the community in anchester. I would love to come

back to Rwanda to teach!!!

JEAN CLAUDE NTEZIMANA (RWANDAN PARTICIPANT)

Peace-building Institute was

important and a good oppor-

tunity for me to learn, as a

Rwandan participant. There

are many things about Rwandan history I already knew, but

for sure some of them I was unaware of or not clear to me for

instance transitional justice in Rwanda, and history about the

Presidential Palace Museum. I also learnt a lot about the root

causes of conflict in the great la es region and its manage-

ment. ost individuals in Rwanda are not aware about the

entire Rwandan history, before attending PBI, I belonged to

this category.

PBI helped me make new friends as well as to fully under-

stand cultural diversity by being respectful and tolerant of

other people s culture. ccepting diversity would lead to a

peaceful and unified community.


KELLY CHRISTIANSON ( PARTICIPANT FROM USA)

My experience with the PBI has been great.

When I came to Rwanda, I thought that I knew

uite a bit about the history and culture. f-

ter being here for a month, I have found that

Rwanda is an open book. Despite all of the suf-

fering that occurred, the Rwandan people have

found a way to move forward and restore their

community-based culture. Because of this expe-

rience, I am now motivated to pursue a master s

degree in Genocide prevention at the niversity of Rwanda. I have also become very inter-

ested in memorials as a form of remembrance in Rwanda. This interest has led me to hear the

stories that go along with each memorial and I feel an obligation to teach others about what

happed to the victims at each site.

NKUSI DAVID (PARTICIPANT FROM RWANDA)

The name Peace-building Institute (PBI)

spea s volumes of foundations of sustain-

able peace, awareness, change, development,

good governance, Genocide history and pre-

vention in Rwanda especially after the most

tragic debacle in 1994.

The wor shop has given me a platform to

openly engage with different aspects of life

that affect human nature. These human values

are the very tenets that form a firm founda-

tion for sustainable peace in any society. It has

added some files onto what already e isted

in me and has boosted my new way of think-

ing, new actions that will breed new results.

As a matter of fact, I appeal to many youth

out there in and outside Rwanda to engage in


youth clubs that will stir and improve on the uality of thoughts for critical thin ing.

Sharing experiences with American students from Keene state College and Weber state Uni-

versity was an ama ing, interactive, open cross cultural e posure. I believe this has built in

me a strong character to get to the bottom of any challenge I come across.

Raising awareness is the first element of change. nd for Rwanda to change from a conflict

society to a peaceful society calls for a bottom up approach if ever gain is to meet real-

ity. We really need vigorous mental transition and get ready for change. The way we respond

mentally will determine how much peace and oy we shall have.

The uestion is, after the initial shoc of 1994 Genocide, are we willing to ma e a transition

mentally and emotionally

To round up, I on what can Rwanda teach the world this wor shop has opened up to the

whole world that-Rwanda’s success story from scratch is a tale of courage, determination and

believing that power comes from within and that we become wea when we depend on help

from outside. Home-grown-solutions are the way to go for Rwanda. Let us support PBI and

ever gain Rwanda to live the desired function.


END RESULTThe participants filled in evaluation forms based on the three ma or themes. Genocide is-

tory and prevention day 1 Transitional ustice ay 9 Good Governance and evelop-

ment day 1 1 .They also filled in an overall evaluation of the entire I. ased on the feed-

back from the participant’s experiences during the peace-building institute a total of 100%

had increased their nowledge of Genocide istory and prevention, 9 had increased their

nowledge of Transitional ustice and 9 had increased their nowledge of Good govern-

ance and development. urthermore the goal of the institute had been achieved by of

the participants, personal goals of attending the institute had been achieved by 9 had

achieved their personal goals of attending the I and 9 will recommend the institute to

their friends.

harts 1 and provide comparisons between 1 participants in 1 and the 14 in 14.

hart 1 below compares participants evaluations of institute and personal goals and a will-

ingness to recommend the I. There is a slight decrease on each evaluation criteria with

a decrease of five percentage points for institute goals, two percentage points for personal

goals, and two percentage points for recommending the PBI to friends.

Chart 1: Evaluation of Goals and Willingness to Recommend PBI in 2013 and 2014


Chart 2: hows an increase of twelve percentage points in nowledge about Genocide and

its prevention between 1 and 14. There was a slight decline of two percentage points of

participants reporting that their knowledge about transitional justice increased and a decline

of four percentage points of participants claiming that their knowledge about democracy and

good governance had increased.

Participants’ comments included the following two suggestions that NAR will take into ac-

count when designing future PBIs:

• A majority of the participants would like more participant discussions and more time be al-

located to site visits.

This year Rescuers topic under the theme of transitional ustice was one of the topics par-

ticipants perceived as being too short.

The above suggestions will serve as guidelines for future Is. The I faced two challenges

namely

Two spea ers were unable to attend I due to unavoidable circumstances. onetheless,

this matter was addressed by inviting other spea ers.

tended time whilst visiting some institutions.


ll the above suggestions and challenges will be considered in order to ma e the ne t I a

success and a memorable experience for the future participants.

Way forward

In order to make the next PBI successful NAR is upgrading the itinerary, reading materials,

venues and participant activities.

Additional content: (Human Rights) will be incorporated in the agenda to complement the

three themes Genocide istory and revention, Transitional ustice, Good Governance and

evelopment.

RECOMMENDATIONS

nsure we have permanent spea ers and facilitators.

• Make arrangements for the guided tour of Kigali before the PBI starts.

• Encourage participants to blog and write articles.

CONCLUSION

arious countries worldwide have adopted various mechanisms in order to reinforce peace

and ensure conflict does not occur. lthough these mechanisms could be effective in some

countries, it is important to note that the same may not be said of other countries. Rwanda is

one of the countries that have adopted a peace building mechanism in order to ensure con-

flict will never prevail. The peace building institute is one of the techni ues that R came

up with in order to teach Rwandans, regional, international students, and young profession-

als lessons drawn from the 1994 Genocide so that an occurrence of the same can be prevent

both in Rwanda and in across the globe.


APPENDIX

PARTICIPANT BIOGRAPHIES

ALEXANDER HABIBI

Alex is a 20-year-old student currently in his third year at

Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire. He is pur-

suing a double major in European History, Holocaust and

Genocide tudies. e studied at the niversity of ape

Town in South Africa from January 2013 to June 2013.

is favorite hobbies are Reading, listening to music, and

hiking. He is currently writing a thesis on the philosophy

of outh frican anti apartheid activist teve i o. e hopes to teach nglish as a foreign

language after he graduates and eventually serve his country as a oreign ervice fficer in

the State Department.

ASIIMWE SAM RUHINDI

am is a senior five student at ycee de igali . e is

studying a combination of Maths, English and Geography

(MEG). His passion for IT enabled him to be the co-founder

and editor of the school website as well as to design LDK’s

school flag all in 11.In 1 he was awarded with a cer-

tificate of leadership from leadership international I , this

year he has participated in the East Africa Community (EAC)

debate competitions and served as a udge during the ever

gain debate championships in une. e has e cellent communication s ills the ability to

analyze issues critically, commitment in accomplishing assigned tasks, he is open minded

and has a desire for continued performance improvement. is hobbies are photography and

composing poems.


APHRODIS HAVUGIMANA

phrodis was born in the astern rovince of

Rwanda. In Secondary school, he was appointed

the school Head-boy and leader of the scouts

club. Currently, he is pursuing a Degree Course

in griculture echani ation in Rural evelop-

ment at the niversity of Rwanda where he

also serves as a youth leader in the R I

youth club. The group focuses on fostering unity

and reconciliation among the young generation of Rwanda. He is committed to the course of

ustice and inclusive governance and serves as a volunteer in many organi ations focusing on

uman Rights and evelopment. urrently he wor s with evelop Rwanda where he is the

ommissioner in charge of community development and oversees pro ects aimed at improv-

ing the welfare of disadvantaged communities in Rwanda .Recently, he won an award from

UN-HABITAT for his contribution towards mitigation and adaptation on climate change

within the Rwandan society.

JEAN CLAUDE NTEZIMANA

ean laude was born in the outhern rovince, Ruhan-

go istrict tongwe ector in Rwanda. e graduated

from Groupe Scolaire Notre Dame de la Paix de Cy-

ani a in 9. e is a senior student at the niversity of

Rwanda, pursuing a Bachelors degree in Journalism and

Communication. Currently, he works as an Editor with

I G , a niversity owned newspaper. ean is also a

trainer of youth on media literacy and a reporter for Umuganda.com, an online newspaper

that reports on health related issues, as well as Mont Jali News which is a bi-monthly news-

paper. His hobbies include reading and playing football


KATIE MORISETTE Katie Morisette is a senior student at Keene State College

where she is doing a major in Early Childhood Education

and Sociology. She is committed to understanding different

cultural backgrounds and wants to create culturally sensi-

tive classrooms, as her main ob will be to sociali e with

youth. From her trip to Rwanda, she hopes to learn how

to teach children to embrace cultural diversity, and how

to respect individual group identity. he intends to widen

the scope of her classes to introduce issues of fairness and

e uality, and guide children to treat others with respect

regardless of cultural differences.

The eace uilding Institute s focus on social ustice, conflict resolution, and reconciliation

supports her academic wor and career goals towards providing education on tolerance and

respect for diversity. he would li e to teach internationally over the summer, and hopes to

find a teaching position in a primary school in the fall.

Kelly is a triple major, studying Elementary Education, Sociology,

and Holocaust and Genocide Studies. She plans to teach in post-

conflict countries after receiving a aster s degree in lementary

ducation and pecial ducation certificate. In 1 , elly spent

6 weeks in Cape Town, South Africa working at Baphumelele Chil-

dren’s Home in the township of Khayelitsha. While in South Africa,

she created and taught an education unit on environmental sustainability. pon returning to

eene tate ollege, elly became a Global mbassador for the Global ducation ffice and

began making presentations to her other class members about the importance of studying

abroad and sharing with them her e periences. In ovember, elly organi ed and presented

with the first student panel at s iennial ymposium on ploring and Rethin ing

ommunity , overty , and tructures of ower Through tudy way . This spring, she has

KELLY CHRISTIANSON


been working as a Teaching Assistant for Professor Seibert’s Rwandan Genocide course. As

part of this, Kelly designed a lesson and presented Dr. James Waller’s theory on perpetrator

behavior to the class.

KYLIE WILSON

ylie Wilson is a unior at Weber tate niversity pur-

suing a double major in Business and Political Science.

Kylie is the Public Relations chair of the WSU chapter

of Amnesty International and a member of the WSU

odel nited ations Team. he loves travelling and

gaining new experiences. Kylie works with Rising Star

utreach rogram she spent last summer wor ing in

the leper olonies of India teaching nglish and giving

medical aid

MARTHA MWIZA BIRUNGIartha is a student at the niversity of Rwanda pursuing a

Bachelors Degree in Biotechnology. Since early childhood

she has taken on leadership positions at school –the experi-

ence from which has prepared her to face challenges with

courage. In 11 she was appointed head girl of Riviera high

school where her good grades and outstanding leadership

s ills won her perfect of the year award. he believes that

attending I will give her a platform to e press her opin-

ions about eace and evelopment and create an avenue for

sharing ideas with other young people with whom she shares a similar vision. he also hopes

through the I to obtain re uisite s ills in eace building which shall be helpful in her ef-

forts of fostering Peace in Rwanda and in the region. She describes herself as an ambitious,

enthusiastic, and goal oriented young lady who strongly believes that she has the ability to

make a difference in her community, country, and the world at large.


MARK DI IANNI Mark is from Hopewell, New Jersey. He is currently a Jun-

ior at Keene State College where he is pursuing a Major in

Psychology and a Minor in English. Apart from his studies,

he also wor s at a home improvement hardware store. ur-

ing his igh chool years, he volunteered as a leader of an

orientation program for freshmen and sophomores where

they used outdoor education, team building and leadership

training techni ues to help assimilate individuals into igh

chool. uring this time, he helped individuals build strong

relationships and peacefully resolve conflicts. This is when he developed an interest in peace

building. e is very interested in psychological aspects of peace building, especially hope,

and how it relates to the process of reconciliation and peace building

MARIELLEN BRETON

Mariellen is currently an undergraduate student pursuing a Degree

in Sociology (Major) and Criminal Justice and Substance Abuse and

Addictions (Minor) at Keene State College. She would like to do her

Masters in either Social Work or Sociology with a focus on Humanitar-

ian Aid. Whilst pursuing her Masters, she plans to spend 24 months

serving in the eace orps in order for her to fully understand om-

munity evelopment. he has travelled to ingston, amaica, ort u

Prince and Haiti where she worked alongside communities assisting at

orphanages, schools, churches, and a small hospital.

DAVID NKUSI

avid holds a achelor in hilosophy and istory from a erere

niversity in ampala, ganda. is revious wor e perience

involves wor ing for ganda Revenue uthority. e is currently

wor ing as a R G consultant. avid also wor s with the In-

stitute of National Museum of Rwanda, and is a cultural heritage


analyst and philosophical studies expert for New Times.-a Rwandan local daily. He has writ-

ten and published several articles for ew Times on Rwandan culture, heritage, and history,

as well as the Rwandan Genocide and development. Through his wor , avid has ac uired

ample nowledge on peace, culture, history, reconciliation, and Genocide prevention in

Rwanda.

OLIVIETTE NYIRAMINANI

liviette is a student at the niversity of Rwanda in the depart-

ment of Arts and Social Sciences, where she is studying Journal-

ism and ommunication. he volunteers as a citi en reporter

with outh for hange , an online maga ine owned by ever

Again Rwanda. She hopes to gain more skills in the peace-build-

ing field through her participation in the I, and she plans to

use these skills to build her career in Journalism and to work

towards achieving peace in Rwanda and the world.

STEPHEN MICHAEL FOSSETT

Stephen is from Inland Empire in California and a recent

graduate from Weber tate niversity with a egree in

Sociology. He intends to further his education after ob-

taining more work experience. During his time at Weber

tate niversity, he was an official in the lac chol-

ars United (BSU) where he worked on projects for the

. e also wor ed with romised eighborhoods

and conducted research with his colleagues on the percep-

tion of water usage.


STEVEN STROBELteven is pursuing a achelors egree in riminal ustice

with an emphasis on Law Enforcement at Weber State

niversity. fter the 14 fall semester, he plans to move to

California to work for the California Highway Patrol. Dur-

ing his time in college, he has been working closely with

Weber tate niversity tudent ssociation s ervice Team,

where he held a position as the chairman. As a chairman he

oversees and runs the campus food and pantry for stu-

dents who are in need of food security services. teven is the winner of 14 W urple

elt for his e cellence in service to the community.

ZACHERY VENSTRA

Zachery grew up in a small farming town in Hooper,

tah where his family grew vegetables on their 1 acre

farm. He is a Political Science (Major) and Literature

inor student at Weber tate niversity. e recently

attended an international commemoration conference marking 20 years after Genocide.

is interest is in national governments and the formation of their systems structure. e is

thrilled to attend this conference to understand the reconciliation efforts better and to learn

how the Rwandan government has changed after the Genocide. e is e cited to participate in

the humanitarian efforts of this trip. He looks forward to emerging himself in the Rwandan

culture and en oying the various site visits.

UWERA BONA Bona has been working at MTN call center from 2012 to date, from

11 1 she wor ed as the ecretary General at the national level

of RG. ssociation des l ves R scapes du Genocide

er responsibilities as the RG ecretary General included man-

aging and coordinating all its activities at the ational evel, ol-

low up, advocacy and chieves management. In 1 she wor ed at

a umatt as a shop customer assistant. ona has attended various


trainings and workshops among them Enterprise Rwanda 2013, where she learnt indepth

knowledge on how to successfully take care of Customers, conduct market research, excel in

customer management, build and manage a team. he also participated in the mbassadors

of change it starts by you where she learned how to successfully develop a successful busi-

ness in different areas, it s development and management with full sustainability. In pril

1 she attended a commonwealth ast frican outh conference from which she received

an award. . In 2009 she won a scholarship funded by Rwanda Education Board (REB) that

covered full university tuition fees, monthly allowances and provided comprehensive support

services including internship. ona is passionate about community wor she is both creative

and innovative. he is a good public spea er.


SPEAKERS AND FACILITATORS PROFILES

SPEAKERS

DR. JOSEPH R, NKURUNZIZA

Dr. Joseph R, Nkurunziza completed his Medi-

cal tudies at the ational niversity of Rwanda

in 2006. For the last 8 years, Joseph has worked

as both a physician and a public health Expert.

He worked with the Earth Institute at Columbia

niversity in its pro ect nown as the illen-

nium Villages Project where he worked as the

health coordinator from 2007-2008. Later he

joined the Drew cares international where he

served as the clinical services irector from

2009-2010. During this tenure, he implemented HIV care and treatment program within the

Rwanda Defense Force. Dr. Nkurunziza also worked as a HIV clinician at the Rwanda Mili-

tary ospital before oining the embassy Rwanda in 11 as a clinical services spe-

cialist. e is also the o ounder and resident of ever gain Rwanda R . r. oseph

also serves on oards of some local rgani ations in Rwanda such as ealth evelopment

Initiative and enter for ublic health evelopment. is wor in Rwanda focuses on social

ustice and it gives young people the guidance, encouragement and nowledge to be active

citizens.

In 2010 he was honored by Junior Chambers International as one of the 2010 ten outstand-

ing young persons of the world (TOYP 2010) at Osaka in Japan.


DR. WIBABARA CHARITY

Dr. Charity obtained her PhD in Transitional crimi-

nal ustice from the niversity of Western ape and

umboldt niversity erlin in ay 1 . In 9 she

obtained her master’s degree in Transitional Criminal

ustice and crime prevention n international and

frican perspective achieving cellent results in Re-

search. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in law

from the ational niversity of Rwanda in . er

academic research and publications include Gacaca

courts versus the international criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and International ational

courts essons to learn from the Rwandan ustice pproaches to Genocide h thesis .

The Relationship between National and International Courts: A Critical Analysis (Master’s

Thesis . In her graduate studies she did a dissertation on pplicability and e ecution of

international rrest Warrants . fter graduating from the niversity she wor ed as a egal

officer at the Rwandan inancing gency in . er advisory role was recently recogni ed

by the niversity of Western ape where she wor ed as a research assistant in 1 . r.

harity is currently a legal advisor at the Rwanda ducation oard since . he is also a

part time lecturer at the niversity of Rwanda and igali Independent niversity.

BETTY MUTESI Betty Mutesi is the Project Manager for International Alert

in Rwanda and Burundi and the Honorary consul of Spain in

Rwanda. he holds an in eace and evelopmental tud-

ies from the niversity of aume I astellion. efore oining

International lert, she wor ed for over eight years as enior

pecialist for Rwanda Governance oard, and as a govern-

ance consultant for the Rwandan Ministry of Finance and

conomic lanning overseeing illennium hallenge orpo-

ration programs in the country. he has lived in pain and

worked in Kenya, South Africa and Netherlands


DR. BUCHANAN ISMAEL

r. Ismael is a highly involved individual, with ertificates, fellow-

ships, memberships, academic honours and awards. He holds a

Bachelor, Master’s and PhD in Political Science from International

Islamic niversity alaysia and Institute of cience and Technol-

ogy anagement I T his doctoral thesis was on The Role of

the State in the Reconciliation and Reconstruction Process after

post conflict peace building Rwanda as a ase study . e obtained

ertificates in ales and ar eting management, nglish as a second language and a diploma in com-

puteri ed travel agency courses. e has taught courses at both undergraduate and post graduate levels

in International relations: Diplomacy relations, history of the Third world war since 1945, Bilateral

and ultilateral cooperation, uman Rights, leadership, good governance and development R in

capacity building comparative politics, and conflict management among others. is full time previ-

ous positions include Lecturer, Department of English and Malaysia studies, faculty of Languages,

International niversity college Twintech, ssistant professor, political cience I Ruhengeri. r.

Ismael also wor ed as a part time volunteer at the International committee for Red cross, ssistant

Junior Librarian US Embassy in Rwanda, Teaching assistant department of political science, IIUM

alaysia, Researcher and visiting lecturer, I T Rwanda, acilitator for the course of leadership and

entrepreneurship, matriculation centre IIUM Malaysia and home tutorial/teacher in English, French,

Arabic languages and public learning international IIUM Malaysia to mention but a few. His cur-

rent positions are isiting ssistant rofessor, epartment of nglish, igali Institute of science and

Technology, ssistant rofessor, epartment of ublic dministration and Good Governance, I

Ruhengeri, isiting ssistant rofessor, epartment of ocial ciences evelopment tudies, ,

Kigali, Senior Trainer, Rwanda Peace Academy, Nyakinama, and Senior Visiting Lecturer, Depart-

ment of evelopment tudies, , ational niversity of Rwanda, utare. number of his research

papers have been published, in conferences and seminar proceedings. ver the years, r. Ismael has

been highly involved in ublic and rofessional ervices, and he currently holds the title of ice resi-

dent and Board of Directors for the One Dollar Project.


JUDITH BAESSLER

Judith spent her early years in Germany and Peru.

She is a psychologist and trainer specialized in

trauma, peace building, cross-cultural research,

prevention of se ual violence against women and

girls, and prevention of burnout for helping profes-

sionals. She completed her PhD in 2001, her thesis

focused on different conceptuali ations of the

meaning of life and happiness in various cultures.

he has been wor ing in post conflict countries in

Latin America and Africa since 2003. Her work in-

volves strengthening civil societies in peace building and conflict resolution transformation,

training on psychosocial counselling for refugees trauma work, setting up and strengthening

local structures in order to support women and girls who have been e posed to violence. he

has also wor ed as an advisor to the iberian Government on national mental health and

social wor policies, and monitored the impact of development pro ects and humanitarian

interventions. he has been coordinating GI s ivil eace ervice in Rwanda since 1

IRENE ERBEN Irene Erben holds a Bachelor’s Degree and a License in Social

Work. From 2006 to 2009 she worked as a trainee counselor in

social services in Germany. rom 9 to 1 she studied in

Germany and ithuania and ac uired a aster of rts in eace

and onflict tudies from the niversity of arburg. Within this

time she also worked at a refugee camp in Romania and with peace

pro ects in ganda. or her aster s Thesis she evaluated the

peace building efforts of ife oncern, a ivil eace ervice artner

organization in West-Nile, Uganda. She gained further experience

in a GI team, advising the German inistry for conomic ooper-

ation and evelopment on pro ects in the field of education.


In ebruary 1 , she started wor ing with the GI ivil eace ervice in Rwanda and ever gain

Rwanda, first in the position of a unior mainly strengthening the cooperation pro ect of the obile

hibition. ince ctober 1 s. rben wor s in the position of an International eace dvisor to

ever gain Rwanda via the ivil eace ervice. he is based in uye and wor s closely with the R

Peace-building Team.

FRED NKUSI red is a lecturer at the Independent Institute of ay dventists

of igali I I and a visiting lecturer at both ount enya

niversity igali ampus and Independent niversity of igali

(ULK), from October 2010 to date. Some of the courses he has

been lecturing on include ublic international law, aw of Inter-

national organi ations, Internet law, edia law, nvironmental

Law, International Security and International Negotiations. Fred

has previously served in the following positions advising districts

on various legal matters such as ivil, dministrative rocure-

ment, e ecuting court decisions representing districts in courts of law regular trainer of locals on

laws relevant in their day to day activities and drafting district contracts. e attained his masters

in International aw the aw of International rgani ations from niversity of Groningen,

etherlands in uly 1 . is principal courses were comprised of ublic International aw, aw of

International Organizations, International Dispute Settlement Law, International Institutional Law,

Law of International Peace and Security, international Labor Law & Human Rights Law.

Between 2001 and 2006 Fred studied for and got his Bachelor’s Degree in Law (LLB) from the Na-

tional niversity of Rwanda R .

is previous publications include ournalistic rivilege to onfidentiality ources nalysis of

Rwanda s edia aw , egal implications of hifting aradigm Intervention rigade s

nforcement ction in the R , Rwanda mar s the 1994 Genocide is ever gain possible is

most recent assignments are as follows arch rd to th, 14, trained the ivil ociety on reedom

of e pression and ccess to information on reedom of e pression and access to information organ-

ized By the Human Rights First Rwanda (HRFR)

rom arch 1 th to 1 th, 14, he trained ournalists on reedom of e pression and

ccess to information organi ed by the uman Rights irst Rwanda R R .


DR. THERESE SEIBERT

Dr. M. Therese Seibert joined Keene State College in 1998 with

a h in sociology from the niversity of Te as in ustin. s a

strong advocate for community based research, her students have

produced numerous research reports for local agencies, assisted

with post atrina recovery in ew rleans, participated in eace

building Institutes in Rwanda, and received undergraduate re-

search grants. In , she received the eene tate ollege lumni istinguished Teacher ward,

and in 11 she received the usan . erman award for eadership in olocaust and Genocide

wareness. er early research on race ine uality in the . . resulted in the publication of the mono-

graph ong Time oming Trends in Racial Ine uality in the onmetropolitan outh, 194 199

co authored with ar ossett and several articles on se ine uality in the . . labor mar et. he re-

cently published a chapter in the edited book Roads Taken, which discusses academic life at a public

liberal arts college. Her current research analyzes data on rescuers during the 1994 Genocide of the

Tutsi collected by the Rwandan-based NGO Ibuka.

Dr. Stephanie Wolfe, Assistant Professor of Political

cience h , niversity of ent, anterbury russels

School of International Studies, 2012

Stephanie Wolfe’s area of specialization is interna-

tional politics, Genocide, atrocity, and other human

right violations. he is the author of The olitics of

Reparations and Apologies which focuses on the Holo-

caust and Romani Genocides, the Japanese American

internments, and the Japanese comfort women system

during WWII. Her current research and forthcoming publications are on the Great Lakes region of

frica, with an emphasis on the Rwandan Genocide and its aftermath. he also serves as the academic

advisor to the international politics minor, the odel , and mnesty International.


NGOGA ARISTARQUENgoga has a Bachelor’s degree of Science in education from

igali Institute of ducation. e is the e ecutive secretary of

G RG Graduate students survivors of Genocide . is tas s as

an e ecutive secretary include coordinating daily activities of

graduate student survivors of Genocide living in Rwanda and

abroad, organi ing managing all events repared by G RG as

well as setting up a monitoring and evaluation system for ro-

grams and projects. From January to June 2011 Ngoga worked

as a member of the ational des review on Genocide survivor s

database where he would identify all existing information that

could contribute to the success of the project and interact with

the stakeholders. From April 2007 to January 2009 he worked as the National Vice coordinator of

Genocide survivors ssociation RG . goga has attended various trainings and conferences over

the years, from 1 he attended several national and international conferences on Genocide

held in Rwanda, 1 he served as a member of the ational committee organi ing commemo-

ration activities for the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. rom une th to uly 1st 11 he

attended the international conference held in outh frica on losing the impunity organi ed by

South African Litigation.

AHISHAKIYE NAPHATAL

aphatal attended the niversity of Rwanda between

2012-2014 for a master’s program in Genocide stud-

ies and prevention. In 1999 he attended igali

institute of Education for a BA in Education Majoring

in History, Geography and Education. Whilst at the

niversity he conducted research on The Role of the

atholic hurch in the onarch bolition in Rwanda .

aphatal is currently the ecutive secretary of I

since 2012.Some of his responsibilities include coordi-


nating I s daily activities and maintaining a close relationship with partners. aphatal is also

a oard member of Rwanda ivil ociety latform where he has served from 1 to date and ice

chairman of the ne ollar campaign pro ect from 1 to date. is previous positions include hair-

man of the One Dollar Campaign Project from 2012 to 2013, Head of Memory and Documentation

epartment in I association, ounding ember and vice president of ssociation of

rphans eads of ouseholds is responsibilities were as follows To carry out advocacy on behalf

of the association and raise funds to support pro ects while acting as the eputy egal Representative.

is ma or achievements include the Global riends ward by the ueen of weden in , collect-

ing testimonies of children heads of households together with niversity of outh alifornia for advo-

cacy purposes, helping over students to access niversity level education and he assisted children

from 50 households to access shelter.

ILDEPHONSE KARENGERA Ildephonse obtained a Masters degree in Genocide studies and

prevention . .G from the ational niversity of Rwanda

(NUR) between 2009-2011.From 1972-1975 he attended Mak-

erere niversity, in ampala ganda where he graduated with

second class onors pper ivision and obtained a achelor s

Degree in Arts with a Concurrent Diploma in Education (B.A./

DIP.ED) majoring in English language, English literature, French

language and French Literature. From 1970-1971 he did his

higher education at itovu t. enry ollege in asa a ganda,

where he obtained an ast frican dvanced ertificate of ducation. . e also attended

the niversity of lermont errandin ichy, rance where he gained practical methods of teaching

rench as a language to accompany his training he got a certificate in udio visual methods of teach-

ing French. He also trained in documentation of library work and research at the United Nations Hu-

man settlement abitat office in airobi enya where he obtained a certificate in documentation

and research. He also did a course in Paris where he was trained in library management and research

to mention but a fe.

In the past Ildephonse has taught English and French at Kololo Senior secondary school in Kampala,


Uganda where he became assistant headmaster. From 1981-1989 he worked at the French cultural

centre in Nairobi Kenya as a head librarian, From 1994-1995 he worked at the ministry of planning in

Rwanda where he was in charge of analy ing pro ects of social development and advising the ministry

among others. is most recent positions include director of the memory and prevention of Geno-

cide in the National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide between 2008-2009.In 2011 he was

ordained as a pastor at ion temple. e is fluent in nglish and rench and he can spea and write

Kiswahili.





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