29th Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda

April 7^th marks the International Day of Reflectin the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. It begins the mourning period for million innocent men, women, and children who were mercilessly murdered in just 100 days.

For me and other survivors whose families and friends were among those killed in that Genocide, this period always carries a lot of heaviness and sadness as we remember parents, siblings, uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents and other extended family members and friends whose lives were brutally cut short simply because of their Tutsi ethnicity. As such, we ask that you keep the survivor community in your thoughts and prayers during this particularly difficult period.

As we begin the 100-day mourning period, virtual and in-person remembrance and educational programs are being planned in several parts of the U.S and around the world in observance of the 29^th anniversary of the Genocide.

Below we list just some of the programs taking place this coming week and beyond here in the United States. I encourage you to attend if you are able and share with those in your network.

Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel once said, “if we forget, the dead will be killed a second time, and then they are today’s victims.” These words ring true even more in today’s world where hate and all forms of extremism are on the rise and where several religious and ethnic minorities are living under the threat of extermination.

Remembering, learning, and applying the lessons from previous Genocides therefore is an even more urgent imperative and we invite you to join us in our fight against the ideology of Genocide and in supporting survivors.

Upcoming 29^th Commemoration (Kwibuka 29) Programs in the USA

1.Title: The 29^th Annual commemoration of the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide Against Tutsi in Rwanda.
Date: April 14, 2023, 11:00 am to 12pm (EST)
Place: In-person at the United Nations Headquarters or live on UN WebTV.
Organized By: UN Department of Global Communications and the Permanent Mission of Rwanda to the UN
RSVP for the program here: https://www.un.org/en/preventgenocide/rwanda/commemorations-2023.shtml
Registration will close midnight tomorrow, April 10^th, 2023

2.Title: Remembering Rwanda: Commemorating and Drawing Lessons from the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda
Date: April 12, 2023, 5:00pm to 6:30pm (EST)
Place: Virtual/ Online
Organized By: American Society of International Law
RSVP here: https://www.asil.org/event/remembering-rwanda-commemorating-and-drawing-lessons-1994-genocide-against-tutsi-rwanda

3.Title: Memory, Culture, and Emotional expression in Post Genocide Rwanda
Date: April 12, 2023, 5:30 to 6:30pm (EST)
Place: Virtual/Online OR in-person at Mason Library Room 240
Organized By: Keen State College
RSVP here: https://www.keene.edu/news/events/detail/17292/

4.Title: Kwibuka 29: Remember-Unite-Renew
Date: April 15, 2023, 1:30pm to 5:00pm (EST)
Place: Cecil b Day Hall- Mercer University Atlanta
3001 Mercer University Dr, Atlanta, GA 30341
Organized By: Atlanta Rwandan Community

5.Title: Kwibuka29: Remember-Unite-Renew
Date: April 15, 2023, 1:00pm to 3:00pm (EST)
Place: St. Matthew Evangelist Church- St. Andrew Church,
45 Talbot Ave, North Ballerica, MA 01862
Organized By: Rwandan Community of Massachusetts

6.Title: Kwibuka 29: Remember-Unite-Renew
Date: April 16^th, 2023, 1:30pm-4:30pm
Place: Drake University, Parents Hall South in Olmsted Center. 2875 University Ave, Des Moines, IA 50311
Organized By: Rwandan Community of Iowa in collaboration with Drake University

7.Title: The 29^th Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda
Date: April 29, 2023, 5:00pm to 10:00pm (CST)
Place: The Hills Church, 6300 NE 820, North Richland, TX 76180
Organized By: Genocide Survivors Association in DFW
Dress code: All black- Business Formal

8. Title: Kwibuka 29: Remember-Unite-Renew
Date: May 13, 2023, 2:00pm to 5:00pm (PST)
Place: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 955 NW 173^rd Avenue, Beaverton, OR 97006.
Organized By: Rwandan Community of Oregon and IBUKA

Kind Regards,
Jacqueline Murekatete Esq.
Founder, Genocide Survivors Foundation
www.genocidesurvivorsfoundation.org
Telephone: 347-909-7220