{{Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda in Ankara, HE Caesar Kayizari}}
6 February 2014
Official Launch of Kwibuka20
Ankara, Turkey
{{Government Representatives
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Greetings}}.
Firstly, I would like to thank you for joining us today to launch Kwibuka20 with the Embassy of Rwanda in Turkey. It is the beginning of a journey of remembrance in this year of 2014 that marks the 20th commemoration, an important occasion to remember the lives that were lost, show solidarity with survivors and unite to ensure that it never happens again – in Rwanda or anywhere else in the world. It is also a chance to share our history of reconciliation and nation building with the world.
This year, Rwanda seeks to remember, as a nation, our vision of a better future for all Rwandans and what we need to do to achieve this goal. Activities for the twentieth commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi formally begun in Kigali on 7 January. A dedicated website www.kwibuka.rw was launched as a resource designed to enable anyone, anywhere in the world, to engage in commemoration-related activities and organise their own events.
All Rwandan Embassies around the world are engaged in similar activities as this one here today in Ankara. Activities such as public lectures, conferences, and workshops will commemorate, for the 20th time, a genocide in which more than a million men, women and children were murdered in one hundred days.
This 20th commemoration is a time to pause in our work of building a prosperous and secure future in order to look back with honesty and to ensure that the legacy of genocide is faced with dignity. Then we can look forward with a deepened understanding.
“Remember – Unite – Renew” this is our guiding theme for this year’s commemoration. Remembrance, unity and a shared future is for everyone Rwandan and this has enabled all Rwandans to live and work together in dignity. Remembrance and unity provide a preventative weapon against violence and denial. Truth lights the ways from darkness, bringing clarity and positive visions for the future.
For the survivors, dignity comes when their stories and experiences are witnessed and believed. Truth telling honours the victims and the survivors.
This 20th commemoration is a time for those who have not yet told their stories to step out of silence and find their voice and share with others and to find dignity in doing so. It is a time to establish the memory of genocide and combat its ideology, negationism and revisionism. It is a time to remember together and to hold each other in our knowledge of the past and in our shared commitment to a common future.
Over the past 20 years survivors have become stronger and more forward looking. During this year’s planned commemorative activities we honour survivors and the country with truth. We commit to a society in which survivors are provided with the dignity, the recognition, and the assistance that they need in order to continue their healing and to work together with all Rwandans to shape a bright future.
It is our responsibility as human beings to remember the victims as the entire humanity diminishes whenever a human being’s live is lost.
We also remember to make sure that genocide NEVER occurs AGAIN anywhere. “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Edmond Burke.
Nothing in life is wasted if we can learn from it, Rwanda and Rwandans have learnt their lesson. One million lives is a high price to pay for any lesson in life. The lessons and legacy of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi have yet to be fully grasped mainly because the perpetrators and their apologists try to dispute the basic facts.
As we remember, honour our people and bow in prayer for them – as we remember the pain and grief, we should with the same spirit stand strong and confidently declare that this will not happen again. We should convert our grief into strength and determination to build a better future that Rwanda deserves. We have the capability in us to do this – we should make this a culture and protect the memory of the victims by exposing all those with the genocide ideology.
Honourable guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased to take this opportunity to tell you that, even though we are here to commemorate for the 20th time the victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, the country has undergone a huge transformation;
Today, Rwanda has a voice on the international stage and enjoys respect among the nations of the world. All Rwandans, in Rwanda and abroad, now have a sense of pride and dignity in being Rwandan. This is mainly because Rwanda is today a country that is based on sound principles.
Among these principles we can single out: fighting genocide ideology, promoting national unity, eradicating sectarianism , giving Rwandans equal rights and opportunities, power-sharing, building democracy based on different ideas and opinions and the right of choice, the rule of law, and a firm development vision that must be implemented as quickly as possible.
There can be no doubt that Rwanda has made good progress in all key areas in the last twenty years. Our country has a vision (Vision 2020) and a programme for creating wealth (EDPRS one and two) that are the catalysts of sustainable development.
We now have security throughout the whole country. Rwandans and foreigners can go about their business without fear.
We owe all these developments to good governance that has taken root in our country. Through decentralisation, services have been brought closer to the people. Rwandans have a bigger role in choosing their own leaders and a say in programmes intended for them. Regular, free and peaceful elections are now part of Rwandan culture, as are accountability and transparency. Leaders must present to citizens their programmes for evaluation!
Honourable guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
After the Genocide we had to restore the security and unity of Rwandans. Orphans and widows needed protection. The sick, wounded and traumatised needed special attention. We had to get the economy back on its feet. We had to rebuild schools, hospitals and other infrastructure.
In addition, we had to restore the justice system and end the culture of impunity. In short, we had to start the country afresh. Some thought Rwanda would never be a viable country again because; all reconstruction efforts had to start from scratch.
But now, Rwanda’s economy continues to grow. In the last few years, our GDP has been growing at an average rate of 7% annually. Revenue collection has also increased so that it now stands at more than half of our national budget – this means Rwanda can look forward to a near future when it will be self-sufficient.
Annual per capita income is now more than US $650. We are now self-sufficient in food production and even have excess for the market. Famine, which had become chronic in some parts of the country, has been eradicated.
Infrastructure has improved significantly, including roads, availability of clean water and electricity. The number of Rwandans with access to clean water has risen from 41% in 2003 to 80% today.
The number of Rwandan and foreign investors also continues to increase, providing jobs, contributing more revenue and building the nation in general. We have adopted strategies to protect our environment, natural resources and tourist attraction sites, which have led to an ever growing number of tourists visiting Rwanda every year. For instance, last year, we received about 680,000 tourists who contributed US $250 million to our economy.
There are now more schools for Rwandan children at every stage of their education, all with better materials, books and equipment. This is a fundamental step toward the building of a knowledge based economy.
Honourable guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Coming back to why we are gathered here tonight, the reconstruction of Rwanda and the level of development achievements so far, have been possible because Rwanda and Rwandans understood the supreme necessity to work together as one people.
Rwanda is committed to finding solutions to the survivors of the Genocide against the Tutsi, harmony and peace between Rwandans.
And in the spirit of Never again to Genocide, Rwanda participates actively in peace support operations worldwide as a United Nations troop and police contributing country. We currently have more than 4000 soldiers and over 380 Police officers in both Sudan and South Sudan and more than 540 Police peacekeepers serving in different UN missions in Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Chad and Haiti. Our recent deployment was last week where 850 Rwandan soldiers were sent to help restore peace in Central Africa Republic.
The genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda was possible because we tolerated hate speech, unaccountability, ethnic manipulation and the inaction of international community at that time. And now 20 years later there are people and groups who made carriers in denying the Genocide against the Tutsi and advocate for its ideology just to feed their political aspirations. This must not be tolerated.
In order to understand the lessons of the genocide we must understand why it happened, we cannot look at the results. We must learn to spot the signs and symptoms of a problem. We should never let things escalate when we see the signs.
As my Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs put it in her last month speech: Kwibuka20 is a time to join in solemn remembrance, to reflect on the past twenty years, and to turn our attention to the challenges that lie ahead. It is a time to recommit ourselves to the simple but powerful idea: Never Again. Not just for Rwanda, but for the world. But for Never Again to be a reality – and not just words — Never Forget must also be our creed.
We must never forget what happened here, and why. We must never forget how the world stood by, capable of intervening to prevent or reduce the slaughter, but unwilling to do so. We must never forget the million lives lost, the countless lives destroyed.
We cannot escape the past, and we should not try. We are bound to our history but, with honest and compassionate reflection, we are not bound to repeat it. In fact, it is only in memory can we find the seeds of renewal.
Thank you for your kind attention.
Source:{Kwibuka.rw}
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