{"id":53794,"date":"2025-04-09T09:59:44","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T09:59:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/carl-wilkens-reflects-on-rwanda-s-rise-from-the-1994-genocide-against-the-tutsi\/"},"modified":"2025-04-09T10:12:54","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T10:12:54","slug":"carl-wilkens-reflects-on-rwanda-s-rise-from-the-1994-genocide-against-the-tutsi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/carl-wilkens-reflects-on-rwanda-s-rise-from-the-1994-genocide-against-the-tutsi\/","title":{"rendered":"Carl Wilkens reflects on Rwanda\u2019s rise from ashes of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>He shared his reflections during the 31st commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, held on April 7, 2025, by Rwandans and friends of Rwanda in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>Wilkens highlighted Rwanda\u2019s extraordinary efforts to seek its own solutions for justice and healing, pointing to community-based initiatives like Gacaca courts that were instrumental in fostering reconciliation in a deeply divided society.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGacaca and other conflict resolution methods focused on understanding the consequences of what happened and its impact, so that citizens could collectively engage in the healing process. It was not about revenge or retribution,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Wilkens emphasized the accountability shown by many Rwandans and how it demonstrated a national resolve to transform.<\/p>\n<p>At the event, Troy Fitrell, representing the U.S. State Department, expressed his country\u2019s commitment to supporting Rwanda\u2019s pursuit of justice and warned against the dangers of genocide denial and hate speech.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe reject any and all efforts to distort history for political gain. Specifically, we fully denounce any attempts to deny or downplay the Genocide against the Tutsi,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n<p>He called on those who spread hateful rhetoric to redirect their efforts toward promoting peace rather than sowing division and inciting violence.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-85298 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/06-audience-b3c02.jpg\" alt=\"The 31st commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi was held on April 7, 2025 by Rwandans and friends of Rwanda in the United States.\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>Immacul\u00e9e Ilibagiza, a survivor of the genocide, gave a personal testimony and emphasized the importance of forgiveness.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSince surviving the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, I\u2019ve made it my mission to remind people that hatred is dangerous. I am living proof that where love is absent, people will torture and kill their neighbors. That\u2019s where discrimination begins,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Nicole Karekezi, President of IBUKA-USA, stressed the importance of using the correct terminology when referring to the genocide.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is the Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, as recognized by the United Nations. It\u2019s not \u2018violence in Africa,\u2019 nor \u2018ethnic conflict,\u2019 and certainly not \u2018genocide against Tutsi, Hutu, and Twa.\u2019 Such mislabeling distorts the truth and reopens our wounds,\u201d she asserted.<\/p>\n<p>Rwanda\u2019s Ambassador to the U.S., Mathilde Mukantabana, noted that remembering the genocide againt the Tutsi is a responsibility for all humanity, not just survivors.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, U.S. Congressman Tim Welberg commended Rwanda\u2019s development as a symbol of hope, forgiveness, and resilience.<\/p>\n<p>Commemoration activities for the 31st anniversary of the Genocide against the Tutsi will continue in various U.S. cities, organized in collaboration between Rwandan communities and friends of Rwanda.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-85297 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/07-carl_wilkens-07afd.jpg\" alt=\"Carl Wilkens is the only American who remained in Rwanda during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-85299 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/08-congressman_tim_welberg-4e4bb.jpg\" alt=\"A member of the United States Congress, Tim Welberg, spoke about how the Genocide was intended to completely wipe out the Tutsi had it not been God&#039;s intervention. \" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-85300 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/11-immaculee_ilibagiza-5b142.jpg\" alt=\"Immacul\u00e9e Ilibagiza, a survivor of the genocide, gave a personal testimony and emphasized the importance of forgiveness.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-85301 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/04-ms__nicole_karekezi-0c14b.jpg\" alt=\"Nicole Karekezi, President of IBUKA-USA, stressed the importance of using the correct terminology when referring to the genocide.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-85303 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/05-ambassador_troy_fitrell-dcfe7.jpg\" alt=\"Troy Fitrell, representing the U.S. State Department, expressed his country\u2019s commitment to supporting Rwanda\u2019s pursuit of justice and warned against the dangers of genocide denial and hate speech.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-85302 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/03-kwibuka_31_pic_5-8a012.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Carl Wilkens, the only American who remained in Rwanda during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, has expressed gratitude for the country\u2019s remarkable recovery from complete devastation. He praised Rwanda\u2019s significant progress in fostering national unity and reconciliation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":135,"featured_media":2000085296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[75],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-53794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-homenews","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000085296,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-541.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-541.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-541.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-541.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-541.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-541.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/135"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53794\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000085296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53794"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=53794"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=53794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}