Rwanda, 20 years later -- in photos and memories
USD's exhibit explores horrifying saga, yet survivors see a glimmer of hope
By Peter Rowe 04:55p.m. Apr 25, 2014

When the Rwandan genocide began in April 1994, Eugene Gatari lived
near Lake Victoria in neighboring Uganda. He was miles from the
slaughter, yet the slaughter came to him.
"Bodies were being thrown into rivers," he remembered, "and then the
bodies were flowing into Lake Victoria."
After organizing truckloads of food, medicine and other supplies for
survivors, Gatari traveled to Rwanda and descended into despair.
"It was a very, very bad moment," he said. "Even for those who
survived, there was no hope."
Twenty years later, Gatari and other witnesses to this tragedy are in
San Diego for an exhibit at the University of San Diego.
"Rwanda, 1994-2014: Seven Photographers," which opened Thursday and
continues through June 6, raises thorny questions about our capacity
for violence and forgiveness. While the images explore a horrifying
chapter in world history, survivors say the galleries offer glimmers
of that elusive quality, hope.
"This is very important," said Gatari, now a fellow at Harvard's
Kennedy School for Public Policy. "The fact that I can see these
pictures shows me that somebody cares."
"It's good to remember," said Dida Nibagwire, a Rwandan actress who
lost family members in the genocide. "If people are reminded that this
happened, people will learn a lesson from that."
"Rwanda, 1994-2014: Seven Photographers"
Where: Fine Art Galleries, Joan B. Kroc Institute of Peace & Justice,
University of San Diego
When: Now through June 6; Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, noon
to 5 p.m.; Thursday, noon to 6 p.m.; closed Saturday and Sunday
Admission: Free
Information: (619) 260-7618
Hanging over the exhibit, though, is a sobering question: Has that
lesson been learned well enough?
Philip Lancaster, a retired Canadian colonel who had served with the
United Nations peacekeeping force in Rwanda, notes rising ethnic
violence in south Sudan and the Central African Republic. Could it
happen again?
"It's already happening," he said.
'What happened?'
Many accounts say the Rwandan genocide occurred over 100 days. From
April 7 through mid-July 1994, between 500,000 and 1 million people
were murdered — most victims were Tutsis, a minority tribe in Rwanda,
while most of the killers came from the majority Hutu tribe.
In fact, this tragedy's roots are more tangled, involving 19th century
colonial politics, long-standing rivalries, simmering resentments,
revolution and civil war.
The aftermath, too, has been complicated. Over a 10-year period, more
than 2 million people appeared before community tribunals known as
gacaca, charged with numerous crimes; 75 appeared before the
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, where 47 were convicted.
These hearings, especially the local gacaca sessions, helped bind this
society's wounds. Victims were able to face their tormentors and tell
their tales.
"Significant progress was made in dealing out justice," said Daniel
Bekele, an Ethiopian who directs Human Rights Watch's Africa Division.
"But there are still a number of perpetrators at large."
Some of those took shelter in nearby countries, where they have raised
troops and launched attacks on camps that harbor uprooted Rwandans.
This in turn prompted the new Rwandan government to send troops into
Zaire, slaughtering suspected collaborators.
"The people involved had held back revenge for so long," Lancaster
said, "at a certain point they lost control."
Vengeance, though, has been surprisingly rare.
"The level of forgiveness that people show — that's just taught me so
much about human nature," said Paige Stoyer, one of the photographers
whose work is shown here. "People live next to perpetrators. I don't
know how they do it."
One reason so few struck back, in Gatari's view: conscience.
"We didn't want to be like that," he said.
Nibagwire cited another inhibiting factor: shock.
"People were traumatized," the actress said. "They would ask, 'What
just happened?' It took time to realize what happened."
State of shock
Some of this confusion is reflected in the exhibit. In the work of
Robert Lyons, Rwandans stare straight at the camera. Some of these
people are murderers; others lost loved ones in the bloodbath. Lyons
doesn't tell us which is which, yet all appear haunted.
In the aftermath of the genocide, Rwanda was a haunted land,
struggling to reclaim the trappings of normal life.
"You would go into little settlements and find one or two people
walking around in a state of shock," Lancaster said. "And yet at the
end of September, you would find schools open and children attending,
even if there were no teachers."
After fleeing her native land to save her life, Nibagwire was also
eager for peace and its mundane routines. Returned to Rwanda, she
founded a drama troupe in 2006. On stage, Art For Peace regularly
explores the theme of reconciliation. Offstage, the director found
herself responsible for — and responsive to — people from varied
backgrounds.
"That's where I started thinking outside myself," Nibagwire said.
"What about this boy who has both parents in prison for life? Because
of what they did, other people see him as a killer."
Not Nibagwire, whose company welcomes such children.
Her country faces challenges, she said, and there's still tensions and
misunderstandings. But there's something else: hope that Rwanda can
move beyond its tragic past.
"I talk to people," she said, "and they feel, after 20 years, yes, we
can do it."
http://m.utsandiego.com/news/2014/apr/25/rwanda-20-years-photo/
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