Dickinson President and Rwandan Ambassador Discuss 25th Anniversary of Rwandan Genocide
Panelists (from left): President Margee M. Ensign, Ambassador Mathilde Mukantabana, Jean-Pierre Karegeye, Nelly Teta Ntwali '22.
Panel looks at Rwanda's recovery and success
Twenty-five years after more than one million people were murdered in one of the 20th century’s most brutal and shocking genocides, Dickinson College will host a panel discussion on Rwanda’s remarkable recovery and success in the years following the tragedy. The panel discussion, “Rwanda at 25,” will take place Monday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. in the Anita Tuvin Schlechter (ATS) Auditorium.
In the words of Rwandan President Paul Kagame: "In 1994 there was no hope, only darkness. Today, light radiates from this place. How did it happen? Rwanda became a family again." The 100 days of torture that marked the Rwandan genocide are thought of as one of the darkest chapters in recent history, yet the recovery process has made Rwanda a stronger nation than before.
Panelists discussed this new Rwandan “family,” how Rwanda achieved this remarkable recovery and what we can all learn from its successes in recent years.
Panelists:
- Margee M. Ensign is the 29th president of Dickinson College. She is the former president of the American University of Nigeria, where she also led the Adamawa Peace Initiative (API), composed of religious and community leaders. She is a well-respected scholar on development, Africa and genocide, and she is the author of seven books, including Rwanda: History and Hope, and co-editor of Confronting Genocide: Dehumanization, Denial and Strategies for Prevention.
- Mathilde Mukantabana is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Rwanda to the United States of America and nonresident Ambassador to Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. Prior to this position, she was a tenured professor of history at Cosumnes River College in California. She is also co-founder and president of Friends of Rwanda Association, a nonprofit American relief organization created after the 1994 genocide.
- Jean-Pierre Karegeye, serving as moderator, is a visiting scholar in philosophy at Dickinson College. His research focuses on genocide, religious violence and child soldiering. He has co-authored six books and journals and more than 50 articles, including Children in Armed Conflicts.
- Nelly Teta Ntwali ’22 is an international business & management and political science double major at Dickinson College. She is from Rwanda, born in the post-genocide generation. On campus, Teta is involved in Trendsetters; Multi-Organizational Board (MOB); Black Student Union (BSU). She also serves as a liaison for the Women of Color Summit and as a resident advisor.
This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues.
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Published November 25, 2019