Can a Sad Anniversary Lead to a Happy Future?

Ten years ago this month, in a small African nation the size of the state of Maryland, a civil war broke out that killed one million people within 100 days and forced another two million to flee. Rwanda's (rue-on-da) tragedy is not over, not simply a sorrowful fact of history. Hundreds of thousands of young people-who were children in 1994, now teenagers and young adults-live scattered around the world with the scars of the carnage. Some are scarred physically, having survived machete attacks, bullet wounds, and beatings. All are scarred emotionally, having seen parents, brothers, sisters, other relatives and friends murdered.

In a recent television report, a young woman now 16 and living in Australia, told how she was hiding with other members of her village in a church when soldiers burst in and opened fire. When the shooting stopped, the soldiers poked around the piles of bodies with machetes, hacking to death any one who was still alive. Sensing the danger, the wounded six year old nestled under the dead and bloody bodies around her and held her breath. Passed over for dead, she lay there motionless until dark, when she was able to crawl away and seek help.

Perhaps because Rwanda is not rich in oil or other substances that the modern world deems valuable, perhaps because Rwanda is in Africa and its people are black, or maybe because Rwanda is not considered "vital" to the political and economic interests of other nations, no foreign government acted ten years ago to stop the bloodshed, and instead let the civil war drown itself out.

Today, foreign aid to the country and its refugees is practically nonexistent. Donations can be made through Catholic Relief Services though: For more information, go to www.catholicrelief.org.

The human spirit is not so easily destroyed. A truth and reconciliation movement in Rwanda grows stronger with each passing day. Survivors want to heal thier anger and sorrow by searching for the truth about the past, and making amends whenever possible. And young Rwandans the world over are telling their stories, most notably by forming choirs and giving concerts that sing their sad story as well as their courage and hope.

The historian and philosopher George Santyana once said, "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." The young, scarred (not scared!) survivors of Rwanda call us to remember, so that a sad anniversary can lead to a happy future.

Catholic Connections

"The people of Rwanda have a daunting task rebuilding a society based on truth, justice, reconciliation and peace. We, too, have a daunting task. We must come to terms with the fact that our nation, and other nations, failed in our moral and legal obligation to stop the genocide in Rwanda. 'Never again!' cannot be just a slogan; it must be a statement of our resolve to do all that we can to prevent and stop genocidal conflicts. If 'Never again!' is a statement of resolve, memory of Rwanda, Bosnia, Cambodia, and other recent cases must stir us to act today in places like the Dufur region of Sudan (in Africa), where the same threat exists."
Bishop John H. Ricard, SSJ, chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on International Policy, April 7, 2004.

Reflection Questions

Take a minute to find out more about the current situation in the Sudan by visiting the Catholic Relief Services website .

What is one thing that you or your group can do to help make sure that what happened in Rwanda 10 years ago won't happen in the Sudan today?

Join us in our Forum to discuss these questions!