TORONTO, January 11, 2008 -- In memory of the 1994 Rwanda genocide, York University will host a conference January 14-17 to commemorate Rwanda’s darkest days, while examining the causes of the humanitarian tragedy and exploring preventative measures.
“It is a well-known fact that the international community failed Rwanda then, and so one would think that in the wake of the genocide, a lot of soul-searching would have gone on in the hearts and heads of major global players,” says Ruth Kambali, a fourth-year student in York’s School of Nursing in the Faculty of Health, conference organizer and a native of Rwanda.
“However, flashpoints around the African continent, particularly the dire situation in Darfur, Sudan, seem to indicate that the important lesson of stepping in before a crisis evolves into a catastrophe is still not being heeded by the international community,” says Kambali.
Kambali hopes the conference will motivate people to recommit to the intervention of genocide throughout the world by advocating for voiceless people, and help to bring to justice those who are found guilty of the Rwanda genocide.
“A proactive world is the only way we can honour the victims of the Rwandan genocide,” says Kambali.
“Lest we forget: Conference on Rwanda Genocide” will feature experts who will address four distinctive themes about the genocide. The featured themes and speakers are:
n Remember Rwanda: a representative from the Embassy of Rwanda in Ottawa.
n To Intervene or Not: Egide Karuranga, a professor from Virginia State University and a survivor of the Rwanda genocide; Peter Penz, a York professor in the Faculty of Environmental Studies.
n Politics of Reconciliation: Gerald Caplan, a scholar of African history at the University of Toronto who has done extensive research into the Rwanda genocide and is author of Rwanda: The Preventive Genocide; Fatuma Ndangiza, Executive Secretary of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission of Rwanda; Barbara Coloroso, an internationally-recognized speaker and parenting expert with several bestselling books to her credit, including her most recent publication, Extraordinary Evil: Why Genocide Happens.
n Healing Rwanda: Nancy Johnston, a professor in York’s School of Nursing in the Faculty of Health; PhD candidate Regine King of the University of Toronto and a native of Rwanda; Lily Yeh, an American artist and founder of Barefoot Artists Inc., an arts organization based in Philadelphia which uses the power of art to transform impoverished communities.
The event also spotlights a variety of cultural activities, including a performance by well-known Montreal comic book author Rupert Bazambanza, who is a Rwanda genocide survivor. As well, there will be an exhibition of genocide survivors’ stories.
WHAT: Lest we forget: Conference on Rwanda Genocide
WHEN: January 14 – 17, 2008
WHERE: Founders Assembly Hall, Rm. 152, Founders College, York University, 4700 Keele St., Toronto
INFO: Conference program http://www.yorku.ca/mcl/
York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 200,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 11 faculties and 24 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.
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Media Contact:
Ruth Kambali, Conference Organizer, 647 869 1776 / uwizeyek@yorku.ca
Mary-Lou Schagena, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 x22686 / schagena@yorku.ca
