The Rwandan Genocide:Looking back #3

April 7th is a poigant day in Rwandan minds. The wieght of history is somehow tackled on this day which commemorates (if that is the word) the beginning of genocide in the small Central African country. How could such a thing happen so quickly. How could people commit such crimes against people who basically look like them. It is on this day that Rwandans look back on this historic explosion of murder.

Today marks 15 years to the day when evil reigned in Rwanda. Today we dedicate to those lost. Let us respect their memories by taking a moment, saying a prayer or somehow acknowledging their lives lost in vain.

"THE TALE of what happened during those dark days in Rwanda must be told again and again and again, not out of a morbid desire for gruesome tales, but out of concern that the innoocent dead should continuously sear the memories of the living. Only then can "never again" cease to be an empty cry....It is important that we remember, for not only does collective memory contribute to the healing that comes with shared pain, but it also gives hope that the world will remember and avoisd the pitfalls of yesteryear." Dr. Richard Sezibera, Rwandan ambassador to the United States.

Lest we forget Rwanda, here is a humble dedication to the dead:

The dust settled,
The sun has set, Oh Rwanda what a day it was.
Men killed men, neighbor betrayed neighbors, colleagues stabbed each other in the back,
All for a hate, constructed by few.
The devil had his way,
Our senses impaired, for the cries of the children the world did not hear:
Lost husbands,
Lost uncles,
Lost mothers and lost children,
The world stood by, as the killers went nuts.
A genocide they now call it, but what of then?
The orphans are teens and young adults now,
the adults are older, burdened by a history of bloodshed and hate,
Rwanda how could we ever forget.
Today we mourn the dead, for the indignity of their fate,
The devil had his way but we refuse to forget.
Rest in peace.