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| Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, third from left, and Rwandan Ambassador to Korea Yasmin Amri Sued, fourth from left, pay silent tribute during Kwibuka 29, an event honoring the victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, at the War Memorial of Korea, central Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Embassy of Rwanda in Korea |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
The Embassy of Rwanda in Seoul held a ceremony, Friday, to remember the victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.
Over 200 guests, including some 60 diplomats and members of the Rwandan community here, attended the event held at the War Memorial of Korea in central Seoul.
In 2003, the United Nations designated April 7 as the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. In Rwanda, the day is observed as Genocide Memorial Day under the name "Kwibuka," which means "to remember" in the Rwandan language of Kinyarwanda. This year's memorial day was called Kwibuka 29, marking the number of years that have passed since the genocide.
Rwandan Ambassador to Korea Yasmin Amri Sued expressed her gratitude to all of the attendees at the Kwibuka 29 event, with a special mention of Egide Gatari, who spoke at the beginning of the ceremony about the significance of remembrance and creating a safer world for future generations.
Ambassador Sued also shared the history that led to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and the importance of combatting hate speech and genocide ideology. She concluded by thanking young Rwandans and Koreans who came to the event and showed their understanding of the significance of remembrance.
This year, former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon attended the event to reaffirm the UN's commitment to "never again" let genocides happen.
"Over the past 29 years, Rwandans have demonstrated strong resilience in overcoming the greatest tragedies and, in the process, have inspired the rest of the world," Ban said.
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| Ambassador of Rwanda to Korea Yasmin Amri Sued delivers a speech during Kwibuka 29, an event honoring the victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, at the War Memorial of Korea, central Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Embassy of Rwanda in Korea |
Park Yong-min, Korea's Deputy Minister of Multilateral and Global Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, conveyed Korea's commitment to work with Rwanda and the world toward a better future by learning from the lessons of the genocide given the shared experiences of the two countries.
"As a country with similar experiences and foundations, Korea will work side by side with Rwanda and the world toward a better future by achieving what Kwibuka teaches us," Park said.
The Rwandan embassy here said the Kwibuka commemoration is an opportunity to remember the past as well as to reflect on the present and the future.
"(We) hope that this commemoration will inspire a continued commitment to peace and reconciliation, not only in Rwanda but also around the world," the embassy said in a statement.
The genocide occurred in Rwanda between April and July of 1994, caused by ethnic tensions between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority, aggravated by political and economic factors.
Rwanda made efforts to recover from the violence and political instability and achieve national reconciliation and is now regarded as one of the safest and fastest-growing countries in Africa.
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