Rwandan students on campus would like to invite members of the campus community to the University of Arkansas Rwanda Awareness Week. Various programs will be held between April 7 and April 14 during the Rwanda Awareness Week at several locations and times. All students, faculty, and staff are invited to join Rwandan students to raise awareness and think about the 1994 genocide, peace and reconciliation.
Denis Rugira, a student from Rwanda said, "Together with other Rwandan students, we would like to raise awareness about Rwanda through the Awareness Week programs. We hope to share insights on how Rwanda is recovering from its gruesome past and how other communities can learn from the Rwandan story."
The country under great leadership has put various efforts to rebuild the nation into a peace loving society. One of those efforts is a commemoration period during the month of April. "Never Forget, Never Again" is the theme that has been echoed throughout these annual commemorations.
Rwanda Awareness Week will kick off with a movie screening at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 7, of "As We Forgive," a powerful and inspiring documentary movie, in Giffels Auditorium in Old Main. Laura Waters Hinson, director of the movie, will be at the program, and she will have a dialogue session with the audience.
Holcombe Geography Series Rwanda is scheduled for 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, in Holcombe International Living Learning Community. Two Rwandan students will conduct a country presentation.
Another program is Walk to Remember on Thursday, April 14 which will start from Holcombe Hall at 12:30 p.m. and walk around campus together to show unity. Walk to Remember is a series of activities created to unite the international community and empower the youth to take action against genocide. It originally started in Rwanda and has been spreading to other countries around the world. UA students from Rwanda decided to bring the program to the campus. All students, faculty and staff are invited to walk to remember victims of genocide worldwide and to empower and engage local communities worldwide to stand against the divisive ideology that can lead to genocide.
Finally, a photo exhibition, Through the Eyes of Children: The Rwanda Project, will be displayed from Thursday April 7 until Friday, April 29, at the Mullins Library. It is a project of continuing photographic workshops for children who live at the Imbabazi Orphanage in Mutura, Rwanda. Provided with cameras and a chance to express themselves through photography, the children's work is visually stunning and informative, providing the viewer with a window into their lives.
Jeffery Bagirimvano, computer specialist in the Career Development Center and who is originally from Rwanda, says, "It is exciting to see Rwandan students taking their time and efforts to implement those events. We look forward to sharing the beautiful country and its history with the U of A community. We hope to see as many people as possible at these programs."
-Article from University of Arkansas Newswire, http://newswire.uark.edu/article.aspx?id=15872
