Omar Ndizeye, author of “Life and Death in Nyamata: Memoir of a Young Boy in Rwanda’s Darkest Church,” came to speak at Keene State for the 2023 Genocide Awareness Lecture.
As a 10-year-old, Ndizeye grew up in turbulent Rwanda at the face of a genocide against the Tutsi people.
Ndizeye came to speak about memory and culture. Throughout the lecture, he described how his people remember the genocide and how they expressed themselves post-genocide.
“Culture is an invisible driving factor of memorization,” Ndizeye said.
The Rwandan people created memorials and symbols to remember the genocide, and expressed themselves through their language.
Ndizeye said how language is a big form of expression for the Rwandan people, whether it is through writing or through singing.
Senior Peter Graney said he found it fascinating how Ndizeye described the differences between western memorials and traditional Rwanda memorials.
“It was interesting to think about how you can find a bridge between the two and not forget one side and have valid representation on the other side,” Graney said.
Before the lecture, Graney had the opportunity to sit down and have dinner with Ndizeye through the Holocaust and Genocide Studies program.
“I think it was only supposed to go for an hour and we were there till like 8:30 at night, fantastic,” Graney said.
Graney said he finds Ndizeye very insightful and appreciates that he focuses on the hope of the situations. Oftentimes after class he said him and his classmates all ask, “Where do we go?” and Ndizeye helped with that.
Dr. Kate DeConinck, director of the Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, said through an email sent to The Equinox, “I think that part of the value of Omar’s visit, though, was that he focused not only on the violence and killing itself but also the aftermath.”
She continued, “How do societies memorialize their dead and try to heal from deep social ruptures? What can restorative justice look like in the wake of genocide? How can we apply lessons from Rwanda to become more active and informed citizens in our lives today?”
Keene State has been holding lectures for Genocide Awarness Month every year since 1998, according to DeConinck.
“Our hope at the Cohen Center is that events like those that we hosted with Omar this month are just the start of longer conversations for our campus and community,” DeConinck said.
Tim Bruns can be contacted at
tbruns@kscequinox.com
