Why We Need To Learn From History

I RECENTLY returned from two weeks in Rwanda, where 13 years ago neighbour turned against neighbour in one of the 20th century’s worst genocides.

In 100 Days of Terror, almost a million Rwandans were massacred. Post-genocide, Rwandans have had to learn how to live together in peace once more.This is a complex and multi-faceted process, involving both international tribunals (in Arusha, Tanzania) and local community Gacaca (literally, “judgments on the grass” – traditional Rwandan courts that have been adapted to try accused perpetrators).There are also many self-help organizations of survivors – mostly widows and orphans, many of whom are also infected with HIV.Still, there is no escaping the carnage.For many, the scars, physical and mental, are still fresh.But Rwanda’s leadership believes that their country’s future depends on confronting and learning from the past.Thus, memorials dot the roadside.I visited several – some contain little more than the names of those who were killed nearby.Others contain mass graves, with more remains added annually as new construction around the country continues to unearth additional bodies.In some of the most hard-hitting sites, however, the skulls and bones remain exposed for all to see – many are cracked and broken with metal pokes skill sticking out at odd angles.In Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, a museum and educational centre has been constructed, alongside a recently inaugurated memorial forest and 17 mass graves containing the remains of almost 260 000 people.What is remarkable for Namibians is that on the second floor of this centre, there is a permanent exhibit describing Genocide throughout the 20th Century – beginning with Namibia’s experience in 1904-1905 in the war against the Herero and Nama people.The exhibit goes on to highlight the Armenian Massacres, the European Holocaust during World War II, the killing fields of Cambodia, and ethnic cleansing in the Balkans.The exhibit is not about casting blame, but it is about confronting truth.Walking through this exhibit, you can’t help but realise: If we don’t understand and learn from our past, reconciliation will never happen.In Rwanda, the Kigali Memorial Centre was constructed with the help of the government and an international NGO called Aegis Trust (www.aegitrst.org).Many local people participated in the design and construction of the Centre.Surely, we could find a way to do something similar.Twice I returned to the exhibit on Namibia.There are two long walls filled with our history, with photographs.How come this exists in Rwanda, and not in our own country? Don’t we also need to acknowledge our own past in Namibia, and teach these same lessons to our own children? School groups come daily to the Kigali Memorial Centre in order to learn about peace, non-violence, and mutual respect.We would do well to do well with the same in our country.This learning is needed by – and for – all of us.Lucy Y Steinitz WindhoekPost-genocide, Rwandans have had to learn how to live together in peace once more.This is a complex and multi-faceted process, involving both international tribunals (in Arusha, Tanzania) and local community Gacaca (literally, “judgments on the grass” – traditional Rwandan courts that have been adapted to try accused perpetrators).There are also many self-help organizations of survivors – mostly widows and orphans, many of whom are also infected with HIV.Still, there is no escaping the carnage.For many, the scars, physical and mental, are still fresh.But Rwanda’s leadership believes that their country’s future depends on confronting and learning from the past.Thus, memorials dot the roadside.I visited several – some contain little more than the names of those who were killed nearby.Others contain mass graves, with more remains added annually as new construction around the country continues to unearth additional bodies.In some of the most hard-hitting sites, however, the skulls and bones remain exposed for all to see – many are cracked and broken with metal pokes skill sticking out at odd angles.In Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, a museum and educational centre has been constructed, alongside a recently inaugurated memorial forest and 17 mass graves containing the remains of almost 260 000 people.What is remarkable for Namibians is that on the second floor of this centre, there is a permanent exhibit describing Genocide throughout the 20th Century – beginning with Namibia’s experience in 1904-1905 in the war against the Herero and Nama people.The exhibit goes on to highlight the Armenian Massacres, the European Holocaust during World War II, the killing fields of Cambodia, and ethnic cleansing in the Balkans.The exhibit is not about casting blame, but it is about confronting truth.Walking through this exhibit, you can’t help but realise: If we don’t understand and learn from our past, reconciliation will never happen.In Rwanda, the Kigali Memorial Centre was constructed with the help of the government and an international NGO called Aegis Trust (www.aegitrst.org).Many local people participated in the design and construction of the Centre.Surely, we could find a way to do something similar.Twice I returned to the exhibit on Namibia.There are two long walls filled with our history, with photographs.How come this exists in Rwanda, and not in our own country? Don’t we also need to acknowledge our own past in Namibia, and teach these same lessons to our own children? School groups come daily to the Kigali Memorial Centre in order to learn about peace, non-violence, and mutual respect.We would do well to do well with the same in our country.This learning is needed by – and for – all of us.Lucy Y Steinitz Windhoek