You might be thinking I have somehow gotten myself into trouble, and given my exuberant personality, your thinking is not far fetched especially considering I am a traveler in a foreign land, but the trial this day does not include me. Today, I will merely be an observer of history in the making, living history going on at this very moment, at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. This trial, known as the ICTR, run by the United Nations, is about the atrocities that occurred to the people of Rwanda, by the people of Rwanda, back in 1994. It seems a lifetime ago, but to the survivors who live with the disfigurement, the loss of loved ones, and the damage, it was only yesterday. Our trip to Arusha is one more layer in the cross culturing that CCS is giving us in Tanzania.
In the spring of 1994, in the course of one hundred days, one million people were slaughtered with machetes and other crude weapons. The Hutu's obliterated the Tutsi's in an unbelievably short amount of time. How is this even possible? Surely it could only be through organization, advanced planning, and plenty of hate media, the kind that only a government would have the resources and the power to pull off. The United Nations Security Council created a Tribunal to judge the people in power responsible for the Rwandan Genocide, and decided to establish the proceedings in neighboring Tanzania, a peaceful country.
We pulled into the parking lot, and were told we must leave all belongings in the van. Photos would not be permitted and we would not be allowed to take anything inside with us to observe the trial. After some convincing pleading by us though, we were allowed to bring a pen and a note pad. We went through security, were given badges to wear that granted us entrance, and were led upstairs to Courtroom Two. An armed guard ushered us into a small room with a huge glass wall facing the judge, defendant and prosecutor. Headphones were placed on each chair for us to listen to what was happening ten feet away, on the other side of the glass. I had goose bumps all over my arms. I couldn't believe I was actually watching one of the most important trials in current history. How in the world did I get here? I am often amazed where the turns in my life have taken me. I had one of those "moments".
Court was already in session and they were prosecuting the Minister of Planning, Augustin Ngirabatware. The judge, William Sekule, was addressed as Mr. President instead of Your Honor, and the lawyers wore the black robes and white ruffled bib of an english court. The session operated in English, but Ngirabatware spoke French, and the transcriber kept asking for pauses for proper translation. They were asking Ngirabatware if he recognized a telegram he received on March 22, 1994. My first thought was, could I even remember what I was doing in March of ninety-four? Then I realized these events must be emblazoned on his mind, and surely he has thought about them every day since. The lawyer then passed out copies of a certain document to everyone, to prevent "shenanigans" from opposing counsel. We looked at each other and giggled, stopping abruptly the moment we realized they could see us through the glass as well. At that moment my pen ran out of ink. Damn, I forgot I was in Africa. The rule here is that if anything can go wrong, it most assuredly will, along with a million other things that couldn't possibly go wrong, but do. I had no other pen, because I didn't have my purse. I would have to rely on my memory. Uh oh.
Afterward, we were led out of the courtroom, and sent to a conference room where we were given information on the Tribunal and it's importance. Before now, if a country decided to obliterate it's own people, the world just had to put up with the carnage because those in charge of the country would say, 'this is our country, you have no say and we can do whatever we want'. With the creation of the Tribunal, all of the countries that make up the United Nations, in a united front, say 'No, we will not stand by and allow you to commit crimes against humanity. Genocide will no longer go unaccounted for globally.' Eighty-one people have been arrested, fifty-three trials have been completed, and eleven are hiding out on the run. As a result of this accountability in Arusha, there are Tribunals for other murdering countries, currently going on in Haige and the Netherlands. The message sent all over the world is this: no one is above the law.
The Tribunal was also the first to arrest and convict a Head of State, and it was the first time that rape was officially added as a part of war crimes. The ICTR has also collected a huge archive now from which we can learn how to prevent genocide in the future. Most importantly though, it has helped bring closure to the people of Rwanda, as they experience justice being meted out daily. The Tribunal established ten sites in Rwanda where the local people can go hear what has happened in court each day. They also began broadcasting the trial on radio not only in English and French, but in Kinyarwanda as well, for those in the villages. Hopefully the healing has begun.
When I got back to home base I went on the Internet and looked up Augustin Ngirabatware. His official charges are these:
Count 1- Conspiracy to Commit Genocide
Count 2- Genocide
Count 3- Complicity in Genocide
Count 4- Direct and Public Incitement to Commit Genocide
Count 5- Extermination as a Crime Against Humanity
Count 6- Rape as a Crime Against Humanity
Then I discovered he has a Doctorate in Economics and was formerly a professor at the National University of Rwanda before being appointed Minister of Planning. Geez, this is an intelligent man who was previously an educator. What are the steps that could take a human being from there to here? I decided at that moment, that I must go to Rwanda when I am finished at CCS to study this further.
Now I cannot abide ending a blog post on such a horrid note, so let me tell you about several amazing Africans who are building up humanity rather than tearing it down. First is a young man named Living, who after realizing the small children in his village were not being educated, started a school himself. He works for Pristine part-time, and CCS some as well, to support himself so he can run the school at a minimal cost to families. I wondered why I never saw him in the mornings, but it was because he was teaching class. Next is Daniel, who, while waiting to hear about test scores as he tries to get into med school, is volunteering at CCS for the semester. Daniel could be doing anything during this time, but has chosen to be a translator and assist the CCS teachers who go out every day into the classrooms where only Kiswahili is spoken. And finally, there is beautiful Cocaya. Cocaya is educated and certified to be a tour guide, one of the best paying professions in Tanzania, and she also knows sign language for the hearing impaired. She chooses to work for little pay and stay with her students at the deaf school, even though she helps to provide for her mother and siblings. "Who would help my friends acclimate to the world if I leave? They would be closed in a box within themselves, with no hope. Of course I will stay."
This is the Africa I have grown to love.
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| Living |
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| Daniel |
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| Cocaya |
Thanks to Jen for the photos
one of my favorites
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