By Mara Maftei, Year 12
On the 8th of April, 25 secondary students were selected to perform a choreography put together by Gilles Grassouillet, one of the LGB Arts teachers, in the Assembly Hall of the United Nations to commemorate 25 years since the Rwandan Genocide. Attending the commemoration was Director-General of the United Nations Office in Geneva, Mr Møller, all Diplomats and Diplomacy of Geneva, Dr Hawley, Dr Hughes, and several parents.
Around 85% of Rwandans were Hutus, but the Tutsi minority had long dominated the country. In 1959 the Hutus overthrew the Tutsi monarchy, causing tens of thousands of Tutsis to flee to neighbouring countries. The Hutu extremists set up a radio station and newspapers which circulated hate propaganda, urging people to “weed out the cockroaches”, meaning kill the Tutsis. The Rwandan Genocide was a mass murder of 800,000 Tutsis, and lasted 100 days.
The commemoration included other heartfelt performances as well as a speech from a Tutsi survivor who shared her horrific experiences during the genocide.
