The International Holocaust Memorial Day was held at the Kigali Genocide Memorial on 25 January 2016. The event brought together more than 250 guests and was jointly organised by the Embassies of Germany and Israel, showing a commitment of the two nations to work together for remembrance and the prevention of genocide.
Here are five powerful quotes from guests who shared their reflections 71 years after the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
1. Dr Jean Damascene Bizimana, Executive Secretary of Rwanda’s National Commission for the Fight against Genocide
“In remembering the Holocaust, we should think about what we can do as individuals to prevent genocide. That is the best way to honour the victims”
2. Belaynesh Zevadia, Israel’s Ambassador to Rwanda
“Seven decades later, we take time to remember the Holocaust so that we don’t forget the lessons that history has taught us, as we see the terrifying consequences. The human cost of the loss of six million lives is incalculable. The Holocaust is more than an alert call from the past.”
3. Lamin M. Manneh, One UN Resident Coordinator for Rwanda
“Rwanda is an example of how a country can rise from the ashes of the Genocide to be a model for social development globally.”
4. Freddy Mutanguha, Regional Director of Aegis Trust
“Every year, more than 80,000 people visit Kigali Genocide Memorial and learn about the Genocide against the Tutsi and the Holocaust.”
5. Peter Fahrenholtz, Germany’s Ambassador to Rwanda
“If there is anything Germany can share from its own experience, it is this: facing up to the grim truth of what took place is the only path to begin reconciliation. A past that is not examined fully and honestly will remain a burden for the future.”