KBIA

Film Recounts Rwandan Genocide Survivors COLUMBIA, MO (KBIA) - The University of Missouri recently screened a film called, "Rwanda 94," which recounts the stories of survivors of the Rwandan genocide of 1994, which involved the murder of close to a million Tutsi and moderate Hutu people of Rwanda over the span of 100 days. KBIA's Nina Moini reports.


The screening at MU marked the first time the film has aired in the U.S. The filmmaker and producer of Rwanda 94 answered questions after the screening of the film in a dialogue with Mizzou students. Cassady Brady is an MU student studying French. She went to the screening over the weekend and says the holds great significance for the international community.

"I think it's important for everyone which was a point of the film, like the international community to know that this occurred and in future to know and to react and respond and prevent future occurrences."

Rangira Gallimore teaches in the Romance Languages Department of MU. She invited the makers of "Rwanda 94" to Mizzou to contribute to the Afro-Romance Institute's series of conferences on writing about and representing violence. Gallimore, who lost immediate family members in the 1994 genocide, says it is important to educate students about history to ensure progress.

"I don't want this to happen anywhere in the world, whether in Rwanda or anywhere in the world. So if the younger generation can stand up against genocide anywhere in the world, then I will have done my job."

Gallimore says she feels honored to have hosted the screening and dialogue surrounding "Rwanda 94" and hopes continued efforts to learn from the Rwandan genocide can help the international community avoid similar tragedies in the future.
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