Kwibuka 32- Sydney, Australia

Added: 2026-05-10

[00:00:00]Listen to the sounds of violence as though they were part of everyday life.

[00:00:05]Many survivors here today carry both visible and invisible scars. Remind us of what we endured and of those we lost.

[00:00:16]Our stories are often too painful, too heavy to fully share. But today is not just about the pain. It's all about remembrance, gratitude, and purpose.

[00:00:29]We remember because we refused to let our loved ones be forgotten. Many of us never had the chance to bury them or say goodbye. So each year we gather to honor them, to give them the remembrance they were once denied. We remember the families that were completely worked up.

[00:00:51]Remember those good to risks so some of us can be here today.

[00:00:59]To them we say thank you. We carry their courage with us every day. To understand Wanda we must look beyond the tragedy.

[00:01:09]Before the violence wonder was a kingdom where people live together with a shared culture.

[00:01:18]But over time colonial rule divide that unity. Labels were imposed.

[00:01:25]Differences were exaggerated. Division was nurtured. And when division is allowed to grow, it can become destruction.

[00:01:35]In 1994, the destruction reached its darkest point. But one story did not end there.

[00:01:45]From unimaginable loss, the country began to rebuild. Survivors chose resilience.

[00:01:53]Communities chose reconciliation and a nation choose to move forward not by forgetting but by remembering with a purpose.

[00:02:06]I just want to speak to some of my fellow survivors survivors who are here today.

[00:02:14]I'm just want to say to you what you endured should never have happened.

[00:02:20]The weight you carry is real and your memories matter, but so does your strength.

[00:02:27]Even though we cannot change the past, we still hold the power to shape what comes next. Every take, every step we take forward, no matter how small, is an act of courage.

[00:02:41]Choosing to keep going, to raise up each day, to seek even a memory of a moment of joy. Those are powerful victories.

[00:02:51]Healing is not a a straight path. It's personal and it unfolds its own time.

[00:02:57]Yet, every time you reach out, every time you allow yourself care, every time you choose connection over isolation, you are revealed something meaningful in your regular life.

[00:03:12]I just want to remind everyone today why we are here. We are here. We are we remember and we are here to remember and thank those who saved our lives and remember to ensure that future generation know the truth. Today as we stand together let us carry that promise forward with courage with unity and hope. But let also challenge division wherever we see it. Let us choose understanding over fear and let us protect protect humanity together.

[00:03:49]Memory is not only about the past. It's a responsibility for the future. As we continue the commemoration, may we carry both memory and hope, honoring the past while rebuilding a future rooted in peace, unity, and compassion.

[00:04:08]Thank you.

[00:04:10]I going to begin with some housekeeping.

[00:04:15]For those who needs the toilet, they are located outside the auditorium. Uh if you head out, you will need to turn left and there's a bit of a corridor there and you'll find them on your left hand side. We also want to ask that there is no clapping during that today's commemoration. For many in this room, it's a day of profound loss and some are some people are remembering their loved ones they lost. We ask that you please be mindful and respectful of that.

[00:04:51]For those um remembering can become overwhelming.

[00:04:58]And if you hear someone crying or becoming emotional, please understand that it is natural and deeply personal to grief. We ask that you hold the space for one another with compassion and respect.

[00:05:14]We also have uh some staff from start here today and thank you for starting and standing with us today.

[00:05:24]If you if you are at any point overwhelmed or not able to manage your emotions, please ask one of the host team and they will connect you with someone who can support you.

[00:05:38]I also like to recognize and welcome some of um our guests including some members of parliament who are here today. Uh I would like to welcome Ash Mi as a she's a federal MP member for Barton. We also have Julia Finn. Thank you Julia coming again. Member for banks.

[00:06:02]We've got um associate professor Monica Wong from um the Australian Catholic University Monica.

[00:06:12]Um we also have um professor Belinda Horn from this campus they surround university. We also have um Dr. Heather Sha from the University of Newcastle.

[00:06:26]Thanks Heather. Um and also I would like to recognize some organizations.

[00:06:34]Uh we have the voice of survivors. Uh as I mentioned I mentioned STARS. We also have youth here. Um, we want to say welcome.

[00:06:46]We also want to welcome other London from other states who traveled to be with us today and uh anyone else or any other organization. I did not mention I just want to uh warmly welcome everyone on behalf of the run community. We truly appreciate your support.

[00:07:12]We are now going to do um going to invite Kesa come and do an acknowledgement of country.

[00:07:41]Good morning everyone.

[00:07:44]I'd like to begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians on the land that we gather on today, the Wonga people.

[00:07:54]I recognize their deep and ongoing connection to this land, its waters, and its communities.

[00:08:01]I pay my respects to elders past, present, and emerging and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and toouristrate islander people here today.

[00:08:14]I honor the strength of the world's oldest continuing cultures and I recognize their enduring role as custodians of this country.

[00:08:24]This always was and always will be Aboriginal land. Thank you.

[00:08:38]Thank you, Kesa.

[00:08:40]Um, just going to want to um invite Professor Monica Wong from the Australian Catholic University and say a few words.

[00:08:55]>> Thank you.

[00:08:58]I just get here. apologize for this technology works works.

[00:09:24]Well, thank you everyone and uh once again I'd like to just acknowledge the traditional owners of the land that we gather and uh as we contemplate our past, present and future.

[00:09:38]These are the traditional lands of the Wong clan of the Dar nation. I pay my respects to elders past, present, and emerging.

[00:09:50]Um, and acknowledge care for the lands and continue caring for the lands and sharing their knowledge with the people living on the lands.

[00:10:02]Um, it's customary to recite the university prayer. So, if you feel comfortable, let's say it all together.

[00:10:11]God of all truth and goodness, bless us as we gather here at Australian Catholic University.

[00:10:18]May we be strengthened in mind and heart to pursue what you inspire with insight and deliberation that our world may advance in true wisdom and justice for all. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

[00:10:34]We're here to remember and honor lives and families affected by the genocide.

[00:10:42]1994 seems a long time away.

[00:10:46]It seems like the world would have understood what has happened and used that knowledge to build a better future.

[00:10:57]But many of you are still affected to this day.

[00:11:04]Welcome the Rwanda community, friends of Rwanda, and distinguished guests.

[00:11:10]Welcome to Australian Catholic University.

[00:11:13]I'm deeply honored to say a few words and know that Damazine, who's here in the front, considers me as his sister. We've known each other since 2012.

[00:11:29]Australia Catholic University has a number of core values. The first one is service.

[00:11:39]ACU as a university seeks to improve the lives of others through compassion, empathy and respect.

[00:11:50]But we have to remember this can only be achieved and undertaken by knowing the truth. Another core value of the universe, the truth, whether it's good, bad, we have to seek and understand it.

[00:12:11]We have to understand it to guide our future.

[00:12:16]And it's everyone's responsibility.

[00:12:22]And it requires, as we've heard, courage and deliberate actions.

[00:12:32]I'd like to um just express my gratitude because ACU has become part of the Rwanda community, become friends. And it all started in 2002 with Damazine.

[00:12:50]He started in the arts course at um the one of our campuses at North Sydney and at the same time he was welcomed by the vice chancellor at the time, Professor Peter Shen.

[00:13:04]He welcomed Damazine into the ACU family and Damine now considers ACU as his second home.

[00:13:16]when he commenced in 2002, he and his niece and nephew used to go to the chapel which is just uh behind us to commemorate and think about his family and the community years later.

[00:13:40]And what we've seen today and over the last 20 years is the community gathering once a year to commemorate the family, the friends, the survivors, the courage and determination of a community of a country where we have many lessons we can learn.

[00:14:06]So as a staff member of Australian Catholic University, this has deeply touched my heart.

[00:14:17]It's made me understand how important it is to understand different points of view and also provide this information and knowledge to our students because we need to work together and the strength of yourselves can be the guiding light for many other generations in the future. So once again, welcome to Australian Catholic University. Welcome to the Australian Catholic University family. And thank you for welcoming myself, our students, our staff to your family.

[00:15:16]Thanks Monica.

[00:15:19]I would like to now um welcome Mr. Harmon chair for one and community abroad. Come and say a few words.

[00:15:45]Good morning everyone.

[00:15:48]uh distinguished guests, representatives of the government of Rwanda, representatives of the Australian government, leaders of different communities and organizations, survivors of the genocide against the Tootsie, Friends of Wanda, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Rwan community in New South Wales, I welcome you all to our ba 32 commemoration ceremony here at the Australian Catholic University.

[00:16:32]Today we gather not only to remember but to honor.

[00:16:37]We remember the more than 1 million innocent lives lost during the 1994 genocide against the Tootsie in Guana.

[00:16:53]We honor the survivors who continue to carry unimaginable pain with courage and guilt.

[00:17:02]And we stand together to say clearly and firmly never again.

[00:17:10]Means remember.

[00:17:16]But remembrance is not only about the past is also about responsibility.

[00:17:26]The responsibility to fight hatred, division, denial and injustice whenever they appear.

[00:17:38]the responsibility to teach future generations the truth and the responsibility to protect humanity through unity, compassion and truth.

[00:17:54]As a chairman of RCA New South Wales, I want to sincerely thank our partners at Australian Catholic University for the friendship and support they have shown to our community over many many years, I think 20 years now.

[00:18:16]I so I also wish to thank every guest, every family, every survivor who is here, every young person, every friend of Rwanda who has taken time to be with us today. Your presence is a powerful message, the remembrance of our remembrance at this matters.

[00:18:38]Today we mourn together, we remember together, and together we can continue building our community.

[00:18:47]Thank you so much.

[00:18:58]Thank you.

[00:19:00]I was going to say for those who don't understand what that means, thank you so much.

[00:19:07]Uh we're going to um listen to a documentary that is going to tell us a bit about Wanda. Um just play the technical team without Glory to God.

[00:20:46]We're on our way to a local hospital in 1994.

[00:20:51]In the cars are around 90 Belgian paratroopers, a handful of foreign journalists.

[00:20:58]Further up the road, they can see men armed with machetes.

[00:21:07]Moment later, they leave the hospital.

[00:21:12]As they approach, people start running out towards them with their hands.

[00:21:20]They explain to the soldiers men with machetes and some of them have been murdered.

[00:21:29]People hiding in the hospital are totes ethnic minority in people outside are husority.

[00:21:40]For decades, the Tootsies have been persecuted in Rwanda. And when the president was killed a few days ago, extremists put the blame on the president and he's already here though.

[00:22:09]They've been hiding here for three days and now finally it's over.

[00:22:14]But the soldiers aren't here to help any.

[00:22:19]Instead they walk past the crown and bring out the western also hiding the hospital. And then they leave.

[00:22:29]As the soldiers and journalists reach their truck, they fire from behind.

[00:22:35]The hutus right side started killing the people at the hospital for the past few days extremist homes works in cease to execute no other reason to already more than 20,000 and now the extremist Putin leaders have started the next phase of their plan to spread the killing across all of Rwanda.

[00:23:12]the radio broadcast and local newspapers. They tell that toies are orange invaders who want to turn it slaves.

[00:23:47]propaganda works.

[00:23:49]Hu civilians from villages across Rwanda starting with local militias by thousands of being seen as protecting tootsies.

[00:23:58]Families even begin pointing out their names.

[00:24:02]The punishment for sheltering tootsies, men, women or children, is death.

[00:24:08]Some who do extremists have even started referring to Tootsie survivors as those not yet finished off.

[00:24:16]In northern Rwanda, Tootsie rebels have started to push back, but progress is slow. As they move down, they find evidence of massacres of families, village after village. In the first two weeks of the genocide, more than 100,000 are killed.

[00:24:36]By the end of the first month, that number is closer to 300,000.

[00:24:41]But despite getting daily reports on thousands of massacres today, the UN Security Council decided to implement a noninvention policy. The US along with the rest of the US security council votes to withdraw 90% force.

[00:25:01]The few hundred peacekeepers still left will need to defend thousands.

[00:25:09]Some posts have dozen soldiers, others have too. Most of them are unarmed. If the now control most of Randa should decide to attack peacekeepers defenses on that view as to whether or not what is happening could be >> well I think you know the use of the term genocide has a very precise legal meaning although it's not a determination there as well when in looking at a situation discrimination about that before we begin to use that term. We have to as much as possible six weeks into more than half a million dead the US refuses to do so obliged according to the 1948 genocide.

[00:26:12]Instead, the US administration introduces presidential decision directive policy that makes it even harder for the US to support UN missions don't serve vitals military power. The end of the superpower standoff lifts the lid from a long simmering hatred. Now that the entire global terrain is flooding with such conflicts on the disorder right of the American interest in space is of no interest to America. It is in every sense a conflict with no strategic value.

[00:27:06]Only after the Tootsie rebels take most of eastern Rwanda and after weeks of daily reports from journalists, aid workers and Red Cross does it become impossible for the in the middle of May.

[00:27:19]But the decision comes without troops, equipment or transport ready to deploy.

[00:27:25]And when US advisers suggest jamming the extremes radio broadcast, a lawyer in argues that it requires USit.

[00:28:27]Thank you.

[00:29:11]That's the most people who talk about process.

[00:30:20]many The rest of the world choice.

[00:31:40]What he is not That's the um short documentary. I hope it gave you a bit more um information and details about what happened in Wanda and what's happening now.

[00:32:31]Um for some of us it's really hard to watch that because you some of the faces we know them remember those moments I think probably for me where the intern because they were there like and so many wonder and a scholar and he's also an author of a book called Life and Death in Yamata.

[00:33:04]Um, this book is online. You can find the book. It's called Life and Death in Yamata.

[00:33:56]I forgot to mention that he's going to join us online.

[00:34:33]Can you hear us? Come on. Can you hear us?

[00:34:43]Let it go.