A brutal ethnic cleansing in 1994 left an estimated 1 million people dead in Rwanda. Nearly 13 years later, the Central African country has healed much, but still has more trials ahead of it, participants said Friday and Saturday at the “Post-Genocide Rwanda: Achievements and Challenges” conference.

Sacramento State played host to the two-day event, which had more than 20 speakers and culminated in a silent auction at the Holiday Inn in Elk Grove to benefit the survivors of the genocide. It was the third in a series of conferences about Rwanda at Sac State since 1998.

The Friends of Rwanda Association teamed up with Sac State’s Pan-African Studies Program and Ethnic Studies Department and University of the Pacific’s School of International Studies to bring speakers who were knowledgeable in all aspects of Rwanda’s recovery. Presenters included everyone from genocide survivors to folklore writers and Information Technology Chief Executive Officers.

The international community must speak out against human rights abuses, James Kimonyo, Rwandan ambassador to the United States, said in his keynote address on Friday.

Since the 1950s, violence had been escalating between, what had been called, the Hutus and the Tutsis people.

Prior to the massacre in 1994, the United Nations was warned that violence was likely to escalate, and did nothing to stop it, Kimonyo said. The UN’s silence led the killers to believe they could get away with killing, he said.

“If you condemn anything that might generate another genocide, then you are ensuring peace and stability in the world,” Kimonyo said, placing responsibility for peacekeeping on the international community.

“Short of that, you’d be encouraging similar atrocities to happen, not only in Rwanda but in other parts of the world.”

In today’s global community, everyone lives in a “virtual village,” said Otis Scott, dean of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies at Sac State. “That means the tragedy of genocide in Rwanda must be denounced even by people in Sacramento. None of us who live in this village can stand by when atrocities are committed.”

Kimonyo told the audience that when Belgian colonists conducted censuses of Rwanda, they arbitrarily classified all people with long noses and more than 10 cows as “Tutsis,” and people with less than 10 cattle and short noses as “Hutus.” This racial identification was printed on identity cards and separated the native population.

“The politics of division became entrenched in our socio-political system,” Kimonyo said. “The moment we don’t have a society living in peace and harmony is the moment all (peace) programs fail.”

“We must remember the dead, and we must remember, as President Lyndon Johnson said, whatever trials and tests we face, the ultimate strength of our country and our cause will not lie in the strong weapons we have, but rather lie in the unity of our people.”

Kimonyo ended with an invitation to visit Rwanda.

“Rwandans have been able to sit together at the table of brotherhood,” he said. “Come see the wonderful transformation.”

Rwandan Ambassador to the United Nations Joseph Nsengimana was Saturday’s keynote speaker and shared what he believed was the cause of the genocide.

“It is by bad politics that the genocide has been possible,” he said. “We need a consensus on important issues.”

Nsengimana said although democracy is a familiar concept throughout the world, it is not always implemented the same way, due largely in part to cultural differences. He said the national values of a country largely determine its priorities and how democracy is realized.

“Democracy has never been identical all over the world,” he said. “Each democracy has its specialty.”

In Rwanda, he said, the focus needs to be on the guarantee of equality for all citizens, as the lack of cohesion in the past is partially responsible for the genocide.

“A new culture emphasizing the right of individuals must be promoted,” he said. “A culture of human rights (encourages) the citizens to take over the legal instruments.”

In order for this to occur, Nsengimana said the citizens need to be provided with a forum for open debate to take place, and a majority of the population needs to weigh in on fundamental issues pertaining to the country, in order to help “rebuild a new society and political culture.” He also said those in charge need to have a performance contract with the people, and the people need to hold the government accountable for carrying through on its promises.

One step toward uniting the country has been changing its national anthem, motto, coat of arms and flag, as they were seen by many as symbols of the past rule which brought about genocide.

Nsengimana said the colors of the flag are new; the green stands for unity, the yellow stands for hard work and the blue stands for patriotism.

“We can’t succeed if we don’t work hard…to overcome the division,” he said. “We have to have a spirit of patriotism to succeed in changing the old mentality.”

He also said compromise and understanding in Rwanda are the keys to help the nation heal.

“We know there will be no peace without reconciliation,” he said.

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Joe Sheley was impressed with the conference.

“This conference is a source of pride for me personally and it’s a source of pride for the university,” Sheley said. “The wonder and optimism that is…embodied in (the ethnic studies) program amazes me.”

Lacey Waymire contributed to this report.

Natalye Childress Smith and Lacey Waymire can be reached at [email protected].