Question answered by Verena Denk, Program Associate and European Youth Director at PTPI’s European Office
4. Kidder refers to the genocide memorials as representing “Never Again” yet questions if there could be such a thing as too much remembering: ”…too much of it could suffocate a person, and indeed a culture.”
What do you think about genocide memorials and their usefulness to prevent massacres in the future? Has your view of genocide changed after reading this book?
Genocide was for me always linked to the Holocaust. Deo’s experiences happened in a different country under different circumstances. Still, horror is horror. For me the idea of “gusimbura” was completely new. Deo explains that in Burundi, the names of the deceased must not be mentioned. It is like “reminding people of something bad.” Nevertheless, there are genocide memorials in Burundi and Rwanda, which Deo visits together with Tracy Kidder. At first this struck me as paradox. But the longer I thought about it, the more sense it made.
In Germany, my grandparents had witnessed another type of genocide, the Holocaust. When I was in high school, we visited the site of the concentration camp in Dachau. I remember standing in front of a building with big furnaces. A black-and-white photograph hung next to the door. The photo showed a huge pile of dead bodies right at the spot where I was standing. I can’t describe the feelings I had in that moment, but whenever I remember it, I still feel the same way. I think that genocide memorials are important to make history more real and allow us to learn from past mistakes. When a new Holocaust memorial was constructed in Berlin a few years ago right next to the Brandenburg Gate, I was very much in favor. I couldn’t understand why some people proclaimed enough was enough.
When I was studying in France, I shared an apartment with a girl whose grandfather had survived Auschwitz because he knew how to play the piano. At first, I really wondered why the girl talked to me at all, but she did. We spent entire evenings comparing the stories of our families, knowing that our grandfathers had been enemies. The more we talked about the subject the easier it seemed to live together, at least for me. Still, my friend’s grandfather had never talked about his experiences with his family. He would certainly have understood what Deo meant by “gusimbura.” For the victims of genocide, there is definitely “such a thing as too much remembering” as Tracy Kidder puts it. There must be horrors that you can only live with if you don’t talk about it.
I am very grateful that I could become friends with this girl in France regardless of the history of our countries and even our families. Still, I also understand that it was easier for us to talk than it would have been for our grandparents. I sincerely hope that Deo’s children or grandchildren will have Hutu friends at school or during studies. For them, the memorials will be as important as they were for me.
The opinions expressed by PTPI staff and other book club members are entirely their own and are not necessarily the views of People to People International or that of PTPI’s Officers, Board of Directors and Board of Trustees.
Tags: Global Book Club, Strength in What Remains, Tracy Kidder
I agree. it is same with me. Genocide is linked with Holocaust. I had a house keeper several years ago who had spent some time in the concentration camps. She used to tell me the horror she felt in those days. When ‘Holocaust’ aired on T.V. one of those days, I could not bring myself to sit through that. But she watched it completely. I asked why she was torturing herself watching that. She said, what she saw on T.V. was nothing compared to what really went on those concentration camps. I asked her to forget those memories. She said she could not. Those memories had become part of her life! Over the years she had learnt to live with those memories.
I had met another gentleman who had survived world war II. He did not want to talk about the war or his feelings. He had lost several of his friends. He had escaped to USA and had made his life here.
I can go on and on about real people whom I have met who have shared their experiences about holocaust and the war and some who have kept MUM. I do not know which is better. What scares me is that the degree of hate-redness, cruelty we so called humans harbor, that can surface itself under certain odd circumstances. Why are we so cruel to our own species?
Memories haunted Deo. It was important for Deo to go back to Burundi for healing his memories. If he had not gone back, his memories would have haunted him for the rest of his life. Starting the clinic was very good for him. Many people may not have that opportunity come by to them for their healing.
Have we learnt anything from Genocide events. I hope we have. But probably not. It may not be called as ‘Genocide’ but all the same, people are being killed for no reasons or causes around the world.
I just hope we learn to tolerate each other irrespective of our color, creed, nationality or cultural differences. Otherwise we might become extinct from this planet. Deo is a good example for all of us.
When you hear of situations like this – similar to Cambodia (the killing fields) and Croatia – it is truly unbelievable that people don’t learn from earlier history. However, I agree with a big point in the book Deo made – that he was was certain average people never understood what was happening, why the killings were taking place, and who instigated “ethnic” murders.
And even with all the access to news we have in the States, I don’t think alot of people hear about situations like Rwanda, or even moreso how it flooded over to Burundi. So in other areas with less access to technology and ongoing education, they probably have never heard about Croatia, Cambodia or even the Holocaust, how could any of those memorials have any impact?
But, as Deo seemed to indicate, it HAD to be the leaders, who DO have knowledge of history and access to technology, who are the ones who still think they can gain power by either coercion, fear, or probably more realistically outright lying to less educated masses, to convince them “ethnic” cleansing is necessary. Obviously their more probable knowledge of earlier ethnic massacres made no difference. So sad!
It is shocking that genocide still occurs today. Nevertheless, I think that today, we have much better chances to learn from history than in the past. We cannot only see memorials in our region or country, but we also hear about what happens in other countries around the world. Individuals share their stories in interviews and books. In addition, more and more people have the possibility to share photos and video recordings online or through twitter with people anywhere in the world. Shouldn’t such a vivid and widely accessible documentation help us to learn from our mistakes?
There has probably been genocide all through human history. Many stories have most likely never been told or written down. One would think that the more stories are recorded, shared and acknowledged by others, the better the chances for “never again”.
Of course, not everybody has the same access to information and education. This is probably the biggest challenge. How can we make genocide unattractive, even for the most ruthless dictator in a “failed” state? We can make it a priority to fight poverty and improve the access to education and information as proclaimed by the United Nations in the Millennium Development Goals.
Overall, I still think that the conditions for the promotion of tolerance and mutual respect have greatly improved. Now, we can discuss a book about genocide with PTPI members around the world. Not so long ago, it took weeks to exchange letters from one continent to the next. The possibilities for international exchange have multiplied, which facilitates the promotion of mutual understanding. Shouldn’t that inspire hope?