Oxford University hosts major Rwandan genocide conference in Kigali

Some of the most controversial issues stemming from the 1994 Rwandan genocide will be addressed at a symposium in Kigali, co-hosted by the University of Oxford, on 3 April 2009. The event entitled, ‘15 Years after Genocide: Where Now for Rwanda?’ will commemorate the 15th anniversary of the genocide and feature provocative presentations by leading policymakers, academics and journalists on a range of key issues affecting post-genocide Rwanda, including:

- The ongoing problem of genocide denial
- The complicity of the French government in the Rwandan genocide
- The impact of the release from French custody of Rose Kabuye, Rwandan Minister for State Protocol
- The continued presence of Hutu rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
- The impact of the gacaca community courts on post-genocide justice and reconciliation
- The refusal of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) to transfer genocide cases to the Rwandan national courts
- The legacies of the ICTR and the future of international justice

The symposium will take place from 2 to 7pm at the Laico Umubano Hotel, Kigali, and will be co-hosted by the Rotary Club of Kigali-Virunga, Oxford Transitional Justice Research, the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies and the Law Faculty at the University of Oxford.

Speakers at the symposium will include:

- Dr Alfred Ndahiro (Senior Advisor to H.E. President Paul Kagame)
- Martin Ngoga (Prosecutor General, Republic of Rwanda)
- Dr Phil Clark (Research Fellow in Courts and Public Policy, University of Oxford)
- Professor Christine Stansell (Professor of History, University of Chicago, and writer for The New Republic)
- Commander Alfred Kwende (Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda)
- Zachary D. Kaufman (University of Oxford and Yale Law School)
- Tom Ndahiro (Journalist and Researcher)
- Mrs. Bernadette Kayirangwa (Senior Researcher, Institute of Research and Dialogue for Peace)
- Andrew Wallis (University of Cambridge and author of Silent Accomplice: The Untold Story of France’s Role in the Rwandan Genocide)

A full symposium programme is included below.
The event will also serve as a launch of After Genocide: Transitional Justice, Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Reconciliation in Rwanda and Beyond, edited by Phil Clark and Zachary D. Kaufman and published by C. Hurst and Co. and Columbia University Press (2009). The volume includes an unprecedented debate between President Paul Kagame and historian Professor René Lemarchand on issues of Rwandan history and governance. Details of the book can be found at www.aftergenocide.com Proceeds from the sale of the book will go to the Kigali Public Library project: www.kigalilibrary.org.
For more information, please contact Dr. Phil Clark on [email][email protected] or +250 0(78)8941332.

15 YEARS AFTER GENOCIDE:
WHERE NOW FOR RWANDA?

2-7pm, 3 April 2009
Laico Umubano Hotel, Kigali

Hosted by the Rotary Club of Kigali-Virunga
in association with
Oxford Transitional Justice Research,
The Law Faculty and Centre for Socio-Legal Studies at the University of Oxford

2:00-2:15: Introduction

Welcome and Introduction
Rtn. Ambassador Zephyr Mutanguha, President, Rotary Club of Kigali-Virunga

Opening Remarks
Hon. Dr. Alfred Ndahiro, Senior Advisor to H.E. President Paul Kagame, Government of Rwanda

2:15-3:30: Session 1 - Genocide History and Memory
Chair: Dr. Phil Clark, University of Oxford

Genocide Memory and Ideology
Mrs. Bernadette Kayirangwa, Senior Researcher, Institute of Research and Dialogue for Peace

Genocide Denial and the Case of the Rassemblement Républicain pour la Démocratie au Rwanda (RDR)
Tom Ndahiro, researcher and journalist

Rwanda/France: After Bruguière, Where Now?
Andrew Wallis, University of Cambridge, and author of Silent Accomplice: the Untold Story of France’s Role in the Rwandan Genocide

Audience Discussion

3:30-4:15: Session 2 - National Post-Genocide Justice and Governance
Chair: Zachary D. Kaufman, University of Oxford and Yale Law School

Judicial Responses to Impunity in Rwanda
Hon. Martin Ngoga, Prosecutor General, Government of Rwanda

Justice, Reconciliation and the Impact of Gacaca
Dr. Phil Clark, University of Oxford

Audience Discussion

4:15-4:30: Coffee Break

4:30-5:30: Session 3 - International Justice after Genocide
Chair: Dr. Phil Clark

The Establishment of the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
Zachary D. Kaufman, University of Oxford and Yale Law School

The Legacies of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
Commander Alfred Kwende, Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda

Audience Discussion

5:30-6:00: Session 4 - Launching After Genocide and Closing Remarks
Chair: Zachary D. Kaufman

Putting After Genocide in Context
Prof. Christine Stansell, University of Chicago

Closing Remarks and Launch of After Genocide
Rtn. PP Raj Rajendran, Past President and Kigali Public Library Committee Chair, Rotary Club of Kigali-Virunga

6:00-7:00: Cocktail Reception