The Afro-Romance Institute at MU, affiliated with the Department of Romance Languages and Literature, will be co-sponsoring a three-day symposium titled “Genocide in Rwanda: Media, Memory and Denial.” The event will feature keynote speakers Carl Wilkens, a humanitarian worker who stayed in Rwanda during its genocide and has since formed the nonprofit group World Outside My Shoes to bring global attention to issues of “the Other,” and Canadian Senator Roméo Dallaire, who served as commander of the United Nations relief effort in Rwanda during the early 1990s.
Events will take place across MU, with several speakers scheduled for a packed three days of discussion, film screenings, poetry and lectures. For a complete listing of events and their locations, view the full program flier at the Afro-Romance Institute website.
The symposium is being co-sponsored by:
- Canadian Consulate in Chicago
- Embassy of Rwanda, Washington D.C.
- Step UP! American Association for Rwandan Women
- Office of the Vice-Provost of International Programs
- Office of the Chancellor Diversity Initiatives
- University Lectures Committee
- Peace Studies Program
- Departments of Black Studies, History, Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis (ELPA),
Sociology, Women and Gender Studies at MU
Time/Date: 7 p.m. April 26 to 10 p.m. April 28 (full schedule of events)
Carl Wilkens’ “Why I Chose to Stay in Rwanda” Keynote Address, 7 p.m. April 27 at Ellis Auditorium (map)
Roméo Dallaire’s “Are All Humans Human?” Keynote Address, 3:30 p.m. April 28 in Bush Auditorium at Cornell Hall (map)
Cost: The event is free and open to the public.
For more information: Contact Dr. Flore Zéphir, acting institute director and department chair, via email.