First article by Shana Allali, 16 years old, student of the Lycée.
French President Emmanuel Macron recognizes France’s responsibilities in the Tutsi genocide in 1994.
This Thursday, May 27, 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron traveled to Kigali in Rwanda to deliver his speech, aiming to recognize the responsibilities of France in the Tutsi genocide. He declared in front of the genocide memorial: “France is not an accomplice, but it has maintained silence for too long”. This speech by the French president was eagerly awaited because it was delivered during his official visit to Rwanda. This visit was the “last step” in the normalization of relations between the two countries where tensions remained mainly due to France’s role in the 1994 tragedy. Between April and July 1994, more than 800,000 people, a majority of whom were Tutsis were killed. Emmanuel Macron still felt that France “was not an accomplice” and that she had no blood on her hands, but that for too long she remained silent and did not denounce anything. This tragic episode in history prompts us to ask ourselves a question: are we totally not guilty or accomplices when we close our eyes to a genocidal crime? In 1994 the Shoah was taught to French students with the aim of no longer accepting ethnic cleansing. If history cannot be rewritten its teaching is aimed at not repeating it in these darkest hours. In 1994, unfortunately, our rulers turned a blind eye to what they themselves denounced. Today, it is our human duty that we ask Tutsis for forgiveness.
Shana ALLALI
(Translation from French with permission of Shana)