Known for its breathtaking scenery, the central-east African country of Rwanda lived through one of the worst episodes of violence of the late 20th century, the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, in which over a million people were brutally murdered in 100 days. This book presentation and discussion will present our forthcoming book, Transmitting memories in Rwanda: From a survivor parent the next generation (due out in November 2022 with Brill Press as part of their Postcolonial Lives Series). Transmitting memories in Rwanda recounts the personal story of Claver Irakoze who survived the Genocide as a child and, like other Rwandans of his generation, is now grappling with the heavy responsibility of raising children in the post-Genocide context. Tracing the various stages of Irakoze's life experiences, each chapter teases out issues surrounding childhood, parenting and the transmission of memories between generations. The final chapter draws on Irakoze's personal and professional experience to provide some reflections on managing memories of Genocide within the family. We propose a session that will present a literary preface to the book (by Esther Mujawayo), an academic introduction to the book (by Williamson Sinalo) and a reading of and discussion about the final chapter "Raising Rwanda's Next Generation", which includes five principles built on Irakoze's reflections and experience as a survivor parent and what it means to raise children after the Genocide (by Irakoze).
NUBS 2.04 MSA Conference Newcastle 2023 conference@memorystudiesassociation.orgKnown for its breathtaking scenery, the central-east African country of Rwanda lived through one of the worst episodes of violence of the late 20th century, the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, in which over a million people were brutally murdered in 100 days. This book presentation and discussion will present our forthcoming book, Transmitting memories in Rwanda: From a survivor parent the next generation (due out in November 2022 with Brill Press as part of their Postcolonial Lives Series). Transmitting memories in Rwanda recounts the personal story of Claver Irakoze who survived the Genocide as a child and, like other Rwandans of his generation, is now grappling with the heavy responsibility of raising children in the post-Genocide context. Tracing the various stages of Irakoze's life experiences, each chapter teases out issues surrounding childhood, parenting and the transmission of memories between generations. The final chapter draws on Irakoze's personal and professional experience to provide some reflections on managing memories of Genocide within the family. We propose a session that will present a literary preface to the book (by Esther Mujawayo), an academic introduction to the book (by Williamson Sinalo) and a reading of and discussion about the final chapter "Raising Rwanda's Next Generation", which includes five principles built on Irakoze's reflections and experience as a survivor parent and what it means to raise children after the Genocide (by Irakoze).