"is an eyewitness account of the failure of humanity to stop the genocide, and the story of General Dallaire's own struggle to find a measure of peace, reconciliation and hope." (from the book cover)His message that he kept coming back to was that no one is more human than another - we all share the same basic human rights, regardless of the colour of our skin or what country we live in. No one wanted to help Rwanda because, he was told, there was nothing there but people, and there were too many of them. In other words, no oil, no vested interests to protect, and no one wanted to risk their necks for a bunch of Africans. And yet they were people, the same as any of us, and they were being slaughtered and it could have been, should have been, prevented.
When asked what can be done in a country like Rwanda to help them rebuild, he had three pieces of advice. First, empower the women. Second, educate the children. Third, eradicate poverty. And do these in a sustainable manner.
The evening went by too quickly, and it will take me a long time to sort out all the tidbits of advice he shared with us. He urged us to consider what our vision for Canada was, and what our place in that vision is. He talked about the necessity of nuclear disarmament, and the challenges of dealing with issues such as child soldiers and the proliferation of small arms. He talked about the failings of the United Nations, but also gave it a strong endorsement as the best organization available for the work it needs to do.
The evening wouldn't have been complete without a call to action - the current situation in Darfur is not unlike what happened in Rwanda, and again the international community lacks the political will to do anything about it. Please contact your local politicians and tell them "never again" - let's do the right thing and stop this one.
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