Rwanda's lessons for humanity

In 1994, one of the worst genocides in human history took place in Rwanda as more than one million people were killed in 100 days.

In partnership with Véhicule Press, the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies at Concordia will organize a panel discussion and book launch to commemorate the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of Genocide.

Written by Christine Magill, The Hope That Remains captures the stories of Rwandan survivors, their journey to escape the violence that overtook their country and find a better life in Canada. The discussion will feature Magill, genocide survivors Bertin Muhiz and Marie Josée Gicali, United Nations peacekeeping veteran Sammy Sampson and Frank Chalk.

Registration is mandatory.

About the speakers

Christine Magill

Christine Magill is an educator specializing in genocide studies. She has travelled to Rwanda five times over the last nine years. In 2015, Magill received the Canadian Living Me to We Educator Award in recognition of her engagement and involvement in genocide education. She lives and teaches in Strathmore, Alberta.

Marie Josée Gicali

Born in Rwanda, Marie Josée Gicali is a survivor of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. She has a PhD in science of education from the Université du Québec à Montréal, with a specialization in education and peace. She is the author of the book On n'oublie jamais rien (Éditions Hurtubise, March 2019), in which she shares her experience of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

She is actively involved in various projects related to the prevention of violence and the transmission of memory.

Bertin Muhiz

Bertin Muhiz is a Rwandan genocide survivor whose story is featured in The Hope That Remains.

Sammy Sampson

Sammy Sampson is a former Canadian peacekeeper who served for the United Nations at the border of what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is the founder of the Rwandan Veterans Association.

Frank Chalk

Frank Chalk is a professor of history at Concordia and the founding co-director and research director of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies. His publications include The History and Sociology of Genocide: Analyses and Case Studies (with Kurt Jonassohn), as well as chapters in various books and articles in The Canadian Journal of African Studies and Holocaust and Genocide Studies.