GENOCIDE AND THE LOSS OF IDENTITY
By Renee Giblin
The Concordian
nd-the-loss-of-identity-1.1288319
March 30 2010
Eloge Butera was only 10-years-old when he was forced to live through
an almost unspeakable horror. Living in Rwanda in 1994, he experienced
his family, his best friend, and many others being killed in the
genocide which saw around a million Tutsi and moderate Hutu people
butchered to death by extremist Hutu gangs.
"The fundamental issues are losing a piece of humanity," Butera
explained, "and the pain that comes with knowing people believe the
world will be a better place without us."
Butera and several other speakers spoke as part of an organized
Genocide awareness event Tuesday, March 23, organized by the United
Armenian Youth Committee of Quebec. The night consisted of a panel
of genocide survivors, and professors, who spoke of the effects
of genocide, the reason of acknowledgement, and the importance of
standing united against it in the future.
For Butera, the common link between all Rwandan genocide victims and
survivors is the loss of their identity. "I want to convey that behind
the numbers and behind the stories told on large screens, there are
lives that are broken and futures that will never be the same."
Liselotte Ivry, a Holocaust survivor and presenter, also shared a
similar story of loss, of being unwanted, and of eventually losing
her identity to a number that was burnt on her wrist in Auschwitz. "My
number was 70663. We became numbers."
Born in Czechoslovakia, Ivry survived three different concentration
camps before finally being released by the British in 1945. She lost
everyone in her family and endured incredible hardship. She shares
her story to remind people to be courageous and fight against hate
crimes and discrimination.
"Don’t ever be a bystander. Raise your voice, help, do something,"
said Ivry.
This theme was repeated throughout the evening, as a call to action to
prevent future genocides. Butera’s story in particular was a reminder
to the audience that other nations, including Canada, did not prevent
the Rwandan genocide from happening.
The issue of the Armenian genocide was brought up as well. The issue
has turned into a political issue in past years, with many countries
such as the United States, Canada and France deeming the killing
of over one million Armenians from 1915-23 a genocide, while Turkey
continues to vehemently deny it.
Professor Yair Auron, the associate director of The Institute on
the Holocaust and Genocide in Jerusalem, condemned Israel for not
officially recognizing the genocide. "In my point of view, Israel is
betraying the memory of the Holocaust by contributing with genocide
denial." He explains how the Holocaust is a crucial element in forming
Jewish identity and by not supporting the acknowledgement of other
genocides they are not recognizing their own struggle and identity.
"If one recognises the genocide, the other will do the same." Auron
said, "it is other victim groups’ obligation to never again be victims,
perpetrators, or bystanders."