The Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda

Her Excellency Mathilde Mukantabana; Liliane Pari Umuhoza; & Ndahiro Bazimya
Rwandan Ambassador to the United States; Tutsi Genocide Survivor and founder, Women’s Genocide Survivors Retreat; & Tutsi Genocide Descendant

Via Zoom
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Her Excellency Mathilde Mukantabana, Rwandan Ambassador to the United States, will be joined by Liliane Pari Umuhoza, a Genocide survivor, and Ndahiro Bazimya, a Genocide descendant, to discuss the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi and the subsequent recovery of the Republic of Rwanda.

Fluent in English, French, Kinyarwanda and Kirundi, Ambassador Mukantabana holds a bachelor’s degree in History and Geography from the University of Burundi as well as master’s degrees in History and in Social Work with special emphasis in Community Organization, Planning and Administration from California State University Sacramento.

Mukantabana was a Professor of History at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento, California from 1994 to 2013. She is also co-founder of Friends of Rwanda Association (F.O.R.A), a non-profit American relief association created in the wake of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Since its inception, F.O.R.A.’s dual purpose has been to expand the circle of friends of Rwanda and to support survivors of the 1994 Genocide through a variety of initiatives and relief efforts. In addition, under the aegis of the United Nations Development Programme, Ambassador Mukantabana started the academic program of Social Work at the National University of Rwanda in 1999, and until recently taught a variety of subjects in their summer program.

Liliane Pari Umuhoza, a survivor of the Genocide Against the Tutsi, was born and raised in Rwanda. She recently graduated from Juniata College in Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Peace and Conflict studies. Four years ago, she founded the Retreat for Women Genocide Survivors, a program that offers psychological and financial support to women who experienced rape during the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

During the summer of 2017, she volunteered for two months at Yad Vashem: The World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem. She is dedicated to supporting communities affected by violence and is passionate about raising her voice in service of those who cannot raise theirs.

The third speaker Ndahiro Bazimya, a genocide descendant and a volunteer with the Friends of Rwanda Association (F.O.R.A.), will discuss growing up after the genocide.