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BY CHRISTINA TEMES

In print | April 15, 2004

“Silence is Complicity” and “Never Forget” are among the chalkings scattered around campus for Genocide Awareness Month.

Mark Hanis ‘05 and Abena Mainoo ’06 organized the event "to promote awareness of genocide and show the campus community it doesn’t just affect faraway places but our everyday lives as well,"Mainoo said.

“Genocide Awareness Month is about understanding the implications of our actions and inactions. It is not about feeling sad and frustrated about past atrocities but responsible and optimistic,” Hanis said.

The month is “multi-faceted,” according to Hanis, and features a variety of events including lectures, student talks, panels, film showings, a teach-in and an art exhibit. It will focus on genocides in Rwanda and Cambodia as well as the Holocaust.

Hanis said the initial planning stemmed from realization that this April marked the 10th anniversary of genocide in Rwanda. Several events were planned on campus to commemorate the anniversary, such as the screening of the PBS special, “Frontline: Ghosts of Rwanda,” and a talk by Jospeh Seberenzi, the former speaker of the Rwandan House of Parliament.

The turnout for both events was good, according to Mainoo. “The Scheuer Room was packed” for Seberenzi’s speech, she added.

Upon contacting several student groups and departments about these events and receiving a lot of support, the month “seemed to have grown from there” and more events were added, Mainoo said.

“The great part about the whole thing is so many groups, students and individuals have joined in,” Hanis said. These groups include the Swarthmore chapter of Amnesty International, the Swarthmore Asian Organization, Ruach, the International Club and many others, according to Mainoo.

In addition to raising awareness of genocide, the organizers also hope to “provide initial venues for constructive action,” according to Hanis. One way is through the sale of black ribbons for $1 on Fridays during lunch in Sharples to benefit the Victims’ Trust Fund. The fund is set up by the International Criminal Court and seeks to help victims of genocide.

“The money will go directly to victims of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes and their families. It may also be paid to international and non-governmental organizations for projects, such as rehabilitation projects, that will directly help victims of these crimes and their families,” Hanis said in an e-mail.

According to Mainoo, about $130 has been made so far by the sale of these ribbons, and they will continue to be sold for the rest of April.

Another way the students are taking direct action is through a letter-writing campaign, which is sponsored by Amnesty International and will be held in Paces April 19. Through this event, students will write to politicians to show support for the International Criminal Court and “to inform our national leaders that we care about international justice and retribution for victims of atrocities,” according to Hanis. This will also include writing letters about Sudan, where ethnic cleansing is taking place.

One of the next events for the month is the observation of Holocaust Remembrance Day, which will include a vigil and a 24-hour reading of the names of Holocaust victims in front of Parrish this Saturday and Sunday.

Organizer Susan Roth ’04 said Holocaust Remembrance Day events were usually held every year, though she was “excited about it being during Genocide Awareness Month.”

In addition to the vigil and name reading, the symbols of oppression that the Nazis made Jews, homosexuals, disabled people, political dissidents and other oppressed groups wear will be passed out during the vigil and at brunch on Sunday for students to wear, according to Roth.

“I’m really excited about this … I think it’s really important to educate about it. I’m hoping it can be really powerful — those symbols have an oomph that ribbons do not,” she said.

Events will continue throughout the month, and the organizers hope Genocide Awareness month will continue after this year, according to Mainoo.

Funding has come from a variety of sources, including the Forum for Free Speech, John Meyer and Pendle Hill, the African Consortium, the Dean’s office and the political science department.

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