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Survivors of Rwanda and Hiroshima exchange experiences via teleconferencing

by Yuji Yamamoto, Staff Writer

On August 7, a survivor of the atomic bombing and a survivor of the genocide in Rwanda spoke via Internet teleconferencing, linking Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, with the Hiroshima National Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, located in Naka Ward. This discussion was held in connection with an A-bomb exhibition that opened in Kigali on August 6. The participants learned about the tragic histories of each other’s nations and emphasized the importance of peace.

From Hiroshima, Sadao Yamamoto, 83, a resident of Higashi Ward, talked about his experience of the atomic bombing. He was 14 years old when he was exposed to the atomic bomb at the East Drill Ground (part of today’s Higashi Ward), about 2.5 kilometers from the hypocenter. He said, “I was blown off my feet by the intense blast of heat. A huge pink fireball rose in the sky.” He stressed that nuclear weapons must never be used again.

Karasira Venuste, 61, a survivor of the genocide in Rwanda, said that he was snatched from his home and that his right arm was cut off. He said, “I was hurt physically and psychologically. Still, I am grateful that I survived, and I want to pray for peace.”

Tetsuya Yamamoto, 32, a resident of Aki Ward, was in the audience in Hiroshima. He will be dispatched to Rwanda next January as a member of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) under the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). He said, “I would like to continue conveying what happened in the past so that it won’t be forgotten.” Seventy people gathered at the venue in Rwanda. They asked Mr. Yamamoto if he still feels bitter toward the United States and other questions.

The A-bomb exhibition is jointly organized by JOCV members in Rwanda and the NPO Think About Education in Rwanda, based in the city of Fukushima, Japan.

Keywords

Rwandan Genocide
In the small African nation of Rwanda, the Hutus, the ethnic majority, began killing members of the minority Tutsis after many years of antagonism. On April 6, 1994, an airplane carrying President Juvénal Habyarimana and others was shot down in the capital, Kigali. This sparked all-out bloodshed, in which government troops, consisting mainly of Hutus, and Hutu militias, reportedly massacred about 800,000 to one million Tutsis and moderate Hutus in about 100 days, until July of that year.

(Originally published on August 8, 2014)

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