Strengthening Ties in the Fight Against Genocide Denial and Hate Speech, and Promoting Peacebuilding
News from the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association
A strategic meeting between representatives of sister organizations, Never Again Rwanda and the Polish-based ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association took place in Kigali (Rwanda’s capital city) on 18 December 2024.
Both groups are active in the field of genocide commemoration and prevention, combating denial and hate speech.
The Rwandan host organization was represented by its executive director, Dr Nkurunziza Joseph Ryarasa. The Polish delegation was led by Rafal Pankowski, Professor at Collegium Civitas and cofounder of the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association who is also a 2024-25 Rotary Peace Fellow at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda.
The discussants exchanged experiences of the common struggle against genocide denial as a global phenomenon, especially on social media platforms. They acknowledged the challenges in dealing with the past, especially when the perpetrators and victims of atrocities had been neighbours. They stressed the importance of awareness raising and civic education in creating a culture of peace.
– ‘We want to empower citizens to act against hate speech and denial’ – said Dr Ryarasa who had visited the former Nazi German death camp Auschwitz in Poland in 2011.
The 1994 genocide against the Tutsi minority in Rwanda resulted in approximately 1 million deaths. Nonetheless, cases of denial and distortion of that genocide frequently occur in the social media space.
Never Again Rwanda is a peacebuilding and social justice non-governmental organization that was established in 2002, in response to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. For the last 22 years, it has emerged as a peacebuilding influence, a thought-leader in governance, citizen participation and youth engagement.
– ‘The message of NEVER AGAIN is universal’ – said Rafal Pankowski. – ‘We look forward to our continued cooperation with our friends and partners in Rwanda and across the region of East Africa’.
In addition to Never Again Rwanda, in recent weeks the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association conducted meetings in Uganda and Kenya and established cooperation with other civil society organisations, including APNOM (Advocates for Peace, Nature and Opportunities for the Marginalized, Uganda) and the Alfajiri Youth Initiative (Kenya).
The ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association is an independent civil society organization founded in Warsaw in 1996. It has campaigned against racism, antisemitism, and xenophobia, for peace, intercultural dialogue and human rights across the world. It has actively participated in international civil society networks, including the Alliance Against Genocide (AAG), the European Network for Countering Antisemitism through Education (ENCATE), Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE), the International Network Against Cyber Hate (INACH), the Global Alliance Against Digital Hate and Extremism (GADHE), and the European Network for Solidarity with Ukraine (ENSU).
More information:
www.facebook.com/Respect.Diversity
www.twitter.com/StowNIGDYWIECEJ
