SOHEDEO-Amahoro Iwacu has hosted Mr. Pierre DRUART, a Belgian PhD candidate pursuing his studies at Louvain University and a worker at Max Planck Institute for social Anthropology, Department of Law and Anthropology, in Germany.
He has met with SOHEDEO beneficiaries in two different phases: from 03-04 November (phase one) and from 15-16 December (phase 2). In both phases, he met with 40 respondents to his research questions. Those are 20 youth from families of genocide survivors and perpetrators, usually members of SOHEDEO youth club and 20 parents of those young girls and boys from families of genocide survivors and perpetrators.
Mr. Pierre DRUART and the Chairperson of SOHEDEO on their way to Nyabitekeri sector in Nyamasheke district
Mr. Pierre DRUART in his research studies transitional justice after atrocities like mass killings, wars and genocide. He came here in Rwanda because there have been both punitive justice and restorative justice; he wants to know how procedures/mechanisms like Christian “Gacaca” introduced by the catholic church and the “Gacaca” that has been initiated by the state, the prison and other approached like “Mushaka program” have all been helpful, hindrances met or the impact they have played on different generations. That is why during focused group discussions, genocide survivors and genocide perpetrators (ex-prisoners who have served their sentences and who returned back in their communities and or their spouses) were invited in discussions, for him to understand from the right people what was done? how did it go? what else can be done? (long-term impact), what can be done in other contexts? (Lessons).
FGD with a group of youth from families of genocide survivors
FGD with one the groups of parents of youth from families of genocide perpetrators
In the framework of thoroughly understanding the fruits and challenges that different mechanisms so far put in place in the journey of peace, unity and reconciliation have generated, the researcher has collected testimonies of both Presidents of IBUKA and AVEGA in the Nyamasheke district.
Testimonies have as well been collected with SOHEDEO beneficiaries, i.e. 2 from families of genocide survivors and 2 others from families of genocide perpetrators (Youth and parents from each category).