Blog 1, "Genocide survivors share experiences, hope"

“Genocide survivors share experiences, hope”

The article “Genocide survivors share experiences, hope” from The Washington Post, reflects on two people both having survived from separate genocides during their lifetime. The woman Margit Meissner is a Holocaust survivor as her now close friend Freddy Mutanguha, a Rwanda genocide survivor. For the pair, “at first glance, Mutanguha and Meissner couldn’t be more different” as Meissner a 90-year-old small white woman and Mutanguha a 36-year-old tall black man. Yet their friendship, experiences shared, and the work they both continue to do on spreading awareness about genocides is very similar to the core.

Meissner has been volunteering for the “United States Holocaust Memorial Museum” for many years, as Mutanguha is currently director of the “Kigali Genocide Memorial” in Rwanda. The pair met in June, as Meissner traveled to visit the “Kigali Genocide Memorial” in association to a trip she was taking with an organization “Women for Women International”. The organization “teaches women in eight war-torn countries basic economic skills”. Mutanguha had heard about Meissner’s visit and soon became in contact, flew up to Washington, and received the opportunity to experience the museum Meissner had been working for.

The survivors exchanged laughs as Meissner claims the museum in Rwanda is more globalized on various genocides as the Holocaust Museum is not, when Mutanguha defends the Washington Museum, claiming “The messages on the table, this is good” enjoying his time visiting the museum and with Meissner. Both survivors have the commonality of providing awareness to the cause and further prevention of global genocide. The experiences they had were ones no human being should have to live through, and that is their goal to prevent future horrific events. With a closing remark Mutanguha states, “The memorial in Washington, it’s very well done. It covers everything we need to know about. So let’s see what the world will do”. Both continuing to remain optimistic for future occurrences, Mutanguha and Meissner continue to share a close bond and a common goal for the world. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/genocide-survivors-share-experiences-hope/2012/08/05/767b3bf4-df0c-11e1-a19c-fcfa365396c8_story.html