Three Ambassadors and L&C Students Remember Rwanda
Open gallery
To commemorate the 1994 genocide in Rwanda—and to focus efforts on moving forward and rebuilding—Rwandans observe Kwibuka, a period of mourning and remembrance.
On April 14, Lewis & Clark marked Kwibuka 25 with remarks by students and visiting dignitaries, a Rwandan-themed meal, and a candlelight vigil to remember those killed during the genocide.
The student speakers—Liza Clairagneau BA ’21, Davis United World College Scholar from Rwanda; Ocean Eale BA ’19 from Kahuku, Hawai‘i; and Fabrice Sibomana, L&C Dallaire Scholar and survivor of the genocide—talked about their own experiences, including attending the 25th Kwibuka in Washington, D.C., earlier this spring. That trip was made possible by a grant from the Student Academic Affairs Board (SAAB).
The Lewis & Clark Dallaire Scholarship honors Roméo Dallaire, former commander of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission to Rwanda. The scholarship recipient is a Rwandan resident who enrolls in the Academic English Studies program at Lewis & Clark for one academic year.
Attendees also heard remarks from former U.S. Ambassador to Guinea Joyce Leader, who served as deputy to the U.S. ambassador in Rwanda during the genocide. She was joined by two additional dignitaries at the event: David Rawson, former U.S. ambassador to Rwanda and current visiting scholar in the Graduate School of Business at George Fox University, and Niels Marquardt BA ’75, Lewis & Clark’s inaugural diplomat in residence (see page 12). Both Leader and Rawson were serving in Rwanda before the genocide and were responsible for the evacuation of Americans to Burundi.
—by Franchesca Schrambling BA ’22
