Never Again

If you had the power to change the course of history in your community or the world, what would you do and why? 

“Never again.” Two words the world promised after the horrific ethnic cleansing of the Holocaust which slaughtered over 6,000,000 people. In the decades since, world leaders swore to never allow extermination of a group of people to occur, yet there has been little progress to stop the modern day genocides which plague our world today. 

My current concern was inspired by reading Immaculée Ilibagiza’s Left To Tell. This novel recounts the horrifying experience she faced as a Tutsi during the Rawandan genocide. Through her faith, Immaculée overcomes the trauma she faced and forgives the Hutu killers who murdered her family. The killers believed their opposing Tutsi neighbors to be subhuman creatures unworthy of life which exemplifies the ravages of dehumanization. Immaculée depicts the fragility and complexity of humanity. Some argue the genocide was a temporary slip into collective insanity, yet the events of 1994 warrant reflection by today’s society and the capabilities of the human race. At the time, former President Bill Clinton expressed that remaining indifferent throughout the Rawandan genocide is one of his biggest regrets from his time in office and cautioned his administration, “to improve, with the international community, our system for identifying and spotlighting nations in danger of genocidal violence, so that we can assure the worldwide awareness of impending threats.”

Despite President Clinton’s  proclamation, genocide is occurring today while the international community remains indifferent. Genocide occurs in ten stages granting law makers the opportunity to intervene and develop preventative measures. Stage four, ‘dehumanization,’ has made it possible for great atrocities to take place by denying humans the very bottom of the hierarchy of needs by treating the victims of the genocide as undeserving of life. The Second World War, the 1946 Nuremberg doctor’s trials, and the agreement between the German soldiers and the Nazis to fight without mercy are all examples of how history has shown the horrors of dehumanization. 

Countries like Argentina, Syria, and El Salvador, among many others, are alarming areas of concern for potential genocide. Driven by systemic and religious motivations, these genocides are targeting women, children, and members of the LGTBQ+ community. Genocide begins with classifying and discriminating against a particular group.

Change begins with each of us. Becoming aware and staying informed are the pillars for genocide prevention. Launching a social media campaign, discussing with others, and writing letters to political representatives are all ways in which young people can raise awareness for the monitoring and prevention of genocides. Only then can “never again” move from promise to reality. 

Left To Tell underscores how easily fear can be stoked, how quickly ties that we trust can unravel, and how divisions can be created and manipulated. Faith and forgiveness serve as the main theme in the novel and inspire me to adopt an optimistic mindset to bring people together and learn from history’s mistakes. The genocide cautions society of the accountability that comes with looking the other way and the dangers of building walls between ‘us’ and ‘them.’