VIDEO TESTIMONY PROJECT FOR RWANDAN GENOCIDE
Written by JM Itangashaka

“If you knew me, and if you really knew yourself, then you would not have killed me” (Felicien Ntagengwa, survivor of Rwanda’s genocide)

In the footstep of storytelling of Felicien Ntagengwa, his mother's uncle, the survivor Gilbert Ndahayo has embarked on collecting testimonies of survivors of Rwanda's genocide. The collection of nearly 50 video testimonies was compiled into his debut 45 min. heart rendering documentary titled "Behind this convent".

Silence has never helped anyone especially in the eras of ethnic cleansing and genocide. The story of Rwanda is unique. Acts of genocide were committed by Rwandans on Rwandans and within 100 days, one millions lives have perished.

Every year in April, survivors are telling their stories. The post-genocide government dedicated the mouth of April to bury in dignity the dead bones that are being discovered where they were thrown. This situation continues today.

Gilbert Ndahayo's family was murdered in his home courtyard after being taken from the convent where they sought refuge. They were killed together with other two hundred tutsi. "When the killers came, I led the line. It was over", testifies Albert Murekezi who was saved by a soldier he used to drive. His family, ten people in total, was killed in there. "I told my sisters to hurry to quicken our death; nobody was killed by a bulled. They were burnt alive after being hit with hoes", he added. The filmmaker Gilbert lived with the bones and remains of his parents for twelve years until last year when they were buried in the dignity at Gisozi Memorial site.

Mr. Gilbert Ndahayo's first confession in the making of his documentary came in March 2007. "Rwanda has suffered a lot. I have suffered a lot. I want to express it," says Gilbert Ndahayo to the BBC reporter Abby D'Arcy. Read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6530227.stm

Indeed, the first collection of testimonies undertaken by Educational Arts and Media did not receive any single financial funding. The idea sounds of a great importance. "The making of this film was a really hard thing to do," he said. "But I used it to try to heal myself."

Earlier, Mr. Ndahayo has written a project "A tale of Genocide film" that was hosted by Rwanda Cinema Centre during its 3rd Annual film festival. The project brought together scholars, filmmakers, activists and survivor’s organizations to share their reflections on how to embark on video testimonies collection and preservation. The project brought scholars of USC Shoah Foundation Douglas Greenberg, Beth Meyerowitz and Donald Miller to share their experiences with Rwanda. Douglas who led the workshop said that Shoah Foundation is eager to work with survivors. "It was a blessing and also rewarding experience since we learnt from the advanced", says Ndahayo.

Survivors honor today their beloved ones and burry them in dignity. Educational Arts and Media Project was established by the filmmaker Gilbert to collect and preserve those stories, those memories and "disseminate voices that will never be silent." So far, the collection of 50 video testimonies collected within the last two years were compiled into an extraordinary journey into the Rwanda's genocide.

Opportunities for partnership

Mr Ndahayo established SHEMA FILMS and NDAHAYO FOUNDATION shortly after he finished editing the documentary film "Behind this convent". NDAHAYO FOUNDATION is a circle of youth, activists, artists and educators working together to promote social, economic and environment human rights of youth in Rwanda. Our purpose is to create an info-art works-video tool to share, exchange and disseminate information and alternatives to pressing issues youth and children face around the world today.

NDAHAYO FOUNDATION has devoted entirely on collecting video testimonies from survivors of genocide and other witnesses including politicians and human rights activists. This collection is now stored on dv tapes. "We are not intending to confiscate these testimonies. These stories belong to Rwanda. They belong to humanity", says Mr Ndahayo after the screening of the documentary in a rundown DESA conference room on the 13th floor of the DC-2 building on May 22nd, 2007 during a UN Permenant Forum on Indigenous People. He described the difficulty of making his film, "Behind this convent," with little to no outside help.
Read more on http://www.innercitypress.com/unarts052107.html
To listen to the UN radio: http://webcast.un.org/radio/english/mp3/2007/07060100-2.mp3

This film was acclaimed by many in Kigali when it was screened during "A tale of genocide film" alongside with films such as A Sunday by the Pool in Kigali, Schindler's List. "In Rwanda, we consider him as our Spielberg" says Yves Kamuronsi, the head of Documentation Department at Gisozi Memorial Center. Gisozi Memorial Center provided the filmmaker little support to the making of the film. Yves says "A dv tape costs almost the price of a pizza. Gilbert had no resources to make his film, no camera, nothing. He had the idea. I personally authorized him to get some tapes from our centre. I knew he was going to make it and I wasn't wrong now." This film will be running in the memorial center. Gilbert confessed that he had no equipment and he "had this need of telling the tale." "In the near future, our fertile red soil will once again flourish. Dead bodies thrown on the roads, in latrine pits and other scars of genocide won't be visible. People would be coming to the memorial centers to learn the history of genocide".

Today, children and youth take part of activities of commemorations as well as honoring the victims of genocide, a sequence explored by the filmmaker. The filmmaker went on to reveal, "the tradition is now broken. I was not allowed to go to funerals but after the genocide, I spent twelve years living with the remains of my parents and the two hundred people killed in our home behind the convent. I was only 13 years old." "There is no way people could hide our recent history."

A fundamental part of Mr. Ndahayo's idea is the pledge not only to collect the testimonies but also to preserve the memories of Rwanda's genocide through time and to make it accessible to others. That means making sure that as the video technology evolves, testimonies collected and stored would be transferred to the latest format. Mr. Ndahayo has never been at a film school and said "it's nobody's fault if Rwanda has no film school. All my applications to film schools abroad were never been responded. I have stories to tell and I do what I have to do to tell the stories. I teach myself and learn from others like Spielberg. I also think others will learn from me."

Mr. Ndahayo has learnt the trade of film storytelling from Rwanda Cinema Centre where he worked as the chief editor until early 2008. In 2006, his screenplay for a feature film titled "Scars of Silver" has been selected by Maisha Film Lab, a foundation in East Africa by the Hollywood acclaimed filmmaker. It was "inspiring being taught by the big boys (and girls) like hollywood editor Kris Boden and Mira Nair. I applied my knowledge while editing the documentary. Some more taste to the film were added to fit the way stories are being told."

NDAHAYO FOUNDATION is currently making a call to individuals, NGOs to:
*update the knowledge of volunteers who are part of collecting and preserving the Rwanda's genocide;

*donate equipments and money for collection and preservation of video testimonies;
help build a center for storage, studio work and maintenance of tapes recorded.

Training can be offered in archive updating and systems used, transferring collection of digital tape to a state-of-the-art disk storage technology for easier retrievable.

Mr. Ndahayo donated his parents' houses as parcel for the centre. The backyard that was burnt in the genocide and the pits where they threw the victims will be built to accommodate the center since the place tells the story itself, it can help to keep it for more accessibility. Ndahayo estimates he will have to raise an average of about 500,000 US $ to build the centre for NDAHAYO FOUNDATION and about 50,000 US $ a year to run the costs of the personnel and technology to collect, preserve and disseminate the story of Rwanda's genocide.

Mr. Ndahayo says the archive is valuable for research in different fields including unknown areas. "I knew my old uncle was killed in the genocide but I did not know how. A woman stood up and testifies 'I remember old man Kahabayi was forced to drink cans of white paints until he suffocated. The killers were singing drink this, this is your milk.' I hold hard the camera. I couldn't cry", nubs the filmmaker who stopped speaking for a while. He goes on, "without testimonies of genocide, there is no history of it. Our history is also oral."


Opportunities for largest collection in the world

Survivors' organizations have started less or more initiatives in the collecting video testimonies but the survivor filmmaker’s initiative wants to go beyond that. For one, it will have to distribute the content without letting it into hands of people who might hack into the stories and misuse/distort them. It is probably too soon for enlarging access for survivors interviewed privacy if certain security measures are not yet in place.

Genocide constitutes a daily reality in Rwandan lives. "Everyday for a survivor of genocide is a challenge for him and his surroundings" says the filmmaker regretting for not having interviewed his uncle Felicien Ntagengwa who died recently. Mr Felicien Ntagengwa, my uncle, was a poet and outspoken speaker, the author of the words remembered at Kigali Memorial site “If you knew me, and if you really knew yourself, then you would not have killed me”. Mr Felicien survived the killings of tutsi that took place for more than 35 years including the deportation of tutsi in Bugesera, an area that was ravaged by tse-tse flies. This shows that a lot of wisdom is taken away from Rwanda’s society, the people who could testify will no longer be with us in the next ten years or so. If we have to do that, it is now. Otherwise, it will be once again to later.

The testimonies of survivors are powerful teaching aids for the world to overcome prejudices and invaluable sources on some genocide not well documented or studied. Genocide is not different from other form of historical event.

Within the last two years, NDAHAYO FOUNDATION collected 50 video testimonies. Our main plan was to produce a self-explanatory documentary on Rwanda story of genocide. The 45 min. documentary "Behind this convent" is a representative sample of testimonies compiled and packed on dvd format so that the loud message can reach to the world out there.


Studying memories

Testimonies of Rwanda’s genocide would be used in different ways. These materials that can produce a number of multimedia products and various universities, NGOs, human rights activists can develop curricula on tolerance, unity and reconciliation using testimonies from the survivors and other witnesses of the genocide. Mr. Ndahayo plan to enroll for his lifetime in this mission.

As a promising filmmaker and survivor of genocide, Mr. Ndahayo says he expects that fundraising would be much easier especially with a product that speaks for itself. Those who will see voices and faces of Rwanda’s genocide will take his initiative much more serious that it has been for others. “A lot of people come here, they shoot our stories and go. I live here and see how things evolve”, confesses the filmmaker during the New York’s 2007 Tribeca Film Festival that featured of his short film “Scars of my days”, a screening that was attended by President Paul Kagame and Bill Clinton. President Clinton earlier, before Gilbert speaks, confessed once again his personal failure to do what he could to stop the genocide in 1994. The filmmaker has found his way to Hollywood.

The filmmaker is now ready to develop partnership with various stakeholders and welcomes donors about gifts to endowment and those who maybe interested in giving money for building the center and its supports to its program.

The 26 years old filmmaker is considered as a pioneer in Rwanda’s film industry.

Gilbert’s shift into producing video testimonies is the only way he can contribute to alleviate the world’s injustices to a less or more extent but allowing the outside world to comprehend the incomprehensible that is the Rwanda’s genocide. The Rwanda’s genocide is a lesson and another warning. “I would have survived for nothing. For nothing. If I don’t tell my story, nobody else will. The same is applicable to all survivors of genocides in the entire world.”

Today, with rapid pace of globalization and digital media, it is much easier to resource people who want to chronicle the Rwanda’s genocide and other tragedies around the globe. “Researchers, activists, NGOs or just any individuals who would love to find connectivity from the current events in Sudan to the first genocide on the African continent that took place in Rwanda or reflect to the events in Auschwitz” says the survivor filmmaker who plans his next film as follows “a place where I was hiding”, without disclosing where.”It is the topic of my coming film tentatively entitled Victory over Vampires”,the filmmaker confesses.

The filmmaker also says the activities will be expanded chronologically, geographically and by topic as his larger mission is to document the experiences of Rwandan people in the last 21st century that people in subsequent centuries will understand what was like. “Survivors want to tell me their stories, this creates a huge burden for me.” Gilbert confessed. “I did not know what to do with their testimonies in the beginning. Their call nobody can shut it down.” There is also a room to help those who are still in the precipices of genocide, whose lives are no longer the same.

To view Ndahayo videos go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBfE5UH5e88