Immaculée Songa has donated her deceased daughters’ clothing to a United Nations exhibition called “Stories of Survival and Remembrance - A call to action for genocide prevention”. The clothes were washed, but still contain stains from blood, and were recognised by Songa in a mass grave where the rest of her family’s remains were buried. The exhibition highlights personal objects such as toys, photographs and letters that survived genocide, the Holocaust and other crimes. “Stories of Survival and Remembrance” will be on display at the UN Headquarters, New York, until 15 June. Songa speaks out about the importance of sharing individual stories that remember the lives of those who have passed on to avoid them being forgotten. She specifically mentions that denial, an often-used term during the final phase of genocide, is making it easier for some to forget the events. The exhibition was launched ahead of the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda, on Friday, April 14th. The event is being held during the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and aims to educate people about the signs of potential genocide and encourage prevention through education.
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