Smithtown High School West students got a very special visit yesterday from the former President of the Parliament of Rwanda, Dr. Joseph Sebarenzi. The Rwanda genocide and civil war survivor presently plays a vital role in educating the world’s youth, of the history behind the conflict, as an advocate for peace and reconciliation. Tenth grade students of Smithtown High School West Social Studies Teacher Christina Cone received first hand knowledge from Sebarenzi along with his message to move forward and best deal with hardships in life in a positive manner.
During the 90 day genocide of 1994, Joseph Sebarenzi lost his parents, seven siblings and countless family members and friends among the 800,000 Tutsi who were brutally murdered by extremist Rwandan Hutus. Sebarenzi was elected speaker of parliament from 1997 until he resigned in 2000 for fear of assassination. He rose as an independent politician, denouncing abuses and careless government deeds, winning the approval of the Hutu Tutsi people.
Presently, Joseph Sebarenzi is a renown public speaker; sharing his message of forgiveness and conflict management at High Schools, Universities and Colleges throughout the United States and Canada. The fluent French, English, Kinyarwandan, and Swahili speaker also teaches reconciliation and conflict management courses at the School for International Training in Vermont. Sebarenzi’s memoir; God Sleeps in Rwanda: A Journey of Transformation was published by Simon & Schuster in 2009. The story depicts Sebarenzi’s memories as a survivor of the civil wars and genocide in Rwanda, his years in politics and insights into conflict prevention, forgiveness and reconciliation.