Mimi Mutanguha ’13 to discuss 1994 Rwandan genocide

Mimi Mutoni Mutanguha, a senior majoring in political science, will examine the social and political forces leading up to and following the 1994 genocide that ravaged her native country when she presents a talk at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 16 in the Ochre Court drawing room.

Sponsored by the Office of Admissions, Mutanguha’s talk is open to the Salve Regina community.

“This is an event that shocked the world and to this day many do not know how the international world played such a huge role,” said Mutanguha, who will pursue a master’s degree in international relations at Salve Regina following her graduation in May. “I have always been fascinated by this period in my country’s history and would like to give an account of this trying time to the Salve community from the perspective of someone who has such close ties to the event.”

The genocide had an enormous impact on Mutanguha’s family, with uncles, cousins and aunts of hers being lost in the massacre.

“Many cannot fathom why neighbors turned against each other,” she said. “The aim of my talk is to expose the details of the Rwandan psyche before and during the genocide that led to such a macabre event. I hope to provide the people I meet with a fresh and culturally different perspective as well as hoping they do the same for me.”