The Minister of Sports and Culture, Julienne Uwacu called upon media practitioners to be more vigilant, be professional in reporting during the upcoming 24th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi not to be used to advance genocide ideologies.
Minister of Sports and Culture Julienne Uwacu calls media to improve on professionalism
She was speaking yesterday during the Police-media interact held at Rwanda National Police Headquarters.
Minister Uwacu hailed the current relations between the police and the media which she said benefits particularly Rwandans.
The commemoration that starts on April 7 will be held under the theme: “Remember the Genocide against the Tutsi – Fight Genocide Ideology – Build on Our Progress.”
“A lot has been achieved in the last 24 years, sacrifices were made by everyone for the country to be where it is today but we still have to remember the tragedies that befell us; that’s why we must commemorate as we also reflect on our past, ensure it never happens against and to further build a peaceful, stable and united country,” said Minister Uwacu.
“This is the time we need the media to be more vibrant and counter the genocide deniers. Let’s not let someone tell our story the wrong way; no one has lived our experience to be in position to speak for us. We know better and that’s why we must tell our own story,” said the Minister
She reminded media practitioners that ethics is key in every profession.
“What you publish can shape the legacy of our communities, that’s why responsible journalism is what shapes our future and you are the people do that.”
She noted that crimes related to genocide committed during the commemoration period have reduced over the years. Strategies, she said, have been put in place to ensure the reduction is sustained and to eliminate genocide ideology.
“There is nothing worse like losing people, it’s something hard to recover from, but the more we keep close and supporting survivors, improving their welfare the more we comfort them and trauma cases reduce,” she said.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Emmanuel K. Gasana said that the police have been on board in preparation for the commemoration, and that they are ready to ensure law and order.
He reminded that cases of genocide ideology are unacceptable and any act that minimizes the Genocide is punishable by law, and called for police-media partnership in fighting it.
“We have done thorough preparations to ensure total safety during the commemoration week but we still need partnership to ensure everything goes as planned,” he said.
Crimes down by 2.1%
The Police Chief also gave a detailed state of security in the first quarter of 2018.
“In this quarter ending, we recorded 5580 crimes committed across the country, this projects a 2.1% decrease compared to the same period last year,” IGP Gasana said.
He cited crimes related to physical assault, drug abuse and trafficking, defilement and traffic offences as some of the high impact crimes recorded by police. Traffic offences reduced by 5.5%.
The Police Chief attributed the reduction to several sensitizations and enforcement mechanisms. He said there were enhanced joint campaigns with stakeholders to ensure general public safety.
He attributed the reduction in road accidents to installation of speed governors in public transport buses and deployment of more traffic officers on high ways, among others.
“The role of the media in crime prevention has been very crucial especially when reporting about such issues. Our roles are similar…to serve the people,” he observed.
The Executive Secretary of the National Commission for the Fight against Genocide, Dr. Jean Damascene Bizimana also spoke at length on the preparations for the commemoration period which will be held at the village level.
He also appealed to the editors to not allow comments on stories that minimize or deny genocide against the Tutsi.
Cleophas Barore, the chairperson of Rwanda Media Commission (RMC) also emphasised on professional reporting especially during the commemorating.
“We are heading in a period where people’s utterances or comments on stories can promote genocide ideology, that’s why we appeal to editors to be more conscious about the stories and filter the comments.”
Barore, however, added that the media fraternity is happy of its enhanced relations with the police.
“In this first quarter, we never experience a single incident. This is partly because the interactions we held with the police changed attitudes towards each other and we wish these interactions be strengthened further,” Barore said.
