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Mr Taylor Krauss speaking at the launch of his tour
Dr Anthony Court speaking at the seminar
Prof Russel Viljoen, Ms Jo-Ansie Van Wyk, Mr Taylor Krauss, Dr Anthony Court, Mr Ngabo Xavier , (Rwandan Diaspora), Ms Tali Nates (Director: Johannesburg Holocaust Centre) & Prof Greg Cuthbertson
Dr Anthony Court, Prof Narend Baijnath, Mr Issie Kirsh, Mr Taylor Krauss & Prof Tinyiko Maluleke at the launch event
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"Voices of Rwanda" reach far and wide
Unisa’s Primedia Holocaust & Genocide Unit recently hosted Mr Taylor Krauss, Executive Director of the oral history database project "Voices of Rwanda", based in Kigali. "Voices of Rwanda" is dedicated to recording and preserving testimonies of Rwandans who survived the 1994 genocide in that country. The project aims to ensure that their testimonies inform the world about genocide and the terrible consequences of a passive international community, which failed to intervene to stop the 1994 genocide in that country.
Dr Anthony Court, senior researcher at the Unit, led a delegation of students and scholars from South Africa and the United States to Rwanda from 17 to 24 August 2008. During this visit, Dr Court met Mr Krauss while visiting the Kigali offices of "Voices of Rwanda". The 2008 study tour to Rwanda aimed to familiarise the students with the circumstances and consequences of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, which claimed the lives of approximately 800 000 over a period of 100 days.
Following the visit to Rwanda, Dr Court invited Mr Krauss to visit Unisa in 2009 to explore avenues of future cooperation and to investigate the feasibility of establishing Unisa as a repository of the "Voices of Rwanda" oral history database. Mr Krauss’s visit was made possible by the generous support of Prof Narend Baijnath, Vice-Principal: Strategy, Planning and Partnerships.
Mr Krauss held wide-ranging discussions with Unisa staff and students. Highlights included meetings with Prof Rosemary Moeketsi (Executive Dean: College of Human Sciences), Prof KP Dzvimbo (Deputy Executive Dean: College of Human Sciences), Prof Greg Cuthbertson (Director: School for Graduate Studies) and Dr Buhle Mbambo-Thata (Director: Unisa Library). He also met with Mr Issie Kirsh, Chairman of Primedia Ltd, which sponsors the Primedia Holocaust & Genocide Unit.
Mr Krauss gave several public lectures during his visit. These included talks at the Jaffa Community Centre in Pretoria, the "Taste of Limmud" conference at the Johannesburg Holocaust Centre, Constitution Hill in Johannesburg and the Cape Town Holocaust Centre. He also presented a seminar to academics and students in the Unisa School for Graduate Studies seminar series. Mr Krauss gave an interview to Radio Chai and a joint interview with Dr Court to Radio Today’s "In town tonight" series. He also paid a courtesy visit to the Embassy of Rwanda in Pretoria and engaged with the Rwandan Diaspora Association, the Rwandan Student Association and several other student representative bodies in Pretoria and Johannesburg.
Anyone wishing to know more about Voices of Rwanda can visit their website www.voicesofrwanda.org |
