Rwanda, 20 Years Later - In Photos and Memories

U-T San Diego -- 

When the Rwandan genocide began in April 1994, Eugene Gatari lived near Lake Victoria in neighboring Uganda. He was miles from the slaughter, yet the slaughter came to him.

“Bodies were being thrown into rivers,” he remembered, “and then the bodies were flowing into Lake Victoria.”

After organizing truckloads of food, medicine and other supplies for survivors, Gatari traveled to Rwanda and descended into despair.

“It was a very, very bad moment,” he said. “Even for those who survived, there was no hope.”

Twenty years later, Gatari and other witnesses to this tragedy are in San Diego for an exhibit at the University of San Diego.

“Rwanda, 1994-2014: Seven Photographers,” which opened Thursday and continues through June 6, raises thorny questions about our capacity for violence and forgiveness. While the images explore a horrifying chapter in world history, survivors say the galleries offer glimmers of that elusive quality, hope. (Full Story)