Allan Thompson making presentation in Goderich about Rwanda genocide

By: Liz Dadson March 29, 2015 1340

Allan Thompson making presentation in Goderich about Rwanda genocide

On the 21st anniversary of the beginning of the Rwanda genocide, Allan Thompson will be making a presentation at the Goderich United Church, Tuesday, April 7, on the role of the media during those tragic events.

Now the federal Liberal candidate in Huron-Bruce, Thompson was a journalist with the Toronto Star for 17 years and reported on the aftermath of the 1994 Rwanda genocide. The massacres in the tiny central African country began April 7, 1994, after the assassination of the president. In the 100 days that followed, nearly one-million people were slaughtered in a genocide of the minority Tutsi community.

Thompson reported from Rwanda after the genocide for The Star and also visited the country more than a dozen times through a media development partnership he established between Carleton University’s journalism school and its counterpart in Rwanda.

During those visits, Thompson pieced together the compelling story behind a rare piece of news footage that was taken at the beginning of the genocide. The footage, taken by a British cameraman, captured the brutal deaths of two Rwandans – a man and a woman.

“I first learned about this footage while conducting research into the role of the news media during the Rwanda genocide and it came to haunt me,’’ Thompson said. During multiple visits, he established the identity of those who were killed and discovered the story behind their deaths.

Thompson has delivered his multi-media presentation, which he calls The Genocide Video, across North America before student audiences, at academic conferences and for community groups.

“Even all these years later, I think it is important for people to understand what happened in Rwanda and to reflect on why it didn’t capture our attention at the time,’’ Thompson said.

The presentation will take place at 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 7, at the United Church at 56 North. St. in Goderich. Admission is free. Any donations will be delivered to the family in Rwanda that is the subject of Thompson’s presentation.