The Daily Bulletin Archive

According to Carl Wilkens, genocides are caused by a small number of people, and can be stopped by a small number of people. Wilkens, who was the only American to remain in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide in that country, spoke on campus on October 29. His presentation was part of Africa Week.

Wilkens was serving as head of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International in Rwanda when the violence erupted there. He and his wife decided that he would stay in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, and continue his work while she took the children to a nearby country for safety.

While Wilkens spoke about the violence he saw firsthand, he emphasized the need to recognize the common humanity people share. He and his wife are bicycling around the country, speaking and raising money and awareness through their organization, World Outside My Shoes.

An audio recording of Wilkens’s talk at Buffalo State is available on the Podcasts section of our Web site.