Forgive but not forget?

Forgive but not forget?

What does reconciliation mean? I have been thinking and talking to people lately about the issue of the Rwandan genocide and the subsequent actions taken in regards to it. What do I mean? We have a phrase in the states of Forgive and Forget. I can remember on various occasions saying how it is necessary to forgive, but never forget. This little idiom is currently the guiding principle behind the “never again” memorial in Rwanda. Talking to my friends here, I have become aware of a stinging controversy around this memorial site. Indeed, what is the purpose and what is the consequence of this genocide museum. One priest told me that you will never find a maHutu in that museum. I was told that in fact the only people who do attend such a museum are foreign tourists and tutsi’s coming from outside the country. What is the real meaning of reconciliation. Are there times when we need to always remember?? Are there times when, in order to have a true reconciliation, it is necessary that we forget.

Take the case of slave trade in the US. I do not believe that any American feels truly responsible for the slave trade. Yet there are still strong structural injustices present in the US. We have no one to forgive, but we cannot forget. We cannot forget this injustice, because it’s effects still carry into the present. It’s idealologies still breathe in our society.

With the case of Rwanda, can there be true reconciliation, if Mahutus continue to feel demonized. How will they react to such a depiction of them? What happens when these are your neighbors?

So what does reconcilation mean?