From Archbishop to Chelsea star, public figures mark Rwandan genocide anniversary

Religious leaders, football stars and actors back ‘Candles for Rwanda’ initiative as Rwanda prepares to mark end of the 1994 genocide

The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and Hollywood star Danny Glover are among the latest public figures to light candles on camera as part of ‘Candles for Rwanda’ (www.candles4rwanda.org), a global initiative to mark the 15th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide and help destitute survivors who are still suffering from its consequences 15 years on.

“The tragedy of Rwanda is that for a while, people completely forgot the humanity of their neighbours. People who had lived side by side for generations, people familiar with each other who knew each other well as human beings, suddenly forgot that other people were human beings. And that is always what happens when genocide occurs,” says Dr Rowan Williams in lighting his candle at Lambeth Palace. “The people of Rwanda are rebuilding bravely and prayerfully and hopefully at the moment, and our prayers and our thoughts are with them. All of us join with those prayers, that we may never again, anywhere in the World, forget the humanity of our neighbours; that we may all be prepared to stand alongside our neighbours in love, in solidarity, and in compassion.”

Didier Drogba: “Even if this flame ceases to burn, we have to remember all of our brothers who are gone”

“I light this candle in honour and homage to the victims of the genocide, simply so we can remember,” says Didier Drogba. “Even if this flame ceases to burn, we have to remember all of our brothers who are gone, and the conditions in which they went. It's important not to forget our past; it's important to remember our past, to avoid committing again in the future the mistakes which were made. So all my support, and here, this flame, the symbol of my homage to the Rwandan people.”

“It's a courageous act to dispel all of your fears, your anger, and all the historic pain that has been a part of that experience for the people, to take on the task now of healing,” says Danny Glover. “That process of healing not only involves the Rwandan people but it also involves all of us as part of the human experience and the human family.”

Both Danny Glover and Didier Drogba lit their candles at the Kigali Memorial Centre in Rwanda, a site where over 250,000 victims of the genocide lie buried.

Over the course of 100 days from 7 April 1994, around a million children, women and men were slaughtered in Rwanda simply because they were Tutsi. Hutus opposed to the onslaught were also killed. The international community knew what was happening and the media reported on it, but nothing was done to intervene.

Today, despite the trauma of the past, Rwanda is rebuilding and its economy is growing. However, thousands of survivors whose homes, means of living, loved ones and communities were taken away from them are still suffering the material consequences of the genocide.

‘Candles for Rwanda’ is intended to help change all that. Coordinated by the Aegis Trust, the initiative encourages people everywhere to go online and donate £5.00 to help survivors rebuild their lives. And for every £5.00 donation, a candle will be lit on behalf of the donor at the Kigali Memorial Centre.

On Sunday, a national event will be held in Rwanda to mark the 15^th anniversary of the end of the 1994 genocide. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Didier Drogba and Danny Glover will appear in a film that will be screened at the event featuring a host of public figures and celebrities from around the World who over the past three months have lit candles for Rwanda.

LONDON appointed by Aegis Trust to secure corporate sponsorship for Rwandan genocide survivors campaign

LONDON has been appointed by the Aegis Trust – an independent, international organisation that is dedicated to eliminating genocide – to secure a sponsor for the charity’s “Candles for Rwanda” campaign.

The online Candles for Rwanda global campaign marks the 15th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide and is being primarily driven by a series of viral films which show prominent celebrities, politicians and diplomats lighting candles in memory of those who lost their lives. The films, which aim to encourage donations, feature individuals including Scarlett Johansson, Ben Affleck, Sandra Bullock and David Cameron. The films can all be viewed at www.candlesforrwanda.org/donate and on YouTube.

LONDON is working with Aegis Trust to secure corporate sponsorship for the initiative and to develop the online campaign in order to maximise public awareness and increase the number of donations made.

Commenting on their appointment, Michael Moszynski, CEO of LONDON said:

“Aegis Trust has achieved an amazing coup in securing the support of some of the most prominent people on the planet for this very important initiative. However without corporate sponsors to secure funding of £250,000 to promote global awareness of the initiative, people will not know about the campaign or how to donate.

This is a global issue and a global campaign so as a new type of global agency we are giving our time at no cost to do what we can do to help spread the word. I would like to personally appeal for an individual, media owner or company to come forward to help make this happen. ”

Dr James Smith, Chief Executive of the Aegis Trust, said:

“The backing of prominent world figures for Candles for Rwanda has created an opportunity to change the lives of people still suffering from one of the international scandals of the past two decades. They are not sitting with a begging bowl. But we owe it to them to lend a hand in rebuilding their lives and their country. There couldn’t be a better partner than LONDON behind this; I know with support from sponsors something special can happen.”

Celebrities and Politicians turn out for Rwandan genocide survivors Mass candle lighting and practical help marks genocide, 15 years on

What do Kofi Annan, Natalie Portman, Clive Owen, David Cameron and Desmond Tutu have in common?

This week they are among the first public figures to light ‘Candles for Rwanda’ on camera – encouraging people everywhere to join a global initiative via the website, www.candles4rwanda.org, to commemorate the 15^th anniversary of the 1994 genocide and lift destitute survivors out of poverty.

“During a 100 days from 7 April 1994, a million children, women and men were slaughtered in Rwanda, simply because of who they were,” says Stephen Twigg, a Director of the Aegis Trust, which is helping to coordinate the initiative. “Today, despite the trauma of the past, Rwanda is rebuilding and full of hope for the future. However, it remains one of the poorest countries in the World, and thousands of those who survived – many of them widowed or orphaned by the genocide – remain destitute, unable to keep shelter over their heads or put food on the table. ‘Candles for Rwanda’ is intended to help change all of that.”

Lifting destitute survivors out of extreme poverty

For every donation you give – either through www.candles4rwanda.org, or by texting ‘CANDLES’ to 82010 to give £5.00 – a candle will be lit on your behalf and placed in remembrance at mass graves in the grounds of the Kigali Memorial Centre, where 250,000 victims of the genocide lie buried.

The first few pence pay for the candle. The rest of the donation goes directly to meet the needs of the most destitute among the survivors, lifting them out of extreme poverty and giving them a chance to start rebuilding their lives. The growing sea of candles at the Kigali Memorial Centre, and the very practical support that comes with it, will show survivors they are not forgotten; that people the World over do care about their suffering.

“I will never forget going to visit the genocide memorial centre in Kigali,” says David Cameron. “Someone once said that while one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is just a statistic. We must prove that wrong. We owe that to those who survived.”

“This candle, I want to light for you.”

The first candles lit in Rwanda as part of the initiative will be in the National Stadium, Kigali, during the official commemoration of the genocide on the night of 7^th April. As thousands of candles are lit across the pitch, a short film featuring high profile figures taking part in the initiative will be displayed on the stadium’s main screen.

In the face of genocide, words can seem futile. Some of the stars – Samuel L Jackson, Clive Owen and Adrien Brody among them – chose to light their candles in silence. Some reflected on what they themselves were doing in 1994 when the genocide happened, or talked about their own experience of Rwanda. Others simply offered a moving dedication of their candle-lighting to the victims and survivors.

“I want to light this candle for those people who were killed, and the parts of us that were killed, as people in humanity, to allow these things to happen,” said Forest Whitaker, who in 2007 won an Oscar for his screen portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. “I want to light this candle in hope, with the hope that things like this will never happen again. With the hope that those souls who have passed, and those souls who have been scarred, move upward towards the light. I want to light this candle for love, because it represents the spark that we have inside of all of us. This candle, I want to light for you... I want to light for us.”

The politicians and stars...

Those taking part in the launch of ‘Candles for Rwanda’ include Kofi Annan, Desmond Tutu, Tony Blair, David Cameron, Nick Clegg, Clive Owen, Forest Whitaker, Adrien Brody, John Hurt, Claire-Hope Ashitey, Natalie Portman, Zero 7, Reverend and the Makers, Mattafix, Mia Farrow, Sidney Poitier, Samuel L Jackson, Hugh Dancy, Sandra Bullock, Switch foot, Lucy Liu and Madeleine Albright. They also include survivors: Holocaust survivor Martin Stern, Cambodian survivor Samol Loeng and Darfuri survivor Ibrahim Issa Korkor.

Film clips featuring these people lighting their ‘candles for Rwanda’ will be available to view online at www.candles4rwanda.org. They will also be available to view on multiple social networking sites, including YouTube and FaceBook.

See Samuel L Jackson's message:

Other celebrities, politicians and public figures from around the world will be announcing their support for the initiative during the course of the 100-day commemoration period, building to concluding announcements on 16 July.

Partners involved in the ‘Candles for Rwanda’ initiative include Rwanda15 (the official Rwandan commemoration), the Imbuto Foundation, Kigali City Council, Ibuka, the Aegis Trust, Three Generations, Eye Spy Films, The Infantry, The Harry Potter Alliance, PR4 and Instigate Debate.