Discovering Allies among the Enemy: Eye Witness Stories of the Rwandan Genocide, Followed Demonstrations of Courage, Resilience, and Forgiveness

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YEREVAN, Armenia – On April 15th, the American University of Armenia (AUA) Political Science & International Affairs (PSIA) program hosted a public lecture led by Carl Wilkens, director and co-founder of the World Outside My Shoes non-profit organization committed to inspiring and equipping people to enter the world of “The Other”. During the lecture, Mr. Wilkens shared many of his life experiences, including from when he was living in Rwanda.

As a humanitarian aid worker, Mr. Wilkens moved his young family to Rwanda in the spring of 1990 to serve as country director for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). When the genocide against the Tutsi was launched in April 1994, he refused to leave. Thousands of expatriates evacuated and the United Nations pulled out most of it’s troops. Mr. Wilkens was the only American to remain in Kigali. Venturing out each day into streets crackling with mortars and gunfire, he worked his way through roadblocks of angry, bloodstained soldiers and civilians armed with machetes and assault rifles in order to bring food, water and medicine to groups of orphans trapped around the city. Working with Rwandan colleagues, they helped save the lives of hundreds.

For the past 8 years, Mr. Wilkens and his wife Teresa have been speaking in schools and universities in 20 countries around the world about Rwanda’s stories of courage, resilience, and reconciliation. At the core of their message is the power of stories to shape the way we think, feel, and act toward others and ourselves. In 2011 Mr. Wilkens wrote a book about their families’ experience during the Rwandan genocide titled, “I’m Not Leaving”. There is also a documentary by the same title. He finished his undergraduate studies at Walla Walla University, earned an MBA from the University of Baltimore, and an honorary doctorate from Buffalo State College.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.