Carl Wilkens illustrated to Ohio University students Thursday night how he saved lives during genocide even when his own life was in peril.
Wilkens, the former head of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International in Rwanda, provided aid to Rwandans during the 1994 genocide. He shuttled barrels of water through gunfire as the only American left in the country during the strife.
He spoke to students in the Baker University Center Ballroom about the need to learn lessons from the genocide. The conflict killed 937,000 people, according to a census by Rwanda’s Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sports.
“Enemies are not born; they are constructed. If you really believe this, then you can also believe that enemies can be deconstructed,” said Wilkens, who now runs World Outside My Shoes, a no-profit organization working to inspire and equip people to stand up against genocide, racism and tolerance.
By posting on Facebook and highlighting causes that help promote awareness of genocide, Wilkens engaged the mostly allstudent audience of about 150 through participation.
The speaker, brought to OU by STAND Against Genocide and the Residents’ Action Council, said he often drove alone through areas the United Nations and Red Cross could not go to bring fresh water and food to those in need.
“I’m not convinced that the darker stuff is our most powerful motivator. Sometimes it is the kick in the rear we need,” Wilkens said. “I think the courage we have to stand up and resist is the lasting and sustainable way of bringing about change.”
The message from the author of I’m Not Leaving, a first-person memoir of the genocide Wilkens recorded during the killing he later turned into a book, resonated with students who loudly applauded his talk.
“I’ve heard a lot from other (STAND) chapter leaders about how friendly he is and how honest he is and how he is able to shed a light on genocide that actually gives you hope and is empowering so (he) definitely did that today,” said Jack Spicer, a junior and co-president of OU’s STAND chapter.
Some of the students who attended hadn’t originally decided to go because of an interest in Rwanda but said they enjoyed Wilkens’ manner of storytelling.
“I think it’s a story that needs to be told. I just heard about it and really thought we should back it,” said Lindsay Schneider, a junior and member of tRAC. “I thought that it was amazing. It was really inspirational. It makes me want to do service in Africa.”
dd195710@ohiou.edu
