A meeting of the seemingly very local Westbrook City Council Facilities and Streets Committee took a surprising turn on Monday night when Council President Claude Rwaganje’s proposal to memorialize an alleged genocide in the Congo turned contentious.
Rwaganje proposed that the city of Westbrook find a place for a donated memorial stone commemorating a 2004 massacre in a Burundi refugee camp against members of the Banyamulenge ethnic group in the Democratic Republic of Congo. During his testimony at the local council meeting, Rwaganje lamented what he believes is the failure of the international community to intervene in a genocide alleged to have taken place in central Africa.
(Ed note: related to the Tutsi tribe of neighboring Rwanda, the Banyamulenge people, numbering an estimated 60-75,000 predominantly in Eastern Congo have been a source of controversy in that country since the 1960s – ethnic violence in Rwanda spilled over into Congo in the 1990s, leading to the toppling of dictator Mobutu Sese-Seko in 1997 and currently once again threatening the overthrow of the Congolese state)
Westbrook’s council president also serves as the director of Prosperity Maine, a non-profit focused on assisting newly-arrived immigrants in that state and previously celebrated the short-lived appointment of Tarlan Ahmadov as Director of the “Office of New Americans” (ONA), before The Maine Wire exposed Ahmadov for his history of anti-Armenian racism.
Rwaganje appeared to suggest that the installation of a memorial to the victims of the massacre in Westbrook, Maine could be the first step towards ending racial violence against the Banyamulenge people in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“I believe that as a result of this presentation and the installation of a memorial stone, many people will learn about this subject, publish articles, and write books, so that the world can finally become aware of this unspoken genocide,” he said.
“Hopefully, this may be a beginning of a possible solution to end the genocide against the Banyamulenge,” he added.
One Councilor, Anna Turcotte, an Armenian who survived violence against her people when her family fled Azerbaijan when she was a child, expressed support for the intent behind the memorial, but disputed the massacre’s status as a genocide. She claimed that “genocide” is a legal term, and that the perpetrators of the massacre were prosecuted for crimes against humanity rather than genocide.
“I would be very uncomfortable using the word ‘genocide.’ It is a legal term, and the more we use it on things that are not genocide, the more we actually diminish the word’s power,” said Councilor Turcotte.
Rwaganje pushed back against Turcotte, citing information he submitted with the initial proposal, including arguments to support his claims of a genocide.
During his explanation, Rwaganje compared what he argues is a genocide against the Banyamulenge people, though it has not been recognized internationally, with the Armenian Genocide. His statement angered Turcotte, who argued that the U.S.’s failure to immediately recognize the Armenian Genocide is not comparable to the international community’s lack of acknowledgement for a genocide against the Banyamulenge people.
The debate continued, with Rwaganje claiming that the purpose of the monument is not to debate scholars on terminology, and Turcotte expressing concerns that the city would be using inaccurate legal terminology if it installed a monument recognizing a genocide.
“This, to me, seems like a political action to use the Westbrook City Council to politically act upon your advocacy. You can do that without involving us,” said Turcotte, responding to a member of the public who testified on the memorial.
“You have to speak to the facts, and not use the Westbrook as the debate ground as to what the genocide is,” said Turcotte.
She also accused Rwaganje of using her status as a survivor of the Armenian Genocide as a tool to push his agenda.
“Just because I’m a survivor doesn’t make it a right for you to use that when I’m arguing to actual points to your request to honor the victims of genocide, that you call, that’s below the belt and I’m really disappointed in you Mr. Rwaganje,” said Turcotte.
Rwaganje denied that he intends to make a political statement with the memorial. Notably, according to Rwaganje, the memorial would be only the third commemorating the disputed Banyamulenge genocide in the entire world, with the first being at the site of the massacre, and the second in the United Kingdom.
Amid the emotionally charged testimonies from Rwaganje and Turcottee, the council voted to table the consideration until a future meeting of the Facilities and Streets Committee, likely in August.
As the two councilors sparred about the meaning of genocide and ethnic conflicts across the globe, one question from Councilor Victor Chau stood out: “I would like to know, Why Westbrook?”
Chau pointed out that existing memorials in the city are dedicated to Westbrook residents, such as veterans, and Westbrook residents alone.
“Why Westbrook, why not Westbrook,” responded Rwaganje.
He argued that since there are residents currently in Westbrook who feel personally about the massacre, they should be able to have the monument.
Chau’s question persists, however. Why should city officials be expending time and resources on, and having impassioned debates about, uncertain ethnic conflicts thousands of miles away and massacres decades past? Whether or not the massacre against the Banyamulenge meets the criteria of a genocide, is the Westbrook City Council truly equipped to wade into such matters?
[RELATED: Westbrook Voters Approve $51 Million School Budget with 13% Property Tax Hike by 138 Votes…]
How this issue helps Westbrook residents, who, like many across the state, face problems with drug crime, or rising property taxes making day-to-day life less affordable remains unanswered.
