LEWISTON – A two-day international conference on the legacy of the genocide in Rwanda will take place Friday and Saturday at Bates College.

The event, open to the public, will feature guest speakers from Rwanda, Europe and members from the Rwandan diaspora living in New England.

Envisioned as a place of encounter and relationship-building, the conference will allow survivors of the genocide of the Tutsi to share their stories, struggles and hopes.

The schedule is:

Friday

• 4:30-6 p.m., Pettengill Hall, G21: Mount David Summit: “Voices from Rwanda”; posters and performance based on correspondence between Rwandan student survivors and Bates students from the French seminar, “Documenting the Genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda”

• 7:45 p.m., Chase Hall: Opening remarks and lectures followed by a reception with Alexandre Dauge-Roth, Bates College professor of Francophone literature; Alison DesForges, Human Rights Watch expert on Rwanda; Naasson Munyandamutsa, professor of psychiatry at the National University of Rwanda, a therapist working with survivors and a member of l’Institut de Recherche et de Dialogue pour la Paix

• 9:15 p.m., dessert and wine reception

Saturday

• 9-10:15 a.m., Pettengill, Keck Room-G52: “More than 13 Years Ago: The Genesis of the Genocide of the Tutsi”

• 10:15-10:30 a.m.: Coffee break

10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Pettengill, Keck Room-G52: “13 Years Ago: Testimonies, Documentaries and Literary Accounts of the Genocide of the Tutsi”

• 12:45-1:45 p.m.: Lunch

• 2-4 p.m., Pettengill, Keck Room-G52: “13 Years After: Definition and Implementation of Justice: From the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to the ICTR in Arusha, the Gacaca in Rwanda, and the Commission d’Enqute Citoyenne in France”

• 4-4:30 p.m.: Coffee and refreshments

• 4:30-6:15 p.m., Pettengill, Keck Room-G52: “13 Years to Go: National Reconciliation Process and Socio-Economical Reforms: the Government’s vision and plan for Rwanda 2020”

• 6:30-7:45 p.m.: Dinner

• 8 p.m., Chase Hall: Rwandan dance and lectures; closing remarks.