On Friday, March 9, Carl Wilkens, former head of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International in Rwanda, came to Benet Academy and spoke to the junior and senior students during their religion classes. Prior to his visit, most of the religion teachers showed their students the documentary I’m Not Leaving. The film recounts Wilken’s experiences during the Rwandan Genocide, and how he stayed behind to help protect to the Tutsi people.
Wilkens’ presentation was different for every class. He based his talks around questions of students and teachers who came to hear him speak. Other than his experience with the Rwandan Genocide, he included some stories about his early life and why he wanted to live in Rwanda in the first place. One story included his grade school teacher and how she called him years later to tell him how proud she was when she found out he stayed with the Tutsi people.
Carl Wilkens also highlighted some events that were presented in the documentary. In one of the sessions, Wilkens shared how he would communicate with his wife through the radio, which helped to ensure his family that he was alive and well. During that time he talked and prayed with his wife.
In another session, Wilkens also share a story of how his presence prevented the massacre of countless orphans. He was on his way to bring water to children dying of dysentery, when suddenly the militia came and stated that they were going to kill everyone at the orphanage. As a foreigner, Wilkens was the only one standing in the way of the massacre until the police arrived and prevented anything from happening for a few hours. Wilkens then proceeded to ask Prime Minister Jean Kambamda, the man responsible for the massacre, to help defuse the situation. To Wilkens’ surprise, Kambamda was very professional and called it off. Years later, on a trip back to Rwanda, Wilkins had the opportunity to meet the man that would have been responsible for carrying out the genocide. He shared the emotions he went through on this encounter, starting out with hatred, and how, years later, he has finally been able to forgive this man.
After his talk, Carl Wilkens gave students the opportunity to receive a copy of his book, I’m Not Leaving. Wilkens continues to speak to high schools and universities across the country, and he even runs a website that speaks about his life and experiences in Rwanda.