The Alison Des Forges Memorial Committee is holding a series of educational events at the University at Buffalo exploring the recent rise of violent extremists groups in Africa.
The program is called "Islam, Islamism and Human Rights in Africa.WBFO's Jay Moran spoke with Roger Des Forges about his late wife's quest...
Dr. Alison L. Des Forges, a Buffalo native, was an internationally-known historian and human rights activist. She was one of the world’s leading experts on Rwanda and served as expert witness in eleven trials at the United Nations International Criminal Court for Rwanda. Her award winning book, Leave None to Tell the Story: Genocide in Rwanda, is a landmark account of the 1994 genocide that has been translated into German, French, and Kinyarwanda. Her tireless efforts to awaken the international community to the horrors of that event earned her a MacArthur Fellowship in 1999.
Dr. Des Forges was the Senior Advisor to the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch at the time of her death in 2009 in the crash of Flight 3407 in Clarence.
Three events are taking place at UB in her memory this year.
On Thursday, April 23rd an international symposium, which is free and open to the public, is being held from 9:30-4:00 p.m. in 120 Clemens Hall on the North Campus of the University at Buffalo. It will be followed by a Scholarship Fund Dinner and Discussion from 6:30-9:00 p.m. at the Jacobs Executive Development Center (formerly Butler Mansion) at 672 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14209. Reservations are required for the dinner.
On Friday, April 24th, a Community Roundtable, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 12:00 p.m. at the Burchfield Penney Art Center, located at 1300 Elmwood Avenue on the Buffalo State College campus.
