Le Pr. Rutembesa primé à l’ISTSS

We are proud to announce that Professor Eugène Rutembesa received the Allwood Award for Excellence in Trauma Services for the Underserved at the 41st annual meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS), held in Baltimore, USA. This prestigious distinction highlights his outstanding commitment to vulnerable populations.

The Psycavi Observatory was also represented by Marie Chantal Ingabire, who presented a qualitative study exploring intergenerational communication about the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi within families of genocide survivors. The study was conducted with 24 mothers and their children living in Rwanda. Findings from the focus groups revealed three main themes. The first theme, communication initiated by children and shaped by context, referred to the fact that discussions about the genocide were almost always triggered by children and mainly occurred during the genocide commemoration period. The second theme, emotional protection of self and child, showed that mothers spoke about their genocide experiences in a fragmented and measured way to protect both themselves and their children from the emotional pain associated with genocide memories. The third theme, the desire to prevent intergroup animosity, highlighted the mothers’ efforts to discuss the genocide and the perpetrators in ways that reduced the risk of fostering feelings of revenge or hatred toward the other group in their children. In conclusion, intergenerational communication about the genocide is a complex process that calls for interventions to support families in this journey.