The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels presents the photographic exhibit “Orphans of the Rwanda Genocide: Portraits of Survival and Hope.” The exhibit runs from July until October 10, 2008.

Event Update: Join us on Sunday, October 5, 2008 from 3-5pm for a tour of the exhibit and a panel discussion about the stories of the survivors, lessos that have been learned from the genocide, and how a new Rwanda is possible through reconciliation. Download Event Flyer

In a period of 100 days in 1994, at least 800,000 people were killed in the small country of Rwanda, located in the Great Lakes region of central Africa. The devastation caused by the genocide is evident in images from genocide memorials: weapons, lye-covered human remains, and rows of skulls. The exhibit “The Rwanda Genocide: Portraits of Survival and Hope” illustrates the past, but focuses on two populations of survivors: orphans who are heading households of their surviving siblings and widows who are struggling to care for their children—as they grieve their loss. The powerful photographs taken by Jerry Berndt explores the pain of the genocide contrasted with hopeful images of the orphans of Rwanda rebuilding their lives through marriages, birth, and healing.

This presentation at the Cathedral is a collaboration of the California African American Museum, the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California, the Office of Justice and Peace and its Commission of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

Additional Sources:
- Orphans of the Rwanda Genocide Project Website

- Orphans of the Rwanda Genocide (PDF)
by Donald E. Miller, Lorna Touryan Miller & Jerry Berndt