After 1945, France and Germany succeeded in overcoming their rivalry, a rivalry marked by numerous bloody conflicts, to heal the wounds of the past and work towards a common European future.
Rwanda, after 1994, succeeded in overcoming the devastation of the genocide to reconcile its communities, becoming a key actor in East African regional integration.

At first sight very different, these two difficult reconciliations warrant comparison, in order to gain a better understanding of the strategies which enabled each party in each case to overcome the most unimaginable challenges.

Through their respective approaches, addressing the scars of the past and via respectful joint acts of remembrance, France and Germany on the one hand and the Rwandan communities on the other, have been able to rediscover peace and form a desire to work together as well as with their neighbours towards attaining a more prosperous future.

Read Helen and Jean-Marc Trouille’s article on RaY. 

Trouille, H and J-M, De la réconciliation à l’intégration régionale. L’exemple franco-allemand comme référence à la réconciliation au Rwanda [2020] 231 Allemagne d’aujourd’hui 116.