Sunday, November 15, 2009

THE GARDEN OF THE RIGHTEOUS IN PADOVA/4


by David Monticelli

President Peace Culture!


English translation by Michela Moroni


After the opening, we moved to the upper part of the park, near to the bank, and the honour ceremonies began. The ceremony is divides into four phases:

1. a student of Padua schools reads on the microphone the reasons of the prize;
2. after reading the reasons, the Righteous (or one of his/her relatives) makes a speech to the presents;
3. afterwards, he/she unveils the stele in his/her honour;
4. and, at the end, the student and the Righteous plant the tree dedicated to him/her.

The first one who received the prize has been our Zura Karuhimbi who, during Rwanda genocide, heedless of the risks and the threats she was personally facing, hosted in her house many Ruandese people of the Tutsi ethnic group, feeding them and rescuing them from a certain death by the Interhamwe extremist troops. In front of a wide public, of photographers and cameramen and a touched Jacqueline Mukansonera, Zura has unveiled the stele in her honour, has planted her tree (an olive tree) and has talked to people, touching the heart of all presents.

(to be continued in the next episode)


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