Jim Lommasson, Stories of Survival and Remembrance: A Call to Action for Genocide Prevention
United Nations Headquarters, New York

On display 6 April to 15 June 2023

Opening reception Tuesday 11 April 2023 6:00 pm 7pm EDT
United Nations Headquarters, New York
Visitors’ Lobby
Entrance: 1st Avenue at 46th Street
New York, NY 10017

Monday to Friday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Closed Saturday and Sunday

This dress belongs to Clarisse Uwonkunda, my daughter; she was five during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. I found it in a grave in Rubavu, Western Province, Rwanda. Last January 2017, I went to Rwanda and wanted to find your bodies (skeleton) and restore your dignity. I found you on January 20th and took you to the memorial site of Nyanza, Kicukiro. I was exhausted after that; I expected to be relieved and feel grateful for that accomplishment but instead became so sick. My muscles were not working, I spent weeks in bed recalling every detail of before your trip to Ruhango and the day of our separation. Our wish was for you to survive even if we die. We could not imagine someone killing a 3 or 5 year old. Helas, no chance for me! God only know! Immaculee Mukantaganira Clarissa Uwonkunda’s Dress (was bought in Egypt when his father was traveling there). • Bodies deteriorate • Bones are found apart • Clothes/dresses are dirty, bloody but keep their forms.

– Immaculee Mukantaganira, Rwanda

Stories of Survival and Remembrance: A Call to Action for Genocide Prevention
This exhibit is organized by the Department of Global Communications (DGC) and the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, together with the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, the War Childhood Museum in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Cambodia Documentation Center. It is endorsed by DGC and the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, in connection with the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
This exhibition features a major initiative, Run Blue, that inspires companies and connects people to take meaningful action on water in the lead-up to the UN 2023 Water Conference. It consists of 16 images from the Run Blue campaign showcasing communities and areas on the frontline of the global water crisis.

Jim Lommasson is a freelance photographer and author living in Portland and is a recipient of the Dorothea Lange–Paul Taylor Prize from The Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University.