Genocide80Twenty is a project, run by students at Hampton School, bringing to light the untold stories and experiences of genocide survivors in an effort to bring more awareness to the hugely significant issue of Genocides in the world. The project, for 15 years, has published leaflets, made films, interviewed survivors and much more, all with the goal to bring more understanding to the genocide problem and encourage the current and next generation to take a more significant stand against genocides and help to prevent them. I interviewed the project’s head, Mr Andy Lawrence to gain more insight into this incredible project and understand more about it.

He explained that the project began as a result of his students’ interest in learning about the Rwandan genocide in the 1990s against the Tutsi population. Having discovered the charity, Survivors Fund which helped survivors of the genocide, Mr Lawrence and his students were put in touch with a Rwandan survivor, Liliane Umubyeyi who told the story of her experience. The story was so ‘awful and horrific’ that both Mr Lawrence and his students ‘thought we have got to do something about it to make more people aware’ because it was shocking how such a tragedy could happen without worldwide recognition.

Most recently, Mr Lawrence told me that the project raised awareness of the 75th anniversary of the Genocide Convention in 1948. The Genocide Convention codified, for the first time, the crime of genocide and was the first human rights treaty to be adopted by United Nations on 9 December 1948. For a period of 75 days leading up to 9th December 2023, pupils and staff at Hampton School produced films, created leaflets, contacted MPs and talked to survivors of the Holocaust, all of which was documented online gaining over ‘1 million views in 75 days.” Additionally, Mr Lawrence inspired the students to help Rwandan survivor, Sophie Masereka write and publish her memoir so she could have her story heard around the UK, something she really wanted to do. Over the past 15 years, members of the Genocide 80Twenty Project have been to Parliament; talked to MPs and peers; produced books and films; and talked to and visited other schools, all with the aim of learning and educating others about genocide.

Mr Lawrence explained that his aims for involving the students were that they would gain valuable knowledge which would be ‘useful not just in school but also when they leave here, they’ll have a bit more understanding of the world’.  He felt it would be significant for the students to learn not just what went on in the past and the fact that these terrible things have happened but would also give them a sense of accomplishment that they have done something to raise awareness with the purpose of trying to prevent it from happening again. Mr Lawrence felt the student audience is paticularly important to educate as ‘my grandparents’ generation…my parents’ generation…my generation has not solved the problem…[of genocide] hence I see we need to educate the generation that is going to be the future leaders in 20 years’ time’ and this can only be done if the current generation is aware of the atrocities of such events.

The project is currently working to publish information and stories about Jewish victims of the Holocaust paticularly in Munich. Mr Lawrence described how the project members have meticulously researched and read through previously unrecognised experiences of victims, and I myself travelled to Munich with Mr Lawrence to visit some of the sites where these events took place, despite many being unrecognisable now due to the rebuilding of Munich after World War 2. I was one of the students who took videos of current sites where atrocities took place to bring to life the victims’ stories to help educate people

Typically modest about leading this inspirational project and, despite receiving an MBE for the work he has done, Mr Lawrence assured me ‘it doesn’t mean anything is finished or achieved, it is still an ongoing process’. The Genocide80Twenty project has given Hampton students a deeper understanding of genocide, how it has affected victims and allowed them to use their voices to educate others by telling survivors experiences. George Santayana, the American philosopher, said ‘those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’