Alison Des Forges facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alison Des Forges
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Alison Des Forges, 2005
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| Born |
Alison B. Liebhafsky
August 20, 1942 Schenectady, New York, U.S.
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| Died | February 12, 2009 (aged 66) |
| Alma mater | Radcliffe College Yale University |
| Known for | Human rights activism |
| Spouse(s) |
Roger V. Des Forges
(m. 1964) |
| Children | 2 |
Alison Des Forges (born Liebhafsky) was an American historian and a champion for human rights. She was born on August 20, 1942, and passed away on February 12, 2009. Alison was an expert on the African Great Lakes region. She was especially known for her work on the 1994 Rwandan genocide, a terrible time when many people were killed. At the time of her death, she was a main advisor for Africa at Human Rights Watch. She died in a plane crash on February 12, 2009.
About Alison Des Forges
Alison B. Liebhafsky was born on August 20, 1942. Her parents were Sybil Small and Herman A. Liebhafsky. In 1964, she married Roger Des Forges. He was also a historian who studied China.
Alison loved learning about history. She earned her first degree in history from Radcliffe College in 1964. Later, she got her master's and PhD degrees from Yale University. Her studies focused on how European rule affected Rwanda. Her PhD paper, called Defeat Is the Only Bad News: Rwanda under Musinga, 1896–1931, was published after she passed away. This book explained how different groups in Rwanda reacted to colonial governments and missionaries.
She became an expert on the African Great Lakes region. She also studied serious human rights problems in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi.
In 1994, Alison decided to leave her university work. This was because of the Rwandan genocide. She wanted to focus all her time on protecting human rights.
In 1999, she received a special award called the MacArthur Fellow. This award recognized her important work as a human rights leader. She then became a senior advisor for the African continent at Human Rights Watch.
Alison Des Forges died on February 12, 2009. She was on a flight from Newark, New Jersey, to her home in Buffalo, New York. The plane crashed, and she was one of the victims.
Witnessing the Rwandan Genocide
Many people believe Alison Des Forges knew the most about the Rwandan genocide as it was happening. She had been visiting Rwanda since 1963. In April 1994, she started calling her friend and fellow activist, Monique Mujawamariya, in Rwanda every half-hour. With each call, Alison could hear the sound of gunfire getting closer.
During one call, Monique apologized for putting the phone down. She did not want Alison to hear her die. Monique also asked Alison to take care of her children. Monique survived, but her reports helped Alison understand that a full-blown genocide was happening in Rwanda.
After the genocide, Alison led a team of researchers. They worked to find out exactly what happened. She spoke 11 times at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. She also shared information about the genocide with leaders in France, Belgium, the United States, and the United Nations.
Alison was the main writer of the 1999 book Leave None to Tell the Story. This book is seen as the most complete record of the Rwandan genocide. In the book, she explained that the genocide was planned by the Rwandan government at the time. It was not a sudden outbreak of tribal fights.
Alison's Lasting Impact
The African expert René Lemarchand said that much of what is known about Rwanda in the United States is thanks to Alison Des Forges.
An award for amazing activism is named after her. It is called the Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism. Before 2009, it was known as the Human Rights Defenders Award. Human Rights Watch gives out this award.
