"I find myself having a greater awareness (of the genocide), than the average high-schooler, but today brought home how atrocious it really was. It's really sad when the U.S.'s inaction leads to such devastation," said Toungara, who is also a Crimson editor.

HASA co-president Frederick Antwi '01, who is from Ghana, said that these types of speeches raised awareness of problems in Africa.

"The problems plaguing parts of Africa have long been ignored and it is important to pull them to the forefront," Antwi said.

Antwi also explained why he sought Nowrojee and Ayres to speak to HASA.

"These people, since they were on-site, can provide valuable insight into solving the problem. In order to solve a problem you must first understand it. [Nowrojee and Ayres] are people who have something of value to share with us," Antwi said.

Nowrojee is also the author of a book, Shattered Lives: Sexual Violence During the Rwandan Genocide and Its Aftermath, which documents the accounts of several women who were sexually brutalized during the genocide.