Nobel Prize-winning gynecologist Dr. Denis Mukwege has treated over 80,000 survivors of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. On October 21, 2022, he was awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by Rennes 2 University. In the wake of this tribute, Rennes 2 is continuing this collaboration with the inauguration of the Pr. Dr. Denis Mukwege International Chair.

The Chair is intended to host international teachers and researchers working in the field of gendered, sexist and sexual violence against women and girls. In addition, a special short program for survivors of rape and violence and their caregivers and carers will be set up in November 2024, thanks to the collaboration of colleagues from the various research centers attached to the Chair.

The Chair's scientific objectives reflect the theme of the “Mémoires de guerre et construction pérenne de la paix ” research program, coordinated by Renée Dickason of the Anglophonie: Communities, Ecritures (ACE) research unit. The teachers and researchers taking part will provide valuable insights into gendered, sexual and sexist violence in times of war, conflict, crisis and peace. They will also help to challenge stereotypes and the trivialization of the acts committed, drawing on the necessary work of memory and memorialization to be carried out in parallel with the development of transitional justice mechanisms.

This multidisciplinary Chair is distinguished by :

• its multi-faceted and synergistic objectives, which reconcile the emergence and sustainability of civic education programs - contributing to multi-level empowerment logics - with academic excellence;
• its grounding in the human and social sciences (SHS), fields that encourage critical reflexivity conducive to the development of reasoned action and transformational commitment;
• its commitment to the values of international solidarity in Europe.

The new Chair is supported by the commitment of several colleagues at Rennes 2 University. Its establishment is based on the work of a board of directors comprising : Renée Dickason (ACE, project leader, chair manager), Franck Barbin (LIDILE), Abdul Rahman Rasho (LP3C) and Christine Rivalan Guégo (CELLAM).

The inauguration will take place in November 2024 in the presence of Prof. Dr. Denis Mukwege and Prof. Obrillant Damus, who will be welcomed as the first visiting professor within this framework. Obrillant Damus, a professor at the Université d'État d'Haïti, has been actively involved in the ACE program “Mémoires de guerre et construction pérenne de la paix” since July 2023, and was also hosted in 2018 at Rennes 2 on the Americas Chair by the LIDILE laboratory.

Rennes 2 teacher-researchers who initiated the launch of the Chair will take part in the 4th Congress of the Mukwege International Chair (hosted by the University of Angers) on the theme of “Sexual Violence & Childhood at War” and in the presence of Prof. Dr. Denis Mukwege. Abdul Rahman Rasho (LP3C) will present a paper entitled “Traumatisme psychologique chez les enfants Yézidis post-captivité par l'État Islamique” and Renée Dickason (ACE) will lead a workshop on “La visibilisation du phénomène et le rôle des médias”, with media personalities. This international congress will take place at the University of Angers from June 5 to 7, 2024.