Category: People

By: Dianah Mutimura

Prostitution is illegal in Rwanda. However, a lot of factors are forcing young women into commercial sex to earn a living. There are also increasing cases of crossborder commercial sex in the region.

Although the government continues to provide alternative sources of income inform of loans to cooperatives of vulnerable groups, the factors that drag young women into prostitution haven’t reduced.

Igihe.com has since conducted a quick survey aimed at assessing the level of the problem of commercial sex in the Kigali city suburbs.

Claudine 22 (name changed for her safety) and her colleagues live in the same compound of small-roomed houses. This reporter chose to visit their compound with a male friend to cover-up as though he was a client intending to buy a sex service from them.

Our reporter says she remained at a distance as the male friend engaged. They thought she was also looking for a fellow female for sex. They insulted her demanding they would only collaborate if she gave them Frw 2000. Our reporter yielded to their demands.

Claudine is a mother of two children and is involved in commercial sex but she says that there is nothing good in being a prostitute.

She was kicked out of her parents’ home before she could graduate from high school, because she was pregnant yet she was under an organization where she run away and started her life as prostitute.

Claudine shared her life as a prostitute. She lives at Kanombe a suburb of Kigali city. Claudine lives with her two children. In a single-roomed poor house with no electricity. She sleeps on a 2-inch mattress placed on the floor. She pays monthly rent of 5000frw.

The fathers of Claudine’s two children do not give any help to her. Claudine has never seen the father of her second child she gave birth to while in her form four ever since she was expelled from school.

The other father to her other child is a married man she says cannot confront but instead she has opted for commercial sex to feed her children and survive.

Claudine reveals that she finds her customers at bars that have been in service for a while. She normally takes position at strategic spots especially at the bar counter.

She advises men who are not interested in services of commercial sex not to sit at the counter since it’s a spot aggressive sex workers prefer.

According to Claudine, sometimes a client can take a sex worker to the bathrooms and is paid between frw1000 and Frw3000 depending on the status of the sex worker.

She says national police have arrested her more than three times leaving her children in the house alone. This has kept Claudine and her colleagues in a constant chase game with the police. However, Claudine says she is aware of the laws against prostitution in the country.

“The police arrests us puts us in custody and the next day they release us to go back to our places and even caution us not return to prostitution. Unfortunately I cannot let my children die. I have to go back and play hide and seek with Police sometimes pretending to be a waitress at a bar”.

Claudine, admits that prostitution contributes highly to the spread of HIV. She narrates that her second child is a result of a pregnancy owed to a client.

She explains that there are high cases of unprotected sex among commercial sex workers. She also says that unprotected sex is charged higher than protected sex.

“When I learnt that I was pregnant. I was scared, took a HIV test, and found I was negative. However, I have since vowed never to have unprotected sex even if it reduced money I used to get”.

Claudine’s neighbours at the small compound where she lives gathered to express their complaints aganist prostitution in Rwanda saying the practice must be stopped. They stated that prostitution was not part of Rwanda’s path to development and, therefore, must stop.

Claudine supports that prostitution should be banned at all costs. She reveals that behind prostitution, there is illegal drugs business adding that her landlady who used to sell marijuana but stopped after being imprisoned twice.

On a similar note, Claudine revealed that there is a growing number of commercial hormosex workers. She says they operate around nightclubs including KBC, Serena hotel, Mille collinnes, Umubano hotel,lapalice nyandungu.

Similarly to Claudine, many young girls out there sell their bodies to earn a living where some claim that they are orphans, poor, and other others have high libido where one man cannot satisfy them.

The above case is a drop in the ocean of several prostitution cases in urban centers of our country. More efforts from government and stakeholders are needed to help provide alternative sources of income to the young women involved in commercial sex despite being aware of the consequencies.

Moments before her death on Tuesday 5th July Mika Kaneza announced on her face book status that her life was coming to an end.

This terrible tragedy as she mentions in her status was caused by her love troubles with local RnB singer Ollili Oli.

It is unknown whether this was just mere groupie love or a long time love affair but in the end it all went wrong for this Burundian girl who was pursuing her studies in the UK.

Through the various comments and status’s updates on face book, her cyber activity evidently portrayed the profound obsession she had developed with Ollili Oli, the latter who was reported to be having an affair with another girl, Grace Buyoya the daughter of the former Burundian president.

Reports of their intense rivalry and feud were the subject of many Burundian headlines which circulated on the internet.

Ollili Olii, a Rwandan, was recently apprehended by the Burundian police for questioning on his affair with the daughter of the former president.

The relationship between the two had somewhat turned into a public affair.

After his detainment he later vowed never to return to the country due to his fear of the police.

Kaneza Mika on the other hand seemed to be very well aware of the relationship that her lover was having with this other girl.

She even went to extent confront him on facebook by questioning him on who he really loved.

Following her death , Ollili responded to that terrible incident by saying that , he wished her well and that God be with her on a facebook comment.

By: Dianah Mutimura

Igihe.com Reporter Diana Mutimura talked to different people around Kigali city and recorded divergent views about the use of family planning methods.

In Remera several married men understand and give value to the family planning methods because they believe that family planning initiatives help spacing children and according to respondents, this is healthy to both the child and mother.

Mupenzi Ismail, the head of Remera mosque says that family planning methods are acceptable and even the Islam Quran advises to space children for at least two years of breast-feeding.

However, he adds that the only problem of the family planning methods, is especially the women that misuse medications thus end up enduring the side effects. Otherwise the Islamic religion teaches followers to avoid anything that could affect their lives.

He advises couples to opt for methods that would not bring conflicts to their homes. Mupenzi says he has been married for over 12 years and the couple have only four children who are healthy because they adhere to the family planning guidelines. Sometimes he uses a condom which he says has no side effects to their health.

Mugabo Hassan, another married of islam faith and treasurer at Remera Mosque adds that using family planning methods is very important because he knew how great it was when the couple were able to space the birth to fifth child.

He says his wife used to tell him to consider family planning to minimize the size of their family but he could not heed to her advice. But today all is well because they have embraced family planning methods.

While some families may want many children, others may want only one or two. Certain families may choose not to have any children at all.

Uwimana Eugenia, a married businesswoman at Remera market says that she and her husband decided they will have more children later and currently they use condoms.

She says some people wonder how married couples can use condoms. But if it is for the good of the family and the communication between both makes them understand each other for the good of their health was well as better livelihood of their children, it is becomes one of the method which has no side effects at all.

Many mothers like Uwimana say that family planning methods play a major role in strengthening their families.

Mugabo Claria a mother of three who sells clothes at Remera market explains that all her children have a spacing of three years and she did that with the help of using contraceptive pills even if she would experience some challenges.

She confesses that she cannot say that pills are 100% perfect but they are of great use to the married couples for spacing births. She advises young girls who are not yet married not to use them because they can affect their lives in future.

Murekatete Jane, fruits seller and mother of 5children said that, she had arguments with her husband several times by trying to persuade him to consider family planning but the man would refuse fearing to risks involved.

However, she explains, that as days went on he started understanding the importance of using family planning. Later he accompanied her to the health centre to have a coil fixed. She has since been using the coil for two years and sometimes he is the one to remind her to go back to the hospital.

A gynecologist at Polyfam hospital at Remera who preferred to remain anonymous, says that ever since Rwanda embarked on teaching people the importance of family planning, women have managed to focus and appreciate the importance of family planning.

Women can now have enough time to prepare for another child and that time is not wasted as they are involved with different income generation activities without hindrances related unplanned pregnancies.

This doctor adds that at the Clinique they witness a number of women that seek for any family planning method and estimated 80% of women now understand the importance of family planning.

Karemera Augustine, a pharmacist adds that many people now understand the meaning of family planning methods and especially the youth.

He says their patients mostly are young boys and girls who come to buy pills and condoms for their safety from unwanted pregnancies and they no longer hear of many young girls being sent back home from school because of pregnancies, which shows how family planning methods have played a vital role in our country.

However, social and cultural barriers in Rwanda make family planning a difficult package to sell. There cultural belief that children are a blessing from God. At traditional marriage ceremonies, newly married couples are urged to be fruitful, ‘may you have many sons and daughters’ is a regular blessing at many ceremonies.

Majority of Catholic and born again churches do not support the use of family planning because the bible says that every couple should produce and multiply the world. God cannot judge you because of trying to figure out the world.

Umutoni Christine a born-again convert believes that it is very important to use family planning methods because even God cannot punish you for that.

She goes further to notes that, even if it were her she would use one but because she’s still single she can’t use them until the she get married.

Niyomugabo Jean Bosco, 24 and a clothes retail seller at Remera market says he can never sleep with his girlfriend without using condom because he fears the risk of impregnating her when he isn’t yet prepared for cerebrating their marriage.

He stresses he would rather use condoms because it protects both unwanted pregnancy and transmitted diseases like AIDS yet condoms do not have any side effect like other methods.

Umurerwa Catherine says that she would rather use condom than pills because she believes she is too young to use other methods.

It puts a positive twist on things by talking about the advantages of having smaller families in terms of improved health and education opportunities.

In addition, family planning was seen as an essential way to reduce high levels of infant and maternal mortality, despite the fact that the interviewed did not accept the idea of vasectomy as method of family planning on the side of men.

Success is every one’s dream and this young entrepreneur is harvesting because of his passion, courage and optimism, he has started enjoying the fruits of his sweat and sleepless nights he spends. Igihe.com reporter Diana Mutimura talked to a local entrepreneur, Patrick Muyobocye the proprietor of APABENA Bakery.

Igihe.com: Tell us about your back ground?

Muyobocye: Am called Patrick Muyobocye I was born in 1984 and I’m proud to be the last born in the family of 9 children. I still have a mother but my father past away when I was in my form 4 at Kayonza modern.

Igihe.com: How did you start bread business?

I started in 2008 with frw3 million only, after working at my uncle’s bakery; Top Bread Bakery and got the practical experience from there, decided to make my own bakery.

Igihe.com: Is this your first business? If not, what was your first business, and what happened to it?

Yes it is my first business and like I said at first I was an employee at my uncle’s bakery where I developed the courage to opening my own bakery.

Igihe.com: Had you been exposed to business before ?

Muyobocye: Yes I believe it was my passion to be self employed and it is a family heritage because my father too had bakery, my uncle and myself.

Igihe.com: How many employees have you hired?

Muyoboke: I started with 12 employees because the business was still small but after one year, because of hardworking and determination they have increased to 25 and all work full time. They, however, work in shifts where 15 work during day and 10 work during the night. I even have about 5 part timers.

Igihe.com: What is an average workday like for you?

Muyobocye: I wake up as early as 3:am to go and supervise the workers until day-break when the cars start supplying breads, and cakes around town and I have to wait for them to come back to count the money.

Igihe.com: What have you gained from the business ever since you started?

Muyobocye:I have acquired many things since I started this business. I have bought three vehicles which supply my goods and bought a house I live in and have acquired plots of land among other other things.

Igihe.com: What has been the performance of business in the past few years?

Muyobocye: It has really changed because if I look at what I have achieved in this business, I observe a very great change although I meet with many challenges.

Igihe.com: Describe the level of sales in the last few years?

Muyobocye: Pretty good and am not complaining because the business is doing much better.

Igihe.com: What are the most crucial things you have done to grow your business?

Muyobocye: I wake up in the middle of the night every day to go and work with my employees. Sometimes I supply the bread to all my customers to know where it goes wrong and take not of their comments for consideration in my business.

Igihe.com: What plans do you have now to expand your business?

Muyobocye: I bought a piece of land in Gisozi where I want to start building my own premises for the bakery and stop renting and I’m planning to expand so that I can be supplying all the districts of Rwanda.

Igihe.com: Who are the people that have been most important to your business success?

Muyobocye: My uncle that enabled me to work at his bakery from which I attained the experience helping in my business today. There are also friends who always give me constructive ideas and these micro finance banks which accept to give loans.

Igihe.com: What are your business challenges and how do you deal with them?

Problems are everywhere, but in my business I always face price changes on the market, high revenue charged by the government even if I try to be humble and continue to struggle.

Igihe.com: Do you have a business plan and if so, when was it last updated?

Everything has to have a plan before you start the foundation. Therefore, I didn’t just wake up to establish the business. I first made the plan for it and every after one-year I revise my plan to check if I am still on the right path I want my bakery to be.

Igihe.com: What’s the worst business advice you’ve ever received?

I don’t think I have received one because I’m always kin to whom I’m going to for the advice and always pray to God for assistance.

Igihe.com: What advice would you offer to young entrepreneurs starting out today and those who fear the risks of business?

Muyobocye: My fellow youth who are planning to start their own businesses should first plan for what they are going to do so that they know the capital needed in the business because all businesses are the same though they do not need the same capital.

They should be creative and not copy in order to avoid duplication of services. In business, risks are always there and if you fear to risk, you cannot develop.

Igihe.com : If you were to start another business, what would it be?

Muyobocye:Things do change in business but if I am to change the business I would channel to selling imported cars.

Igihe.com: Do you believe business can make the world a better place?

Muyobocye:Yeah! (Smiles emphasizes)In fact people should accept that business plays a great role in changing this world and I think that’s why political leadership is a challenge is less developed countries like in African countries.

Igihe.com: How does your business help the community?

My bakery helps orphans who lost their parents during 1994 Tutsi genocide and those whose parents died of AIDS. They have orphans’ association called APABENA where I always give them 50,000 Frw per month and I buy for them school equipments whenever they go back to school.

Igihe.com: Thanks a lot for this interview and valuable spent.

By: Dianah Mutimura

Motivation, courage and above all the spirit of nationalism inspired Rwandan refugee females to contribute to the five year armed struggle that brought back hundreds of thousands of stateless Rwandans to their home country-Rwanda.

Igihe.com had the opportunity to interview Capt. Jane Murebwayire and what encouraged her to join the army.

Igihe.com:Tell us your names and background?

Murebwayire:I am captain Jane Murebwayire, I was born in Uganda and I am fourth born child in the family of Eight. I won’t speak much about my family and I’m happily married with three children.

I went to Juru primary school at Nyakivara(nakivale), in Uganda and Kololo Secondary School and thereafter joined the army when I was in senior five.

Igihe.com: What motivated you to join the Army and how did your parents react to your decision?

Murebwayire: My motivation came from, when Ugandans used to call us different names.We always had to hide our nationality in order to fit in society and obtaining education without discrimination. All this was in my mind and I wished to see my home country.

It was not until I got contact with the then RPF/A cadres then secretly mobilizing people to take active part in the liberation struggle. We sometimes formed dancing groups and performed our cultural dance and folk songs. Thereafter, the cadres would sensitize us on the FPR liberation struggle and strategies.

That’s how I became a member of RPF/A too.Precisely, that’s how I joined the army but remember, I never joined army because I liked the army but I wanted to liberate my country.

My parents had no idea that i had joined the army. They only learnt of it later after i had already been conscripted. By that time, I was living with my uncle in Kampala, Uganda and left without informing him. I joined RPA after learning that my young brother had joined the military struggle.

Igihe.com: What does it mean to be liberated?

Murebwayire: To me, being liberated opens my mind everyday and makes me continue contributing to nation building with my heart, because Rwanda has really progressed since the war ended. Our government has initiated and implemented useful policies that reconstructed five year war damages and reconciliated all Rwandans .

Igihe.com: What’s your experience as a liberator?

Murebwayire: As a liberator, it gives me flashbacks of the past when I was in the bush; when other people are happy, me I am unhappy; not because I did not reach on my success but because I always remember all my fellow combatants who died before stepping in their mother country, yet that was their common dream.

I cannot forget people that lost their lives for the sake of liberating Rwanda, like Shyaka who died on October 1st in 1990.

Igihe.com :Why do we still have reluctance of women getting involved or joining the army?

Murebwayire: Having strong self –confidence is a very big element of growing up and making hard decisions, like deciding to join the army that young ladies today fear because they think the army is a career for men only. Due to peer pressure, ladies need to exhibit self-esteem enabling them in making bold decisions; it’s important to know that you are a worthy human being.

Igihe.com: What’s your opinion on cultural and religious impediments to gender equality benefits to the rural woman?

In most African countries generally although Rwanda is better off, there are some cultural setbacks especially illiterate women that do not know their rights and are still living in the dark.

Igihe.com: Rwanda has a respectable global position on women involvement in the management of affairs of the state. What message do you send to women in other countries that are negatively affected by gender-based policies due to culture and governance?

Murebwayire: I advise women that are still suffering from anyform of gender discrimination to stand up for their constitutional rights. For example in my senior 4, our head prefect saw a lorry(truck) passing by and told me to summon all fellow Rwandans, insinuating that we shouldnt miss free transport to Rwanda.I got so annoyed me and from then I vowed to fight for my rights.

Igihe.com: Do you think Rwanda is ready for a woman president?

Murebwayire: I am confident that in the near future, if women continue to struggle for their rights with government support- why not? Who thought that U.S.A would have a black president? Positive minds are always important in society.

Igihe.com: Isn’t it a challenge for a woman in combat and juggling military and family duties?

Murebwayire: Well, I joined the army as early as 1989 while a student. At first my role as a cadre was to secretly mobilize Rwandans, teaching them about the beauty of RPF and the aim of repatriating Rwandan refugees to their rightful homeland.

However, when I joined the bush in 1990 I thought the war would last like three days but unfortunately it didn’t turn out as i thought. My experience was never bad because my dream was to see my country and putting an end to manipulation and being called different names in exile.

Regarding mixing work and family, I got married after the war in 1999 when there was no more fighting ; my work is normal like for others who work in different fields.

Igihe.com: What’s your position on reducing the marriage age of a Rwandan girl from 21 to 18 years?

As mother of two girls, I cannot wish my daughter to get married at 18 because she would young. I know you can say I joined army when I was young but that is a different case because marriage and army are two different things. In the army you are taught discipline but at 18 who will find you in your marriage and teach you how to take care of your husband?

Igihe.com :What advice would you give to the young ladies who want to join the army but fear to risk?

They should not fear to risk . As for me I joined the army knowing that we would fight for a shorter time but it took longer and I did not back off, I continued because I knew what I wanted. So young girls who want to be strong solders of tomorrow should follow what their conscience tells them.

Under normal circumstances, a Rwandan child begins school at age 7, spends 6years in primary school, 6 years in college and 4years in university. At 23 years, the Rwandan child will be available for marriage.

If passed into law, the current proposition in a marriage bill that marriageable age in Rwanda be lowered to 18years from 21 might tilt the status and form of families in the country.

The citizens are anxiously waiting for the outcome of the parliamentary deliberations on the new marriage age in the bill.

However, it is literally impossible to find a common denominator on marriage age around the world. Factors including traditional customs, economic issues and religion play an important role in deciding the average age at marriage in different countries. The differences can be shocking.

In historical Rwanda society, the age at which men and women have married at altering ages during the monarchical rule and under the republics. Until recently, Rwandans have been legally fit to marry at the age of 21.

Quite stunning though, in Rwanda is that a Rwandan is mature enough at 16yrs to acquire a national Identity card but won’t marry until they are 21.

However, at 18 one can have sex, open a bank account and qualify for a driving licence. Its these controversial rights at different ages in Rwanda that most respondents want harmonised at a common single age.

In India and Pakistan, it is tradition that parents arrange weddings for their children when they are 17, however many brides there are getting married as soon as they turn 15. This is the case also in many African countries, where economic factors force parents to marry off their daughters at an early age.

Nigeria has some of the lowest averages in Africa, with most men getting married around 23 and most women at 17.

Igihe.com has since conducted a quick survey on the subject and we bring you in part some of the comments from the public as told to our reporter Diana Mutimura;

Annette Manzi, a first year student at Kigali Institute of Management (KIM) says that it is a great opportunity because some parents previously blocked their children getting married arguing that they were still young.

Manzi explains, “As for me age is just a number. What matters is love between me and my man but the only thing the government should do is to sensitize parents. I don’t think a mother can be happy when her daughter gives birth at home because she has denied her the chance of marriage”.

Pauline Ruzinda wants marriage age be put at 18years because girls grow faster than boys and by the time a girl is 21 she is too old and not attractive. Men do not mature faster as girls do. “I think this is will decrease family conflicts among parents that have sometimes disagreed on the age with which their daughters could be married off.”

Jane Murerwa shares her experience, “I first gave birth at the age of 19years but my family did not accept the idea of me getting married to my boyfriend. Here I am with two children to different fathers and I don’t have the hopes getting married in my life because am approaching my 30s.

Fred Ndahiro 30, a businessman in Kigali wonders whether government is copying western culture, “If the bill becomes law it will not consider only girls but even boys. A girl at 18 can get married but what about a boy of 18 taking someone’s daughter and starving her.”

Convention on Consent to Marriage, Minimum Marriage Age and Registration of Marriages an organisation for women Pro- Femme Twese Hamwe calls for every to backoff from the project in favor of protecting girl’s rights.

Parents want marriage age raised even higher. Pastor Theoneste Ngaboyisongo of Inkurunzuza church believes that God is the only one that gives a happy marriage not age.

Parents argue that at 18, both the boys and girls are psychologically young, dependants and still in school. They fear limiting legal marriage age would lead to a possible increase of divorces and family conflicts.

The parents also uttered the worry of their children that, if passed, the law may be the source of students to drop out of school.

However, women are starting to get married a little late(in their 30s) and want to have jobs and first be independent and help out their husbands in life expenses, but still culturally girls who do not work are more often asked “why aren’t you married yet” by people.

Many girls in college at the age of 18 are involved in and intimate relationship but most people nowadays do not even want to get married. They care more about other things such as family, jobs,

According to John Mugabo, “It hurts when you daughter comes back home because she has failed to be patient with her husband and for that reason my children can go for marriage while they are old enough to figure out all the consequences in the family”.

A radio journalist and mother of one Aisha Rutayisire disagrees with the age limit saying, “At 18 one is still young and just exposed to the world where you don’t know what you want and I don’t believe that person can stay in marriage. Government increase the age instead of lowering the age”.

However, it is believed that young couples have almost three times the chance of ending up divorced than people getting married after 27 years old.

It was the 7th of April, when the radio announced the breaking news of the death of President Juvenal Habyarimana. It was the beginning of the last precious moments for millions of Rwandan Tutsi’s, it was the beginning of a journey of survival for a young genocide survivor, who would forever have to live with the engraved memory of the unimaginable scenes she now sees every time she sleeps. From the darkness she passed through, today she lives among us to tell her story, to remind us when we forget her soul wrenching story.

A young woman small in stature, Francine Uwera, 27, moves with graceful small steps. Her dark skin is in contrast to the whiteness of her teeth. From afar, she seems as ordinary as any other young female Rwandan ; beautiful, graceful and timid. But Uwera is all those things and so much more, she is full of despair and hope combined, she smiles yet her eyes are sad, she holds herself up with dignity yet she is full of resignation, she is the past combined with the future. As she sits fidgeting with her fingers, she seems anxious, yet when she opens her mouth, her voice comes out strong and confident, in her words you can hear, anger, sorrow, confusion but most of all conviction. This is her story, this is her memory. 

“It was the 7th of April when my mother and I were at home waiting for my father to arrive to have our supper, my mother was ill at the time and instead of going to school, I stayed home in order to care for her. That was when we heard the news on the radio, the president’s plane had been shot down, and that was when the hour of death arrived at my door. In that instant by seeing my mother’s face, I knew that something terrible had happened, but I was young and didn’t understand the real impact of what this meant.

 My father came home shortly after, and without pause or explanation told us to leave the house and start running, he started shoving me out through the back door telling me, “Run, run Francine……… and don’t stop until I tell you, don’t stop for anyone else”.

My mother gave me her wrapper and told me to carry it to shield me from the rain. In the rush and confusion, I couldn’t possibly comprehend that they were not really following behind me, so I ran. When I got as far as the bushes at the end of the road, a sudden and terrible fear came over me. I could hear thousands of people screaming from what seemed like miles away from every corner, voices of crying women, men, and children. Even dogs were barking incessantly. I was terrified and hid crouched in the bushes.

I was not going to continue without my parents, so I decided to wait. I waited for what seemed like forever, then I saw them, the men who marched into my home and killed my parents. I could hear them say “we should kill them, kill them all.” I will never forget the sound of the cows crying as they were being slaughtered, and since then never have I been able to eat any kind of meat.

I knew I couldn’t stay there for they were sure to find me. I gathered all the courage I had and started running, all the while, mentally reciting all the prayers I knew. I ran till I could not run any more. But there was nowhere to go, and no one whom I knew. I did what many Rwandans were doing during the 100 days of massacre ; I lay down with the bodies of the dead and pretended what at that time I only wish were true.

 It would be impossible to tell you all the things I saw because most of the time, my face was buried in the ground, laying down next to the corpses, waiting for the militia to find and kill me. While praying to God, I started to doubt whether he even existed to save me.

All I can tell you is that Rwanda had become a real living hell ; the beautiful hills you see now were all on fire. Screams of thousands of people all in pain and agony rent the air, leaving your mind to imagine the horrible things these people were going through and what might happen to you too. If you want a clear picture of what the hell in the bible is described like, any genocide survivor can tell you.

I cannot explain to you why I had the will to continue or let alone live but I got up and continued walking half running, my feet were swollen and I thought I would die of thirst before the Hutus found me. As I was trying to evade the main roads the militia were driving through erected with roadblocks, a Hutu woman whom by the grace of God seemed to take pity on me located me. She hid me in the pit latrine in her house ; she would tie a long rope around my waist and throw some unripe banana leaves down. As I sat there for days in faeces, I asked the Lord over and over again, why he would allow this to happen. I wondered if we had committed a sin so great that God wanted to wipe out everybody as he did in the bible. But there is one question that I don’t think I can ever find the answer to. “Why did God spare me ? Why did a Hutu woman become my saviour.”

The days and nights had become one to me. I had become immune to the smell that had made me wrench a few days ago. Then one day, I heard men’s voices above me. As I sat in the latrine waiting, I looked up but could not see clearly. I waited for a grenade to be thrown down. I knew the final hour had come but then a man threw down a rope, telling me that they were ‘Inkotanyi. They had to coax me until the old woman, came and told me it was safe.

I climbed up wondering what they meant by “safe”. Had the killings stopped or were these men simply going to help me escape. I reached the disembarked from the pit and finally breathed fresh air.Have you every known what it is like not to remember what breathing clean air feels like ? No I believe you haven’t.

 I will never forget seeing the RPF soldier who stood in front of me as he pulled me out of the darkness into light. Of all the horrible things I saw and heard, of all the memories and sounds that still haunt me till today, the one I don’t ever want to forget. The memory I will always keep through that whole ordeal is the voice of the soldier and the way in which he told me : “Humura” , I was so overwhelmed that I collapsed. I sobbed uncontrollably. I yelled out. I felt my heart could take no more. I cried so hard I was left with no energy to even stand up.

All this time, the soldier was holding me gently repeating to me those words that have become a balm to my wounded heart. Since then, I have taken it a step at a time, with the help of the government and various organisations. I have been able to go to school and find work. After 17 years, I am beginning to let go of the pain. I have begun to believe that our country can recover and from testimonies such as mine. No survivor out there should ever feel alone as we did, and this, the world should know. 

Humankind is the most complex creature that God could have ever created, a creature so complex that every day is a new discovery into the minds and souls of man. The lengths they will go to to survive, the evil they are capable of, the things they will do in the name of love, but the most astonishing and beautiful act I have ever seen in mankind is the capability to forgive.

 We have all done wrong, and been wronged once in our life, and yet forgiveness doesn’t come easy. The story of the genocide in Rwanda is but one of the perfect example’s of the evil man is capable of, how man can turn on his neighbour, kill and hack both parents and infants that have been sharing the same air, roof and food with them without any remorse.

 Over 1 million Tutsi’s were mercilessly massacred, raped, and burnt alive and left for the dogs (and this I mean literally). The same goes to the attempt to exterminate the entire race of Jews by the Nazi’s, thousands of Jews were gathered and put into gas chambers, and left to die by Hitler and his henchmen. There are thousands of stories with similar cases around the world proving once again mankind is evil. There is only one story in the world though that can be told of a nation overcoming evil and finding peace and prosperity after such atrocities and teach the world the true meaning of forgiveness. That story is the story of Rwanda.

Rwanda recently marked the 17th commemoration of the genocide that was committed on the Tutsi’s in 1994. Every year, we remember those we lost, and every year it never gets easier. The first commemoration I ever attended was on the opening of the genocide memorial at Gisozi and I will never forget what I saw. Seeing and hearing the testimonies of the survivors, seeing a room full of children’s pictures with their names, hobbies and future dreams that will never come true and then reading how they were murdered was heartrending. I will not lie that when I left that place I was not sad nor disturbed, I was enraged. I had evil feelings and thought of the ways I would exert revenge on those that did this. I could have sworn that if I was one of the survivors, I would never, and I mean, never forgive the perpetrators, until I witnessed the story of two genocide survivors named Chantal and Rosaria and my evil thoughts and angered heart was silenced for good. During the memorial, they made us watch a documentary called ‘as we forgive’. It is a documentary about two women, who learnt not only to forgive those who murdered their families, but work and reconstruct their lives together.

  Rosaria lost her husband and four kids in the genocide. She remains with one child whom she calls ‘kadogo’. She says she so named her child because she is the last of her children. Rosaria is a practicing Christian but she says that after the genocide, she didn’t know if she would ever be able to talk about God’s graciousness and goodness after what she had experienced.

 The same goes for Chantal, a mother of one who lost her husband and is now fending for herself and her child. Moreover, she has no relative’s left alive. Chantal says she would never step into a church again. Even then, she wonders how God could have allowed this to happen. In the documentary, we witness the struggle, pain and suffering these two women have endured over the years after the genocide.

We watch Rosaria as she tries to begin her life all over again and we see her reading the bible, some captured scenes of her smiling. We then meet a man called Saveri, the man who butchered her family. He lives in the same neighbourhood and when asked if she would be able to forgive Saveri, she says she would do so. She reveals that the man even let him help to construct the house she now lives in. Later, we see them working and walking the streets together as though nothing ever occurred.

 Chantal, however, views things differently. When she was asked to forgive the man who killed her family, she could not even fathom the idea. As time passes by, my heart is full of questions as to whether I would be able to do what they were asking Chantal to do. I am in awe when several years later, we see pictures of Chantal and the perpetrator laughing and genuinely chatting.

 There is no other nation in the world that can claim to have ever recovered from genocide where perpetrators and victims actually shake hands, sit down and calmly chat as one asks for forgiveness and the other pardons.

 They say God travels by day and comes home to sleep in the hills of Rwanda by night. Otherwise, how else could you explain how a person can mourn their lost loved ones by day, and forgive those who took them away by night ?