The book launch took place at the Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village [KCEV].
‘Moi, le dernier Tutsi’translated as ‘I, the Last Tutsi,’ is a 187-page book featuring real-life experience the author endured during the genocide which left him orphaned after losing family.
Habonimana who was 12 during genocide saw his relatives killed in his face. During the genocide, he lived with Interahamwe and went with them as they attacked and killed Tutsi on different occasions.
He was born in former Mayunzwe sector, Tambwe commune in Gitarama Prefecture currently in Ruhango district, Southern Province.
He starts the book with a narration of how genocide began in the area ten days after killings of Tutsi had started in other parts of the country.
In the book, the author recalls names of victims killed on the hill in the area called ‘Nzaratsi’ currently nicknamed as ‘Calvary hill’ reflecting an old man Sebuyonde Leonard who was killed on it and put on the cross.
The author narrates how they kept hiding until Interahamwe took them to be killed at the Calvary hill.
This is where he got inspiration calling the first part of the book ‘Calvaire’ (Calvary).
Habonimana currently has 4 children. His father Célestin Ruhigira and his uncle were killed in before him while his mother Odette Mukankuranga and brothers were thrown in a toilet in his presence.
Habonimana dedicated part of pages of the book with a song as a way to reflect how his parents loved and trusted God.
“I reserved a large part of the book for a song because many of them were Christians and went to Heaven. My mother had faith in God in her life. She was thrown in a toilet singing ‘Nyiribambe ndaje unyakire’ (I am coming to you Merciful God) and ‘Nimukomere bagaragu ba Nyagasani’ (Be strong servants of the Lord) songs,” he told participants of the book launch.
“My mother had a Holy Bible. They deprived her of the Bible before she was thrown in the toilet. I got extreme sorrow because I wished she would die with her bible” added Habonimana.
On 64 and 65 pages, the author talks about the rape of women and depicts Inkotanyi as a soldier who sacrificed his life to stop it.
Habonimana said writing the book was meant to help future generations understand the history of the country.
“I will depart but testimonies will always exist. I preferred to write as a potential a living testimony to be used by the world in future centuries. I am sure that Charles will live forever because of the book,” he revealed.
Habonimana decided to write history after meeting Daniel Le Scornet in France when he was invited to provide testimonies.
Daniel Le Scornet from France in Argenteuil, author of different books including ‘Bisesero, Les Héros de la Résistance’ said that it was possible to stop genocide. “I know that French soldiers were present but did not intervene at the right time when their support was needed. There was a possibility to stop genocide,” he said.
Inspiration for the name ‘Moi, le dernier Tutsi’
Habonimana got inspiration of the book’s name ‘Moi, le dernier Tutsi’ from the fact that he survived amidst being on the list of targeted Tutsi to be killed.
He said that on 23rd April 1994, Clotilda the wife of teacher Gerard became the first Tutsi killed in Mayunzwe.
The author explained that he lost his entire family on 24th April and left with her sister Uwanyirigira Yvonne.
After killings became intense in the area, his family fled to a friend called Kanyamashokoro but nieces of the host called Interahamwe to kill them.
“We were taken from the home to the Calvary hill. They killed my father and uncle with a truncheon hit. After seeing that I asked them to kill me at once with a machete hack. That request made me the last Tutsi. Sebuhuku who led Interahamwe during attacks said ‘I find someone we have been looking for. You remember that we agreed to find a female and a male Tutsi to be kept and killed later appropriately, hang them so that future generation will know how a Tutsi looked like’, ”recalled Habonimana.
Habonimana, 36, was the only one who survived at the Calvary hill and was taken by the leaders of Interahamwe attacks for domestic work.
The author thanked RPF Inkotanyi soldiers for rescuing him and asked everyone to take part in making Rwanda a safe country.
His book starts with portraying Rwanda as a hopeless country and concludes portraying the resilience journey and rebuilding of Rwanda.
The Executive Secretary of the National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide (CNLG), Dr. Jean Damascène Bizimana said others should emulate the initiative of Habonimana to write history on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and other persecutions endured before the genocide.
Moi, le dernier Tutsi is written in French and was released on 21st March 2019 in a ceremony that took place in Paris. It is expected to be translated into other languages to reach a wider audience.
The book is currently available at Kigali Genocide Memorial in Gisozi and in Ikirezi Library at a cost of Rwf 18,000.
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