No Peace Without Mercy

I had this outfit made at a local market. Do I look African?

Both Patty and I have spent the last 3 weeks admiring the beautiful fabrics and clothes worn by the Rwandan women. Patty has been determined to aquire her own special outfit and today was the day! Earlier in the week we visited the local open-air market and Patty had a wonderful time selecting the cloth and being measured for an outfit. We weren't quite sure how much would be lost in translation, so the result was going to be a mystery. Today we returned for the finished product. What do you think? The women and children immensely enjoyed the spectacle of Patty dressed in her new clothes complete with a Rwandan head-dress. In the spirit of the moment, I too selected some cloth, was measured and will have an outfit of my own. I'm not yet convinced of the head-dress, however.

In the last 2 days, we had the opportunity of meeting Terry. Terry was our driver to Butare and during the course of our travels he shared some of his life with us. Unfortunately, Terry's father, brother, uncle and aunt were killed in the Genocide of 1994. He was 15 at the time. We had been wanting to visit one of the Genocide memorials and he generously offered to accompany us there. We were concerned that it might be a difficult experience for him, but to our surprise he replied that it is "like visiting his family" and would be pleased to take us there.

So today, Terry, Patty and I drove to a small town just outside of Kigali called Nyamata. Nyamata historically has had a large percentage of Tutsi residents. We have since learned that it has also been the site for previous persecutions of the Tutsi people prior to the 1994 Genocide. The memorial in Nyamata is in fact a church. During our drive, Terry told us that after his family was killed he joined the army even though he was just a teenager. His first job was cleaning the streets. He recalls removing the bodies of the victims and attempting to protect them from the dogs that had begun to eat them. He recalls feeling intense hatred towards those that performed such atrocities, but was governed by the edict from Paul Kagame, the current president, that they were not to retaliate, to kill, to destroy homes, or to loot. Even today, he knows many of the individuals who participated in the killings.

Upon arriving we were introduced to 2 very nice young men at the reception. Both appeared to be in their late 20's.

Steven, our guide, spoke very good English and described in detail, the events of 1994. The experience was quite overwhelming for both Patty and me. The church itself is not very large, yet 10,000 people were crammed into the building. Initially, they sought refuge from the Sisters and Brothers there. However, once inside, the militia barricaded the doors. Three days later, those that weren't killed because of the conditions, were bombarded by grenades or killed individually. The second young man, Charles, is one of seven survivors of the original 10,000. He was 9 at the time. He remembers the events.

While inside the church, Steven graciously shared his experiences of the Genocide with us. He was 10 years old at the time and the fourth child of 5. His mother and father were both teachers. During the genocide, his family was separated from each other. He discovered later that his mother, father, 2 olders and his older brother were killed. He was ultimately placed in an orphanage. It was subsequently discovered that his younger sister, who was only four at the time, had escaped with his Grandmother. They were reunited some time later. He described their reunion as the "happiest moment of (his) life".

Incredibly, soon after they were reunited, a man arrived at their door. He confessed to having participated in the killing of Steven's family and asked for forgiveness. He also said that he knew where his family was buried and could take Steven to find them. A few days later, they went to a local church where the congregation was praying. The man pointed to 15 of the parishioners and implicated them in the killings. He then proceeded to summon them from the congregation and to lead them, as a group, to retrieve the bodies of Steven's family. In a nearby building, in the latrine, they exhumed 45 bodies, including Steven's parents.

Time and again, we are struck by the willingness of the Rwandan people to forgive. In fact, Steven himself said that, "there will never be peace without mercy".

Steven is currently supporting his grandmother and his younger sister. He has withdrawn from his studies to work as a street cleaner so that his sister can complete high school.

Both Patty and I felt very honoured that Terry and Steven were willing to share their lives and stories with us, especially because they have been so traumatic.

Genevieve