Nearly two decades have passed since the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi began. As the years go by, survivors mourn and keep the memory of their loved ones alive in many ways. Commemoration and remembrance remain one of the few forms of acknowledgment available to survivors, and an important part of reparation.
For many survivors, including Thomas Habimana, who wrote the poem below, the genocide is a past that never passes. He describes the plight of survivors and the pain of carrying its memory.
The pain is too deep to ignore. The wound is too fresh to patch over
Thomas remembers the genocide as if it happened just 19 days ago, yet his poem also carries a message of resilience and hope.
Time: 19 Years By Thomas Habimana
It’s been that many years
But we all remember like if it was 19 days
All of us has to carry the pain in our hearts
But it feels like each of us is carrying the entire load million times heavier, alone.
Pain, we share it
But pain each of us suffers like if we are alone in this
Tears over our loved ones are still fresh on our faces
They are still dripping on our cheeks
They are still warm down the nose
They are still dripping in abundance from chin to the ground
Chest and closes wet
And 19 years later our eyes are not dry yet!
Our pain is not relieved yet
Our suffering is not tended to at all
19 years ago nobody cared
19 years later many are still wondering
19 years ago the world closed their doors and ears to ours
19 years later the Tutsi genocide is still a polemic hot issue among the courts and politicians
But we the victims and the survivors
We know what befell us
We will never be confused
We will never stop reminding the skeptical
We will never stop fighting for ours
The pain is too deep to ignore
The wound is too fresh to patch over
As May takes over from April
We remember that the streets are flooded with rivers of cooling fresh blood
We remember that lakes, creeks, and rivers are blocked with piles of dead bodies
We remember that roads and churches are blocked and packed with rotting corps
We remember that ours that are still alive are hiding in latrines and swamps
We remember that those still alive
Are dying with hunger if not by machetes
We remember that they are in a prison as large as Rwanda
Waiting to be murdered like mad dogs
And we remember that
19 years ago today the world refuses intentionally to even talk about it
But we will talk about it for the rest of our lives
We will write about it for our next generations
We have been wronged
But we will not keep our heads down anymore
We are a proud people
They may hate us for it
But that’s what keeps our heads high
That’s what keep our future promising
We were proud when we were born
We will be proud when we will depart from this world
Like ours died proud
As we remember our loved ones
Who left prematurely
Whom we never had a chance to say goodby to
Let’s make them proud
Let’s promise them to never forget
I will never forget
So shouldn’t you.
Ever! Ever! Ever!
Ever! A million times!
So help you and me God
Posted by Albert Gasake
Related articles
- Commemoration Poem.By Marie Claire Uwamahoro Nyinawumuntu Mimi
- Voices of survivors/Amajwi y’abacitse ku icumu rya jenoside yakorewe Abatutsi.
- Obama honors victims and expresses Solidarity with survivors of the 1994 genocide against Tutsi (justicetosurvivors.wordpress.com)
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