Kwibuka, the annual commemoration of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda, has become a far cry from its original purpose. What was once a solemn occasion to honor the victims and stand in solidarity with the survivors has now been transformed into a one-man show, used […]
On April 7, 1994, the fastest genocide of the 20th century began – the genocide against the Tutsi ethnic group in Rwanda. I was there. Initially naive, I eventually pieced everything together, especially when my parents were gone, leaving my 14-year-old sister and me on our own. The […]
If you ask any genocide survivor about their family’s political affiliation before the genocide in Rwanda, one name rings out – Parti Liberal (PL). For many of us, PL was once a vibrant party that courageously championed democratic rights in the face of oppression. It was a beacon […]
On March 4th, according to The New Times Rwanda, Hundreds of Congolese refugees residing in Rwandan camps took to the streets in an orchestrated protest march. Brandishing placards, they vehemently condemned the alleged killings of the Tutsi, Banyamulenge, and Hema communities in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo […]
Bamwe mu banyamulenge bakomeye banditse ibaruwa ifunguye mu ntangiriro z’icyi cyumweru biyama u Rwanda. Aba bagabo bavuga ko nta bubasha bahaye igihugu icyo aricyo cyose bwo kuvugira abanyamulenge cyangwa kwitwaza izina ryabo mu ntambara ibera mu burasirazuba bwa Congo-Kinshasa. Muri iyo baruwa y’amapaji abiri yanditse mu rurimi rw’igifaransa […]
On February 17, 2020, police announced that Kizito Mihigo, a popular Rwandan singer and genocide survivor, had been killed in his cell at a Kigali police station. Today, fellow genocide survivors and members of Igicumbi, the only independent survivor organization, mourn his death. They remember him and hundreds of other survivors who lived through the 1994 genocide by Hutu extremists, only to later perish under suspicious circumstances. Their deaths raise concerns about ongoing human rights violations in Rwanda, despite the current regime presenting itself as the savior that stopped the genocide. There is a tragic irony in survivors falling victim to unexplained violence under this government. More transparency and accountability are needed regarding these deaths, which seem to further the objectives of the original perpetrators who sought to eliminate Tutsis.
I have been wanting to read Clementine Wamariya’s memoir “The Girl Who Smiled Beads” since it was published in 2018. After finally finishing it, I want to share my thoughts about this profound memoir. The 276-page book proves both inspiring and controversial.
Muri ubu butumwa bwasohotse none tariki 1/1/2024, Dr. Filipo Basabose, umuyobozi w’ishyirahamwe Igicumbi: Ijwi ry’Abarokotse Jenoside yakorewe Abatutsi, arihanganisha by’umwihariko umubyeyi Mukangemanyi Rwigara, ubyara Anne Rwigara, n’abandi bana basigaye muri uyu muryango ukomeje gutotezwa n’ubutegetsi mu Rwanda. Dr. Basabose aravuga kandi ubutwari n’icyuho kitagira ingano Anne Rwigara, wari […]
For those who have experienced or studied the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda, its facts might seem like common knowledge. The extremist Hutu killers made no secret of their target: Tutsis. However, a recent experience in a Twitter Space (a feature for live audio group discussions) revealed to me that what seems commonly understood about the genocide is, in fact, not so universally acknowledged. During this discussion….
Of all the Rwandan writers alive today, Scholastique Mukasonga is perhaps my favorite. Reading Mukasonga transports me back to my mother’s world – to women lovingly preparing ikigage sorghum beer, the fermentation process in clay pots (ikibindi), the rhythmic sound of grinding stones (urusyo) pulverizing grain. I’ve had the privilege of reading most of her prolific body of work and have always been fascinated by the originality in her writing and her ability to eloquently describe highly complex cultural…
Nearly thirty years after the 1994 Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsis, its legacy continues to impact the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Rwandan government invokes the narrative of preventing further genocide as justification for its interference in Congo, claiming to protect persecuted Congolese Tutsi. However, Rwanda’s involvement has also fueled resentment and backlash against Congolese Tutsi, evoking the complex situation of the Tutsi Population inside Rwanda in the years leading to the genocide.
I recently attended the wedding of a fellow survivor of the 1994 Rwanda genocide against the Tutsi. As I watched the radiant bride walk down the aisle, I was reminded of how even the happiest occasions can stir up memories of unimaginable loss. When she reached the altar, […]
The stories we often hear about genocide survivors are ones portraying uplifting tales of resilience – accounts of how survivors have been able to move forward and rebuild their lives with the help of the current government. However, behind these simplistic narratives lies a much more complex reality.
Paris city authorities in France have confirmed they will name 18ème Arrondissement road after Aminadab Birara, a Rwandan who succumbed to Genocide against the Tutsi but whom before he dies heroically led fellow Tutsi men to fight against Interahamwe militias. The decision to name the road after Aminadab […]
Former hotel driver goes on trial in Paris on Monday, accused of complicity in Rwanda’s 1994 genocide by transporting Hutu militiamen who massacred hundreds of Tutsis. Claude Muhayimana, whom investigators say also hid Tutsis at risk of death and helped some escape, fled after the genocide and gained […]
Nyuma y’uko twanditse tunenga itsinda ryatangije umuryango wiswe IBUKA- USA kudakorera mu mucyo, iri tsinda ryirukanye bamwe muri bagenzi babo barokotse Jenoside yakorewe abatutsi nyuma y’impaka ku ishingwa ry’umuryango Igicumbi-Ijwi ry’abarokotse Jenoside. Izi mpaka zabaye muri icyi cyumweru ku rubuga nkoranya mbaga (WhatsApp Group) rwatangijwe n’iri tsinda rya […]
A 63-year old genocide survivor woman found dead, beheaded, in Nyamababe District, in the southern province of Rwanda.
A 24-year-old Rwandan whose mother was raped in the genocide tells the BBC how he came to learn of the circumstances of his birth. “My son kept asking who his father was. But among 100 men or more who raped me, I could not tell the father.” Click here to […]
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