Kigali – First Day in Rwanda

We flew in to Kigali around 10:30 at night. As soon as we landed I could already tell a few differences between Tanzania and Rwanda. The city was glittering with lights, (unlike the quiet town of Moshi) and set in beautiful rolling hills.

In the morning we took a city tour. We went by the parliament house, the Ambassador Row (where all the UN ambassadors live), city center (where the Hotel Mille Collines is located), and the genocide memorial.

For those who may not be aware of the history of genocide in Rwanda (because I did not know a whole lot before this trip) here is some background information:

In Rwanda there were three main tribal groups: the Twa, the Hutu, and the Tutsi. By the 15th century, the Tutsi had established a monarchy in the country. Although Tutsi made up a minority of the population, they dominated the country politically and financially. The Hutu could use Tutsi cattle in exchange for providing service to the Tutsi.

After the Conference of Berlin in 1885, Rwanda was assigned to Germany. The Germans helped to expand Tutsi control over the Hutu. After World War I, Belgium was mandated to supervise Rwanda. They reduced the power of the Tutsi, but still continued to favor the Tutsi over the Hutu. They also started requiring all citizens to carry identification cards based off of ethnicity (Tutsi or Hutu).

The Belgians continued to have trusteeship of Rwanda after World War II, but were mandated to involve Rwandans in the political process. Tutsis pushed for independence from Belgium. Hutus pressured Belgium to help them create their own political party. Around this time, the Tutsi king mysteriously died. The Tutsis became suspicious of the Hutus and acted out violently against them.

The Hutu political party won in the first national elections in 1960, and the monarchy was ended in 1961. The first president was a Hutu. This marked the beginning of Hutu dominated politics until 1994. Although Rwanda was now a republic, democracy was based on a demographic majority, the Hutu. Tutsis were excluded from positions of power in government and the military, and the Tutsi knew if they wanted to live in peace, they should not aspire to reach power.

From 1962 into the 1990s violent attacks are made on Tutsis. Tutsis are forced from schools and the National University. A one party system is created in 1975 and all Rwandans are required to join. During this time many Rwandans flee the country to find refuge in Uganda, Burundi, and other countries. Hutus publish a paper and broadcast from a radio station promoting “Hutu Power” and spreading a hate campaign against the Tutsi.

In April of 1994, the Rwandan president, Habarimana (at Hutu) traveled to Tanzania to work on a peace agreement. His plane was shot down while flying back in to Kigali, and he was killed. The Hutu blamed the Tutsi, and the country became overcome with bloodshed. Between April to July between 800,000 to 1,000,000 lives were taken. The killing rate has been estimated as three hundred-three murders an hour or five and a half lives taken every minute. This killing surpassed the rate of the Nazi genocide in WWII, and was the largest mass killing since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The genocide left 400,000 widows and 500, 000 orphans in its wake.

The visit to the museum touched me in such an intense and life changing way. The first level of the Genocide Museum in Kigali explained the history leading up to the genocide, and how the genocide was able to occur. The second level of the museum showed the impact and story behind other genocides that have happened across our world (like Nazi Germany and Kosovo). While the entire museum was informative and moving, there were two particular exhibits that left a lasting impression on me.

The first exhibit discussed people who had risked – and sometimes lost – their lives to help out Tutsis. One elderly women was able to harbor Tutsis because the people in town believed she was possessed by evil spirits. Whenever Hutu came by asking to search her house, she would tell them they were welcome to come in – and that the dark spirits would take them over. Another man dug large trenches behind his house that Tutsis would hide in. He covered the trenches with boards, and put dirt over the boards and planted crops in the dirt to keep the trenches hidden. It is astounding the courage some of these people displayed, knowing they could be brutally murdered at any minute for hiding Tutsis.

It seems absolutely ludicrous that these individual people were able to show such bravery and compassion while the rest of the world turned their backs on Rwanda. UN commander Lt.Gen.Dallaire estimated
that as few as 5,000 troops with authority to enforce peace could stop the genocide. Instead, the UN mission was recalled. The United States and the UK debate and decide not to use the word genocide in a Presidential Statement on the situation. Secretary General Boutros – Ghali in an interview on Nightline stated is was a question of genocide in Rwanda during the peak of the killings. How could the rest of the world be a spectator to these vile and inhumane acts?

One of the most horrifying tragedies surrounding genocide is that no one is spared – including the children. The final exhibit of the museum was dedicated to them – those that would have been the future of Rwanda. The exhibit was full of large, full color photos of different children lost to the genocide. The photos were donated by family members, and some of the photos were the only picture the family had of their child.
Beneath each child was their name along with some information about them, including how they were killed:

Name: Francine
Age: 12
Favorite Food: chips and mayonnaise
Favorite Hobbies: Going to school, drawing, soccer
Best Friend: her older sister, Claudette
Last words said: “Mom, where can I run to now?”
Cause of Death: Hacked by machete

I broke down about half way through the children’s memorial. I can’t remember the last time I cried that hard – a large, guttural , heart-wrenching sob. I cried for the physical pain and terror these children experienced. I cried for the life and future that these children will never know. I cried at the unfairness of a lost childhood – one that should have been about playing with friends and going to school, but was about pain, suffering, and fear. I cried tears of anger – how could our world have let this happen and not only denied there was a genocide but also denied giving aid to our most innocent beings?

The genocide occurred in 1994. I don’t remember one teacher at my middle school talking to my class about it.

We have a responsibility as human beings – no matter who we are or where we live – to educate ourselves and others about what it means to be human. Humans are capable of both equally appalling and miraculous acts. What gives us the title “human”, however, I like to think is the latter. While we cannot change the atrocities that occurred in Rwanda, we can educate so that genocide does not need to repeat itself. The value of human life is far too great to not to.