Rwanda

Back in November, I took a trip to Rwanda to escape the busy and crazy atmosphere in Kampala during Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM). The visit was also an opportunity to see what the Rwanda WorldVenture missionaries are doing in their ministries. The trip was interesting, sobering, meaningful. Rwanda is a beautiful country, but, as we know, it harbors a horrific past. I have wanted to share with you my experiences there, but unfortunately, it took me a while to find the time and the words to describe my experience.

At first glance, Rwanda has many similarities with its other neighboring African countries like Uganda. Rwanda is mostly rural with farming making up much of the infrastructure and economy. People dress similarly to the fashions in Uganda with women wearing African-print wrap around skirts, men in simple button-up shirts, and village children running around barefoot. Cooking methods, farming, and every day practices also seem to take on a similar tone. However, there are also some obvious differences between the two countries. For one, Rwanda is smaller than Uganda in terms of area. Consequently, there is not much variation in geography, tribal customs, language, or economy throughout the country. For example, the whole of Rwanda has a mountainous and cool climate. There are only two main tribes represented in Rwanda. Additionally, everyone in Rwanda speaks the same language: Kinyarwanda (and French). In contrast, Uganda has more distinct geographical and tribal differences from area to area. The South is cool and mountainous while the North is more hot and arid. Also, Uganda’s numerous spoken languages reflect the multitude of tribes represented in the country.

Megan, Kate, Catharine and I stayed with a missionary family in Kigali (Rwanda’s capital city), which was abundantly cleaner and less busy than Kampala. The family we stayed with – the Bennetts - had two young girls, ages 9 and 12, who were a delight. We celebrated a wonderful Thanksgiving at their house along with some of the other Kigali missionary community. We were able to see the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the Hotel des Milles Collines (Hotel Rwanda), and other genocide sites. We also spent a couple days along the shores of Lake Kivu in western Rwanda. The little town boasts some nice beaches as well as an excellent view of an active volcano located just across the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In addition, we also had the opportunity to become acquainted with the work that our missionaries are doing in Kigali. They are all involved in the building and administration of a Bible Training School for Rwandan pastors, many of whom have never received formal theological training.

Growing up (as a teenager), I was very interested in stories of cruelty and brutality perpetrated against innocent people. I suppose the extreme injustice of it all struck me first as unfathomable, and then as infuriating. I wanted deeply to understand the reasons why anyone would commit such heinous acts: was it merely hatred… or was it ignorance? My two main interests on this subject were first the Holocaust, and then the Rwandan genocide. The Holocaust initially dominated my study because of its incredibly large scale and such far-reaching consequences. However, the genocide in Rwanda also gradually captured my interest. Because it occurred when I was only 12 years old, the genocide had a more real, more palpable feel for me. I could more easily identify with a conflict in which children my own age, of my own generation, were many of the victims and survivors. Due to this study and interest in my teenage years, I had always wanted to visit Rwanda to understand and feel more accurately the consequences of the genocide. I finally got my wish.

Those of you familiar with the events surrounding the genocide know that there are only two major tribes represented in Rwanda: the Hutu and the Tutsi. Rwanda has a long history of tribal conflict that dates back to colonial rule. The Belgian colonizers used tribal distinction as a system of control for many years. But after their departure, it developed into a system of hatred that endures even to this day. There has long been bitterness and anger between the two tribes. This anger boiled over into hatred in the early 1990s. For a short history of the genocide, check out this webpage: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwandan_Genocide. Ever since the genocide, the Tutsi government has outlawed the use of the terms “Hutu” and “Tutsi” to describe and categorize people. They have successfully promoted the idea of “oneness” for the past 12 years. I say “successful” because people no longer openly use the terms Tutsi or Hutu, but only because the government forbids it. People are afraid. The government even use spies to infiltrate various organizations (including our mission) to ensure that no tribal distinctions are being promoted. However, beneath the surface, everyone knows who belongs to which tribe… and no one has really forgotten what happened or the incredible division that still exists under the surface. Although the government has successfully brought some healing and has done much to rebuild the country, the fact remains that the majority Hutu are once again under the leadership of a Tutsi minority. And, from what I understand, individual Tutsis sometimes take advantage of their power to persecute the Hutu for their role in the genocide. Consequently, the Hutu still harbor anger because of their continued persecution at the hands of the minority. Although advances have been made and healing has begun, the country is still deeply scarred, even 13 years later.

During our stay, I had the opportunity to visit several genocide memorials and to hear a number of stories recounted by the missionaries who had been in the country both before and after the genocide. The Kigali Genocide Memorial is a quite stunning… and sobering… reminder of Rwanda’s wounded past. The Memorial is really more of a museum surrounded by gardens that also happen to be mass grave sites. The rows of mass graves are imposing, silent, haunting. The quiet is disquieting. Although the place seems peaceful, almost serene, there is also a restlessness that hovers over the surface. It is a restlessness that arises in comprehending the injustice, hatred, and ignorance that the graves represent. I found myself shattered, hating the fact that I had not been there to do something, anything, to stop the injustice. I wanted to have saved them all from the terrible fate they suffered. Silly, I know, but true nonetheless.

We also had the opportunity to visit a memorial site at a church outside of Kigali. During the genocide, many Tutsis fled to churches thinking that they would find refuge and safety. They believed the clergy would try to protect them and that the Interhamwe (Hutu Militia) would not murder people in a church. However, the killers simply took advantage of this belief to gather all the Tutsis in one place where they could be slaughtered. The Interhamwe came with grenades, guns, and machetes and surrounded these churches. The people inside were left with no avenue of escape. They were all massacred. This scene was replayed all over the country with as many as 10,000 being killed in one church. We visited a church in an area called Nyamata where around 5,000 people came for refuge during the genocide and found only death. Although the bodies have been removed, the church has been left largely unaltered since the genocide. The walls and the pulpit are still stained with blood. The tin roof is riddled with bullet holes. The cement floor at the entrance has been pock-marked with grenade blasts. And behind the church, they have built a burial site in which the bones of victims from the church and the surrounding area are brought to be laid to rest. Horrific. Graphic. Real. The burial chamber is reminiscent of a catacomb. You descend into it through a set of narrow stairs only to be greeted by rows and rows of skulls staring back at you. As your eyes adjust to the musty darkness, you realize that the entire narrow corridor is filled with shelves that contain hundreds and hundreds of human bones. There are few intact skeletons. Most people were hacked to death by machetes, their bodies somehow dismembered. There were well over 2300 skulls in just one of the two burial chambers alone. Most of the skulls contain obvious markings that suggest a blow to the head by a machete or blunt object. It is there, in the silence of the grave, that you begin to feel the reality of it all. It is their that questions arise to God and your soul screams for understanding. But God can grant understanding... and peace. May their souls rest in the peace of God.