Kwibuka is the Kinyarwanda word for 'remember.' It is the word used to describe the annual commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
I am in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, and it is during the Kwibuka Remembrance. There are ceremonies, readings, vigils. Support to survivors. 100 events to represent the 100 days.
In April 1994, the genocide started. For three months, 100 days, there was killing. Six deaths a minute. Approximately 800,000 people killed. 20% of the population killed. The primary weapon of choice, a machete--a large hatchet like knife. Everyone in Rwanda experienced it, lived it, lost someone, knows someone impacted.
You see people with scars, you wonder, you do not ask. Your heart aches just thinking about it.
My driver talks about politics today. The world is condemning the President who has changed the constitution to run for a third term. Have they asked the Rwandans their opinion? Is it is a slippery slope? My driver says he was 10 when the genocide happened. A sentence that stops your heart as you wait for what is next. He says they have peace today, they want to keep it. It is what matters to them and he thinks the current president can keep this peace. Why is the west meddling he asks?
I am here during the one week of mourning. Music is not allowed. No weddings. No celebration. A time to pay respect. A time to remember.
Every day in the newspaper there are articles about the genocide. Survivors write testimonies on what happened to them. Articles document the details of the events. Commitments are made to ensure it does not happen again.
One article by a woman talks about paying the Hutu to allow them to kill themselves. It is a sentence you have to read, and then reread. Why? Why would you pay someone to allow suicide. It is better than death by machete. Better than death by a Hutu.
A painful, reflective week, but a positive one. Memories stirred, hearts opened and closed again. How can societies thrive, survive if they do not remember, If they do not recall and if they do not heal? How does one heal from such a scar? South Africa for example had their truth and reconciliation process, a process of confession and forgiveness. In China, author Jung Chang talks about her generation living under Mao. They are not allowed to talk about it, but they remember. Curriculum does not reflect the history. A generation bottling up experiences, atrocities and memories, when will it explode?
Today Rwanda is a radically different country. Developed and prosperous. One of the few African countries not reliant on donor aid. A clean, safe and orderly country. By remembering can they stave off any future conflict? When neighbor turns against neighbor, can you forgive?
http://lgbexpress.ecolint.ch/humanint/therwandangenocidewhydopeoplenotwanttotalkaboutit (Photo Below)
