Today (6/1/05), I finally had the chance to "search" more on this nation. I did this after my interest grew when a movie about this nation came out called "Hotel Rwanda".
"KIGALI, RWANDA (ANS) -- Thirteen years after the 1994 Rwandan genocide between Hutus and Tutsis, 40 families from both tribes are living as neighbors in Imidugudo, which translates as "reconciliation village."
The village, in Nyamata, 30km south of the Rwandan capital, Kigali, is part of an experiment whereby genocide survivors and confessed perpetrators live in the same community, in small tin-roofed houses they built themselves.
According to IRIN (Integrated Regional Information Networks) at www.IRINnews.org, as reported by Reuters news agency, the village is the brainchild of Pastor Steven Gahigi, an Anglican clergyman who survived the genocide by fleeing to Burundi with his wife and two children. His mother, father and siblings all died and Gahigi thought he had lost his ability to forgive.
"I prayed until one night I saw an image of Jesus Christ on the cross," Gahigi says. "I thought of how he forgave and I knew that I and others could also do it."
Inspired by the vision, Gahigi began preaching forgiveness not only in Nyamata parish, but in the cramped prisons where hundreds of thousands of perpetrators were awaiting trial.
IRIN says that in 2003, faced with crowded prisons and a shortage of qualified judges, the Rwandan government began offering a provisional release to low-level perpetrators, including the sick, elderly and those who were children at the time of the genocide.
People tried by Rwanda's traditional "gacaca" courts, in which members of the community act as judges, had their sentences halved if they confessed their involvement in the genocide.
Today, Gahigi provides spiritual council to both perpetrators and victims, most of whom work as small farmers, just as they did before the genocide.
Residents say the path to forgiveness was not easy, IRIN reports. However, they say their ability to forgive is rooted in Christian beliefs.
"I did not think I could forgive," Mukamana says, "until I heard the pastor's message." Now, she is fond of elderly Aziri, who often stops by her house to chat.
"These people killed my parents," Janet Mukabyagaju told IRIN. "It is not easy for me to forgive them. But God forgave. I must do the same."
With funding from non-profit Christian organization Prison Fellowship International, survivors and perpetrators agreed to live together harmoniously. The founding members of the community voted on who could live at Imidugudo -- a practice that continues today.
Gahigi said they generally choose families who are most vulnerable due to poverty or illness.
IRIN says that while Rwanda's current administration has renounced the use of ethnic terminology and instead promotes reconciliation, many Rwandans say there is still a raging undercurrent of mistrust among those who survived the genocide and those who committed it.
Residents in Imidugudo say although the terms Hutu and Tutsi should no longer be a part of Rwandan society, they do not believe in painting over the past. They speak to their children about their roles in the genocide.
"Genocide has enormous consequences for those who did it and for those who survived," Xavier Namay, an admitted perpetrator, told IRIN. "My children must know what I did so they can rebuild this country positively."
As an example of how the reconciliation village principle works out in practice, IRIN says that before the Rwandan genocide, Mutiribambi Aziri and Jaqueline Mukamana were neighbors in the town of Nyamata, south of the capital Kigali.
When the 100-day slaughter began in April 1994, Mukamana, a teenage Tutsi student, and Aziri, a Hutu farmer, found themselves on opposite sides as 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered by Hutu militias, known as the Interahamwe, and ordinary Rwandans.
Mukamana went to fetch water from the community well and returned to find her entire family hacked to death by neighbors. She hid in the fields and then fled on foot to neighboring Burundi.
Aziri was one of those whipped up into a killing spree by Rwanda's hard-line Hutu administration. He did not murder Mukamana's family but he admits to killing some of her neighbors with a machete.
Thirteen years later IRIN reports, they are neighbors again, chatting on the dusty roads and attending church services together.
"We help each other," Aziri told IRIN. "When a member of one family is sick, we drop by." Most importantly, he says, "our kids are friends."
**IRIN (Integrated Regional Information Networks) is part of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, but its services are editorially independent. Its reports do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations and its agencies, nor its member states. "
"CARLSBAD, CA (ANS) -- Rick Warren, the best-selling author of The Purpose-Driven Life describes this powerful new book called Led By Faith in this way: �Out of the ruins of the 1994 Rwandan genocide have come the most astounding and moving stories of faith, hope, forgiveness, reconciliation, and miracles that I�ve ever heard. If you�ve had a hard time letting go of a deep hurt, or difficulty in releasing your offender so you can get on with the rest of your life, Immacul�e�s story can lead you to the place of healing, restoration, and peace.�
Cover of Led by Faith
For three months in the spring of 1994, the African nation of Rwanda descended into one of the most vicious and bloody genocides the world has ever seen.
Immacul�e Ilibagiza, a young university student, miraculously survived the savage killing spree that left most of her family, friends, and a million of her fellow citizens dead. Immacul�e�s remarkable story of survival was documented in her first book, Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust.
�In Led By Faith, Immacul�e takes us with her as her remarkable journey continues,� said a news release from Monique Mallory. �Through her simple and eloquent voice, we experience her hardships and heartache as she struggles to survive and to find meaning and purpose in the aftermath of the holocaust. It is the story of a na�ve and vulnerable young woman, orphaned and alone, navigating through a bleak and dangerously hostile world with only an abiding faith in God to guide and protect her.
�Immacul�e fends off sinister new predators, seeks out and comforts scores of children orphaned by the genocide, and searches for love and companionship in a land where hatred still flourishes. Then, fearing again for her safety as Rwanda�s war-crime trials begin, Immacul�e flees to America to begin a new chapter of her life as a refugee and immigrant�a stranger in a strange land.�
Immacul�e Ilibagiza
The release continues: �With the same courage and faith in God that led her through the darkness of genocide, Immacul�e discovers a new life that was beyond her wildest dreams as a small girl in a tiny village in one of Africa�s poorest countries. It is in the United States, her adopted country, where Immacul�e can finally look back at all that has happened to her and truly understand why God spared her life� so that she would be left to tell her story to the world.�
was born in Rwanda and studied electronic and mechanical engineering at the National University. She lost most of her family during the 1994 genocide. Four years later, she emigrated to the United States and began working at the United Nations in New York City. She is now a full-time public speaker and writer. In 2007 she established the Left to Tell Charitable Fund (http://www.immaculee.com/char_fund.html), which helps support Rwandan orphans.
Immacul�e holds honorary doctoral degrees from The University of Notre Dame and Saint John�s University, and was awarded The Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Reconciliation and Peace 2007. She is the author, with Steve Erwin, of Left To Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust.
Available: September 16, 2008; US $24.95 (US Only); Hardcover: ISBN: 978-1-4019-1887-3 ***Note: A portion of Profits go to �The Left to Tell Charitable Fund�
For more information, contact: Monique Mallory
Phone: 212/447-6146
E-mail: mmallory@nyc.rr.com "
Children
Rebecca St. James - Compassion International - Rwanda Africa
"In 1994, the long and painful history of the small African country of Rwanda came to a dreadful climax: the genocide and a death toll of approximately one million, within three months. Pain and suffering have engraved themselves on the souls of the people, but there are also clear signs of hope and restoration. Witnesses of the change speak out; victims and perpetrators likewise refer to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's almost unbelievable! www.crownvideo.com"
"..The Republic of Rwanda (English pronunciation: /ruːˈændə/ roo-AN-də or /rəˈwɑːndə/ rə-WAHN-də; Kinyarwanda pronunciation [ɾwanda] or IPA: [ɾɡwanda]), known as the Land of a Thousand Hills, is a country located in the Great Lakes region of eastern-central Africa, bordered by Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania.
Although close to the equator the country has a cool temperate climate due to its high elevation. Kigali, the capital, has an average temperature of 19 degrees Celsius. Rwanda is also renowned for its beautiful terrain with mostly grassy uplands and scenic, gently rolling hills. Its abundant wildlife, including the rare mountain gorillas are popular with eco-lovers and tourism has become one of the biggest sectors of the country's economy.
The country has received considerable international attention due to its 1994 genocide, in which an estimated 800,000 people were killed.[4] Since then the country has made a remarkable recovery and is now considered as a model for developing countries. In 2009 A CNN report labeled Rwanda as Africa's biggest success story, having achieved stability, economic growth (average income has tripled in the past ten years) and international integration.[5] The government is widely seen as one of the more efficient and honest ones in Africa. Fortune magazine published an article recently titled "Why CEOs Love Rwanda." [6] The capital, Kigali, is the first city in Africa to be bestowed with the prestigious Habitat Scroll of Honor Award in the recognition of its cleanliness, security and urban conservation model." [7] In 2008, Rwanda became the first country in history to elect a national legislature in which a majority of members were women.[8] Rwanda is, as of November 2009, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, making the country one of only two in the Commonwealth without a British colonial past.[9]..
"We arrived at the airport in Kigali, the capital city.
My wife, Denise and I carried the cross in and around Kigali. In the streets we had a good witness of the cross and the message of Jesus and of hope.We had some profound talks with people. Many had questions about the past suffering and killings in the country.
We passed out many Jesus stickers and gospel material to the people.
It was a time of helping people and showing hope and the love of Jesus.
God bless this suffering nation of people.
A pilgrim follower of Jesus,
Arthur Blessitt
Luke 18:1
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