20 years later, Rwandans still struggling to reconcile

On 7 April, Rwanda commemorated the 20th anniversary of the genocide with Genocide Memorial Day. The commemoration period will conclude with Liberation Day on July 4.

The Rwandan Genocide was a mass slaughter of Tutsi and moderate Hutu in Rwanda by members of the Hutu majority. During a 100-day period from April 7, 1994, to mid-July, an estimated 500,000 to 1 million Rwandans were killed, constituting as much as 20% of the country’s total population, and 70% of the Tutsi then living in Rwanda.

GroundUp found many Rwandans are not willing to talk about the genocide. Those who were prepared to go on the record said that talking about it opens old wounds, and some believe that talking about it may even put their life in danger.

A Rwandan woman, who refused to be named, expressed anger at how Paul Kagame, the sixth and current President of Rwanda, is handling the genocide issue.

She said, “Kagame do not know what the word reconciliation means. The world should also understand that Kagame was not directly affected by genocide. He is from Uganda; his family is intact. None was murdered; obviously he does not care. To him, running Rwanda is a business, as long as they make money and get financial aid from other countries. Tutsis have been in jail for a long time and Hutus have fled the country”.

Hakizimana said, “I was 14 years old in 1994. The genocide story is not told as it should be, mostly it is one sided. It should be balanced when told … It is ok for the government to say it will never happen again … but what about me, a Hutu? My parents were killed, I am now an orphan, and the only survivor of the family of ten children. I do not have a family anymore. None of them died naturally, they were murdered. It is always about the Tutsis. What about us? Nobody listens and nobody cares about how we feel.”

He said it is unfair that the Rwandan government introduced a unity and reconciliation policy and expect them to coexist. He said, “Practically, how do I live side by side by a person who wiped out my family? Can forced reconciliation lead to reconciliation? In Rwanda there is no peace, because of this imposed policy people are not allowed to talk about the genocide events. People are not even allowed to protest. A lot of Hutu people lost their livelihoods after genocide because they had to migrate to different countries. “

“Here in Cape Town, lots of professionals like doctors and teachers are now working as security guards. I have been here in Cape Town for seven years and my asylum application was rejected. I have been waiting for appeal for seven years. I do not have a valid identity document. The new Tutsi government has influenced South Africa not to give us some refugee status. The government lied that there is peace in Rwanda and we should go back. Due to lack of ID, I cannot find employment. I cannot access my bank account.”

Kwizera said life has become difficult for him. He said, “I do not even trust this cousin of mine because I always suspect he will poison my food or drink if we are eating together. I cannot leave my beer when I go to the toilet and continue drinking it when I come back. The assumption is because life has become tough he might accept a bribe from Tutsi and poison.”

“Only the Tutsis are commemorating 20 years after genocide”

“Only the Tutsis are commemorating 20 years after genocide and they are forcing us to commemorate with them. We do not have anything to celebrate. We would also like to go back to our country of birth but we cannot because we do not feel safe. Hutus are spied on and killed by Tutsis in the countries they have sought refuge in. Once you have been out of Rwanda, if you go back, they will kill you because they think you are spying on them”.

A woman who refused to be named said she was 11 years old in 1994. She refused to disclose if she is Hutu or Tutsi, emphasising that Rwandans’ are aware how unsafe it has become to disclose their tribe. Most of them have resorted to only identify themselves as Rwandans. She said her father’s brother and family were killed. Her mother’s sister and 10 children were murdered. The only reason why they are managing to live with this past event is that life here in South Africa is complicated. They are too busy to dwell on the past and rarely communicate with people back home, because it is expensive.

It pains her that some South Africans do not understand their plight and think they are here for a better life (“green pastures”).

She said, “There is no full reconciliation in my country. People are only doing it because they are out of options. The conflict between Hutus and Tutsis is hidden. April is a difficult month for us Rwandans. At 11, I was old enough and I vividly remember all the events. I miss my country and I would love to go back, but there is no peace there. In my country we do not trust each other, even your sibling, what kind of a country is that?”

“Yes there is too much crime in South Africa, but sometimes if you cooperate the robbers won’t hurt you. In my country, where will you hide? Some children were born out of rape, infected by HIV and their mothers do not even know who impregnated. All these traumatized people cannot get counselling, because they do not know which side the counsellors are.”

She said, before she came to South Africa in 2008, she was a primary school teacher. She could not get the same job here, because she is French. She had been learning English and is now a professional nurse at Groote Schuur Hospital. Regularly, she sees people from her country with mental illness as a result of genocide brought in for medication and counselling.