Journey from hatred to hope

Abbe Jean Marie of Caritas Gisenyi preaches forgiveness and reconciliation with those who killed nine of his family in the Rwandan genocide. [Matt Parkes]

Abbé Jean Marie, who lost nine members of his family during the genocide is involved in vital reconciliation work that provides hope for Rwanda's future

In an intensely moving poem, Nigerian writer Ben Okri reflecting on the genocide in Rwanda wrote "the land poisoned and rich from which new centuries will grow harbours horror now.”

Bouncing along in a Landover along a burnt-red earth track overlooking beautiful green hills and a misty Lake Kivu below, horror seems a long way away.

However for Abbé Jean Marie, partner of CAFOD in Gisenyi, Rwanda, the road brings back vivid memories of atrocities that changed his life forever.

Massacre of the innocents

He pointed to a ruined house, in which he explained his sister was killed, together with her husband and children. We later passed a small church in which 3000 people were massacred.

The land next to the road we travelled on had seen the spilt blood of many of his family and many friends.

In all, Abbé Jean Marie lost nine of his immediate family in the genocide. He managed to survive by hiding in bushes, and escaping across the border into Congo during the night.

I asked whether he felt afraid as he journeyed along this road knowing that some people who killed are still free, and that many more stood by as atrocities took place.

“It is difficult to understand, from the outside,” he said. “But the killing was highly organised, led by a vicious political regime, backed by the military. Most of the killers are now in prison or have escaped to Congo.”

Genocide was organised and systematic

When the genocide first flashed up on our television screens in April 1994, it was largely portrayed as a civil war, a ‘tribal conflict’ with an almost unstated implication that this was typical of Africa.

In fact, as Abbé Jean Marie made clear, the horror that was unleashed was highly organised and systematic. A militia of ‘Hutu’ ethnicity called the ‘Interahamwe’ had been building up a frenzied propaganda of hatred against the ‘Tutsi’ people for a number of years.

The killing of President Habyarimana of Rwanda in April 1994 provided the excuse for putting into effect a systematic plan for a ‘final solution'. 800,000 people were murdered in less than two months, as local militias backed up by the army rounded up both Tutsis and moderate Hutus and massacred them, mainly with machetes.

The international community failed to respond until it was far too late, and the carnage was only stopped with the invasion of the Tutsi-dominated Rwandan Patriotic Front.

Divisions rooted in colonialism

Our jeep continued to wind its way around steep hillsides covered with a patchwork of fields cultivated at impossible angles.

The history of the road we were following pointed to much deeper roots for the genocide. It had been built by the Belgians in the early 20th century through coerced labour. Villagers were beaten if they did not work.

Abbé Jean Marie said, “Colonialism had a big impact on us. There have always been two groups in Rwanda: Hutus and Tutsis. But the colonial authorities reinforced divisions. They decided on ethnicity based on height, they made us carry identity cards and they favoured Tutsis over Hutus. This built up resentment.”

Liberate Muhagihana, widowed in the genocide, counsels Colette Nusaburasoni who lost all of her children [Annie Bungeroth]

Learning to live together peacefully

Our conversation made me wonder if Rwanda could ever escape from its brutal past of colonial exploitation and atavistic military leaders and politicians.

However what was remarkable was Abbé Jean Marie’s willingness to forgive and his desire to be active in creating a Rwanda free of ethnic hatred and divides.

The brother of one of the killers of his sister had actually come and apologised to him, and he had found it in himself to forgive him. “We are brothers and sisters, and have to learn to live together peacefully,” he explained.

Building bridges

He spoke about Caritas Gisenyi's work trying to build bridges between communities.

Caritas Gisenyi was involved in a whole range of activities including counselling for people suffering from the trauma of the genocide, small microcredit projects, as well as facilitating a process where prisoners who committed acts of genocide could ask publicly for forgiveness from families who were willing to do this.

But most of all he spoke of their desire to create a ‘caritas spirit.’ He characterised this as being a spirit of generosity and openness and felt it was a vital part of his work. He gave us an recent example where over a tonne of food had been left outside his church in response to an appeal for victims of the volcano eruption in Goma.

“Reconciliation does not happen suddenly. It happens little by little. But people are starting to realise that national renewal is not possible unless we do this,” Abbé Jean Marie said.

Rwanda’s traumatic history will mean that the journey of renewal will be a long, difficult and painful process. However it will ultimately be built on the ‘caritas spirit’ that individuals such as Abbé Jean Marie share and also embody.

In that there is great hope for the future of this land “from which new centuries will grow.”

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