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Rwanda
Rwanda is a country where people lived together peacefully for centuries. They speak one language, have the same culture and inter-marry. Time came when this strong united people was divided into ethnic groups. This was followed by successive civil wars. People of one ethnic group were killed, others fled the country, those who remained in the country were taught to believe that they are bad people, do not belong to this country and must be killed. Plans to kill them were made and it was put into practice in the genocide of 1994 and what happened was a rampage of horror with people being killed in the most horrific ways. Some were buried alive; women were brutally raped and many died. Those who got pregnant were left to suffer alone. Children who were not killed saw all these evils done to their parents by people they knew (relatives, neighbours or leaders).
All these wars and genocide left many orphans and widows and unwanted children who turned to the streets, as well as many disabled people. There were many victims of HIV/AIDS. Survivors were traumatised, both children and old, and some were harassed by those who killed their family members because they fear that when “Gacaca Courts” begin, they will witness against them. They are forced to move from one place to another looking for safety. Women who married into different ethnic groups are condemned by both families (their own and those of their husbands). They are blamed for the death of their partners and blamed for betraying their own families. And children born to parents of different ethnic groups suffer rejection from relatives.
Some ways forward
Both the Church and the Government are working hard to see that the divided people are reconciled and become one strong nation as it used to be in the past.
The Church is preaching “God’s unconditional love, repentance and forgiveness”. It has a programme called “Breaking the walls that divide us”. The perpetrators are repenting of their sins and facing the survivors for forgiveness. Most of the survivors have forgiven in return.
The Government has taught peace and reconciliation in many current programmes. People are taught to look at their common enemy: poverty, ignorance etc. Rwanda’s leadership has done its best and we hope for a bright future.
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