'I Hope We've Learned Our Lesson ...'

"One day we were neighbors, and the next day the massacre began." That's how the survivor of a tribal massacre described the shocking turn of events that led to the murder of 18 of her family members. Her tragic story cuts to the heart of humanity's inability to find lasting peace.

by Joel Meeker

If it weren't for the sign outside the gate, the Catholic Church in Ntarama would seem little different than other churches in Rwanda. The rectangular red-brick building topped by a corrugated-tin roof is similar to churches in many countries in East Africa.

But in April 1994 horrifying events occurred that turned this church into a genocide memorial site. The sign in front of the church says in French, English and the local Kinyarwanda dialect that nearly 5,000 people were murdered on this site—many in a single day.

Scars on the landscape

Ntarama is an hour's drive on rough dirt roads from the country's capital, Kigali. The drive is impressive. Rwanda is a stunningly beautiful country of lush, green mountains and verdant lake and river valleys.

With one of the highest population densities in Africa, virtually every bit of arable land is under cultivation. Yet on the drive out to Ntarama we saw abandoned houses and fields lying fallow. Fulgence, the taxi driver, explained that the vacant areas are the result of the violence of almost a decade ago when the region's population was decimated.

We parked in the center of the village and began walking toward the fenced church compound. A man and woman who had seen us arrive walked up with the keys to the gate. They introduced themselves as Pacifique Rutaganda and Dancille Nyirabazungu and explained that they were survivors of the attack at the church. Now they are state-appointed guides and caretakers of the site.

Through my friend Jean-Marie, who could translate from Kinyarwanda into French for me, I asked them to tell me what had occurred, to help me understand how something like this could happen.

Understanding the division

I had already read some background on the events of 1994. Especially useful was Philip Gourevitch's 1998 book We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families.

Read the full article at www.gnmagazine.org/issues/gn48/ourlesson.htm

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