Below are some recorded testimonies

1. A 18 years old girl whose leg was cut off during genocide told us the following:

“ I could neither greet nor share anything with a Hutu subject because whenever I walk with crutches, I remember that it was they who cut off a leg of mine. But now I forgive them all, even their offspring. In addition, I could not pray in the church where my leg was cut off and my relatives were savagely slain, nor could I get close to it. But now I am able to visit or pray in that church.”

This lady uses a crutch for distant walking and the prosthesis for a short trip. Here she is using the prosthesis.

2. A 22 years old woman, a genocide survivor, declared:

My elder brother and I are genocide survivors. As I was too young during the genocide, I did not feel any hatred to Hutu despite what they had done to us. When I was 14, in sixth form primary school, I got a Hutu boyfriend aged 20, who impregnated me. We were compelled to cohabit; but some time later he was influenced by his relatives and friends saying that he had committed an unforgivable sin to get married to a Tutsi girl. He completely changed his ways towards me.

Hence he could come back home late at night; and wherever he reached home, he used to beat and abuse me. One year later he sold everything and abandoned me with my 4 months old baby. Then after I was expelled from the house we used to live in since I was unable to afford the rent.

I was obliged to got and live with my elder brother, who did not allow me in his house with the child of an "Interahamwe", my brother’s own term for my husband. All these contributed to let me have a great hatred to Hutu people. This seminar has helped me understand the origin of prejudice that Hutus have about Tutsi, and vice versa; therefore I have understood why my husband treated me the way he did. Now I start forgiveness process. >>

3. After the seminar, a 35 years old man from Gisenyi said:

<< During the 1997 war, I saw the Rwandan Patriotic Army (APR) killing my brothers. This led me to hate all the Tutsi subjects and any one who had direct or indirect link with them. This seminar has helped me understand the origin of prejudice that Tutsis, have about Hutu and vice versa, and its consequences.

On the other hand, I was amazed to see Tutsis being sympathetic. This reminded me that Tutsis were also killed in other parts of the country. I feel relieved. I forgive all who have directly or indirectly contributed to my brothers’ death. I am convinced that we are all brothers and commit myself to fight for reconciliation of Rwandans. >>

4.A 43 years old man told us the following:

“ I am a 1994 genocide survivors. Interahamwe attempted many times to kill me but I was rescued. Because of this I fell into an acute trauma. I lost all confidence in anybody and all hope for future. I tried to comfort myself by following some theological teachings and adhering to different churches, but nothing changed within me. I got married to a Hutu girl when I was 40, just because I did not like to be despised. I never had any love to my wife, so my household was miserable, without peace, security, mutual inter-action and joy. My wife did her best to make me happy but all her effort was fruitless.

Thanks to this seminar; I have discovered the source of my lack of tolerance and misunderstanding. I have got peace that theological teachings failed to give me. And from now on I forgive every body who persecuted me, and my household is restored”.

As illustrated by the photo above, the man gave this testimony in the presence of his wife, who testified that that evening would not be forgotten because when they came to the seminar they had not been talking to each other for 3 days.

Then she said that she had decided to kill herself because she could not bear it any longer.

Later on she came to testify that they had reconciled with each other and renewed they marriage contract; and ever since their home has become on ideal one.

5.A twenty-three years old young boy (the first from left to right on the picture below) told us the following:

“My elder brother and I are genocide survivors. Five years after the genocide, my elder brother got married to a lady who returned from Uganda. That lady mistreated me so much that I hated every body who came from Uganda, as well as any thing that had connection with them, such as English, Luganda and Ugandan food like Kawunga (maize paste), Matooke (bananas) I could not even pray in the churches they attended. But this seminar has released me from hatred I had and now I forgive my elder brother’s wife”.

6. A twenty-two years old girl said, “

We were four children in our family. In 1994, Hutus killed my parents my two brothers and sister. I survived after I had been wounded and thrown into a pit a long with some deads. It was RPA, which got me out of the pit. Ever since I hated Hutus that I would not accept to share a bed with a Hutu girl in our boarding school. I was never happy, I was always worried. I could always fall sick during genocide anniversary period in April. But the message I have heard in this seminar has sincerely transformed me and I forgive the Hutus.”

Three months later, we went to visit this girl and she told us the following: “After your seminar, I went to meet the person who threw me into the pit, as he has been released from prison because he confessed his role in genocide and asked for forgiveness. I told him that I forgive him. I feet comfortable.”

More testimonies on this site soon

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