Thursday, February 25, 2010

Marching for freedom

Photograph by Sebastiao Salgado

Meet the future of Rwanda. Recently, I have expressed much concern for the racial injustice that occured in Rwanda's civil conflict of 1994. Nearly a million Tutsi citizens were massacred. However, the untold side of the story is the effect that genocide had on those that were not Hutu extremist murderers. This boy, for example, is of Hutu decent. Following the victory in Rwanda's capital by the Tutsi army over the Hutu extremists, fear of retribution for the massacres inflicted every Hutu soul. Hundreds of thousands were forced to flee the country in fear of the revenge that many Tutsi survivors sought for. Because they had nowhere to go, they were often forced to settle in refugee camps along rivers, in forests, and other unsanitary conditions ( ).
My point is this: the cycle of hate is a vicious one. The hate between the Hutu and Tutsi has existed for a long time. It saddens me, but books like "Left to Tell" give me hope. I already posted on it, but I cannot express the profound effect that book had on me. Despite her family being massacred, Immaculee still found the power to love and forgive even the most vicious of vile murderers. I hope that lesson of love will someday replace the hate that exists in the hearts of man.

Works Cited

Pierre, Garry. "Zaire Rebels Take Over Key Towns Unopposed." New York Times. New York Times, 1 April 1997. Web. 25 Feb. 2010

1 comment:

  1. Hey Gary great post. I knew a little bit about the Rwandan genocide before the class, but after reading Left To Tell my understanding of the event was broadened. You don't realize that not all of the Hutus were bloodthirsty people that waned to kill Tutsi. I am sure that there was a large population that did not want anything to do with the inhuman acts that took place. However because of those acts that were committed, innocent Hutus are now scared that the genocide could turn on them. No one is safe when there is so much hate and anger in a society. Thanks for the insight!

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