A full day with Voices of Rwanda: Interviewing a Survivor of the Genocide

I spent today assisting/observing on interview with a survivor of the 1994 genocide. These interviews lie at the heart of Voices of Rwanda, the organization with which I've been volunteering.

The interviewer (Taylor Krauss, Executive Director of VOR) and translator faciliated the process, prompting the survivor with questions that drew out his narrative.
Speaking fluidly, the survivor talked at enormous length, (the hardest part of the experience was sitting for seven hours straight). His testimony came in roughly three segments:

1- His childhood, upbringing, and family. He was born on Feb. 18th, 1983 (which makes him exactly one year and three days older than me). He father was a very religious man, and he had two brothers, one of whom died when he was young, before 1994.

He liked to sing a child (I did too), and had a good voice. Taylor asked him if he'd like to sing one of his favorite songs, and he did- which was a wonderful experience.

2- His experience from April 6th 1994 to August/September. He began by describing the 6th (the day the Hutu president, Juvenal Habyarimana was killed when his plane was shot down). Then, after the translator translated, Taylor told him he could continue without translation. The survivor began speaking, and spoke continuously for over 30 minutes straight, without external questions. He seemed almost compelled to talk during this part, as if the experience took over his narration. It was fascinating to watch, even if I didn't understand a word.

3- His life after the genocide. His father, brother, and most of his extended family were killed, with only his mother surviving. His main problem these days is loneliness: he feels alone most of time, and his mother often gets sick, and has traumatic episodes. At 24, he is in the process of finishing secondary school. He is still religious, which he openly attributes to his father's influence. He has a hard time with the current claim of victimization by killers (Hutus) who are upset that they spent time in jail. Most difficult for him is their implicit claim that what has been done to them is worse than the fate of the survivors. This makes him especially angry.

But, he seemed to agree with the government (led by Paul Kagame, the former general of the RPF, which re-invaded Rwanda after the genocide began and ultimately stopped it by taking over the country) in its policy and hope for reconciliation. He continues to attend his old church, even if the head of the local interhamwe (militias that did most of the killing) sits a few pews over.

It was an exhausting day. After we broke down the interviewing set-up, we ate dinner. I drank a quarter of a liter of Mbanza (banana liquor), caught some lizards, and went to sleep at 11.