In 1994, approximately 800,000 people were slaughtered within a hundred days by ethnic Hutu extremists. The Hutu were targeting members of the Tutsi community who were the minority. The Hutu also targeted their political opponents as well, irrespective of their ethnic origin. This war led to bloodshed as most people lost their loved ones during the time. To this date, Rwandans mark this date on their calendars and take precautions to avoid precautions of the same.
The Horrific Tales Behind The Rwanda Genocide.
Twenty-six years down the line, Rwandans recall the fateful events. They do so as they try to heal and treat the trauma. Chrystal, a Rwandan counselor, was at the age of three when the genocide happened. She is curious about what happened to survivors of a similar age to her. What recovery from the Rwanda genocide looks like now? She heard of many horrific stories apart from the hunting memories she had. Today she sits in sessions as she listens to participants recall the trauma they experienced as children at that time. Many lost their families.
“As a person who lives with their own constant mental health difficulties, which I have to keep track of, this journey has not been easy,” she says.
From the stories she has heard, there is no level of preparation that could have aided the aftermath of the horrible experience. Chrystal’s photography project is known as Yours is Going to Be Healed As Well. The project is funded by the Rebecca Vassie Memorial Award. It is also in association with Survivor Fund (Surf) an organization that established the counseling. However, Christal experiences constrain when it comes to people opening up about the genocide experience.
People are not very open to talking about it more often and she seeks to know why. It hit her that even on a national level, people do not say ‘Hutu’ and ‘Tutsi,’ the narrative is ‘we are Rwandans, as a nation and a people.’ Chrystal realizes that after the genocide, most survivors and perpetrators as well returned to their village. As they try to recover, both sides are in pain. Some of the Hutu still hold on their radical views, while others may plead forgiveness but, on both sides, no one can trust the other with their story.
Unresolved Anger.
A unique scenario happened when the thought of having a foreigner in the discussions occurred to her. She went ahead and posed the challenge to the counseling group, and to her surprise, they found it easier to talk to a non-Rwandan. It was much easier for them to share their experiences with an outsider. Reasons being there is no risk that whatever would be said may be shared with the community in a way that may have an impact on them.
“It’s strange to understand how harder it is to talk to someone within your community compared to an outsider,”
Mary*, 37 years old, is one of the participants who shared their story. She was only nine years when the genocide attack happened. Her father hid her along with her brothers, only for her to be the only survivor. She continually hears the sound of them screaming and begging as they were being murdered. The mental picture of their lifeless bodies before she makes it almost impossible for her to sleep.
Mary is suspicious about a man in the neighborhood in the involvement of her father’s murder. She narrated a story of how this man walked around wearing her father’s shoes and trousers. When she confronted him about the shoes, he said the father must have left them in church before he disappeared. So, she made her way to church and asked about it, and she was told he was not there at the time.
She is more convinced now that this man took part in killing her father and took his shoes and clothing for his use. She believes, he knows where he buried the body but refuses to confide to her. There is a sense of unresolved anger, and there is nothing for her to be happy for. She is not the only one undergoing this; more out there suffer from mental health problems.
Reaching Out to Your Neighbor.
“In many cases, these symptoms are classified as depression or PTSD,” said Chrystal.
Chrystal is surprised by how the group talked about things quite freely. They are all responsible for each other’s happiness. The members talked about how to reach out to their neighbors when experiencing trauma. The discussions were centered along with the concepts of trauma, rather than the clinical terminology. They were all undergoing the same challenges. Some of the participants trek long distances to attend the counseling sessions, walking up to five hours to show up. Another issue that Surf is trying to tackle is the need for childcare for the women who are forced to bring their children along to attend the sessions.
“You’d have these very young children listening to accounts about rape for some hours every week, yet it is inappropriate for them to listen to that at this tender age,” added Chrystal.
However, those taking part see the benefits of the counseling, including Mary, who disclosed to Chrystal that when she is telling her story, she feels “happy, and my heart feels good.” Chrystal found that the project impacted her as a person, and she is happy for the transformation the participants have gone through.
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