On 16 November 2010, after four months of hospitalization, Immaculée Makumi passed away at the age of 61. Among the loved ones Immaculée leaves behind is her beloved daughter Claudine. Immaculée had a hard life, having experienced many forms of discrimination. During the Rwandan genocide in 1994 she was raped and infected with HIV as a result.
Recently, we were informed of Françoise Kayitesi’s death. Françoise was a lovely, caring woman who had experienced sexual violence and other horrific crimes committed against her and her family during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. As a result of the rape she endured during the genocide, Françoise was infected with HIV. Françoise was only 48 years old.
The Hirondelle News Agency reports that Ibuka, the umbrella organization of genocide survivors in Rwanda, documented the murder of twenty-six genocide survivors in 2009 in Rwanda. Among those murdered are nine women and several children.
Michelle Faust of the Associated Press reports on how Congolese survivors of rape shatter local taboos around talking about violence against civilians.
The Gacaca courts (semi-traditional courts) are scheduled to end in June this year. Inspired by Rwandan tradition, the gacaca courts are charged with trying people in Rwanda suspected to have taken part in the 1994 killing spree against Tutsis. In 2008 an amendment of the law broadened the jurisdiction of the gacaca to rape cases.
Out of the 309,368 survivors of the 1994 genocide still alive, more than one third are impoverished and need assistance, according to a report by the Rwandan government.
Anne-Marie and Samer meet with Rwandan survivors whose testimonials will be showcased in our book. Here we meet Jeanette Uwimana, Faustin Kayihura, Marie Claire Uwera, Marie Jeanne Murekatete and Adela Mukamusonera, all beneficiaries of Solace Ministries.
Fifteen years after the Rwandan genocide, The Men Who Killed Me features testimonials from seventeen survivors. Through their narratives and portraits, sixteen women and one man bear witness to the crimes committed against hundreds of thousands of others. Proceeds will go to Mukomeze, a charitable organization established to improve the lives of girls and women who survived sexual violence in the Rwandan genocide.
Faustin, Ernestine and Hyacintha sing with other survivors in a small village in Muyira, Rwanda, where they all live. Not many foreigners come this way and the children of the village had an entertaining time following Samer around. Their singing is infectious.
Jeanette with her family in her tiny home. Despite the fact that her four children share one tiny bed, Jeanette is better off than most of the other genocide survivors we have met.
