April marks genocide awareness month, bringing attention to all the atrocities the world has witnessed in the past and offering a collective never again to any present or future threats. This April also marks 30 years since the Rwandan genocide, which began in April of 1994 where one million Tutsi people lost their lives at the hands of their Hutu neighbors. As my guest (and friend!), Henriette Mutegwaraba explores, this violent tragedy did not just happen suddenly. The genocide that took most of her family was the result of decades of propaganda, hate speech, and previous attempts to wipe out her people’s population. But all was not lost, even though at times it has definitely seemed that way. Henriette has learned how to forgive and love again, and her faith has been strengthened through redemptive relationships with people who have surrounded her and through God’s felt presence in her life.
Mentioned in this episode:
By Any Means Necessary: Healing and Forgiveness after Genocide by Henriette Mutegwaraba
Million Lives Genocide Relief Fund
Voices of Resilience Conference 2024
You might also enjoy:
Ep. 200 with Jack Sara, Palestinian Christian and President of Bethlehem Bible College
Ep. 240 (and Ep. 043) with Rev. Dr. Malcolm Foley, expert on the history of lynching in the United States
Ep. 221 with Robert P. Jones