Incredible young man spoke to us last night about the genocide in Rwanda. Emmanuel Habimana shared his story. Below are my notes. Keep in mind, just my notes and some of what I took away. Hope his message will inspire you the way it inspired me. Basic message. RESPECT. “It’s human actions that humans did that were inhumane. I will try to put into words what happened…. We need to remind each other that we are all humans. We have to co-exist.” “We are all black. In United States you think racism is white and black or Hispanic and Asian. My neighbors became our enemy.” 4/8/1994 He was 9 years old in 1994. Put on many different layers of clothing because they knew they would have to move, were nomads, and that way they wouldn’t have to carry the clothing. He was trying to figure out his favorite clothing to take. His mom was always worrying about the children. Seven siblings in the family. She would try to figure out how many potatoes or beans she could carry in her dress and pockets. It was hot wearing everything so he took it all off. The day before, they’d heard heavy guns around the city. They had lunch and then saw a truck of soldiers. Started to hear gunshots. Mom was doing the dishes in the kitchen. Father was on the other side of the house listening to the radio. Gun shots came closer. He couldn’t think – mom or dad? Who do I go to? Who is going to be protective? Dad is my hero and a school teacher. I’m kind of a mama’s boy – spoiled. Which one. Saw my dad being pushed by a soldier. Soldiers went to the neighbor’s house and shot him then started torturing the wife. The soldiers asked for their id, showed him and a Hutu soldier said yeah, he’s from my village. The woman is screaming. He heard a gunshot and saw his dad go down. Emmanuel wanted to go out and see if he’d survived. Some older boys (17 or so) were in the bushes hiding and whispered for him to join them. The boys ended up taking him to a church/school. His dad had been killed. “Where was the humanity? Be the example. Be the light of the world. We share something – we are humans! We have to remind each other no matter what, no matter how, we have to learn to respect each other. We are losing the sense of humanity. Give my neighbor small respect. Give me a chance to go to school, give me the chance to get the same job as you have, give me a chance to express my ideas. No matter how different we are, remind each of us that we have a value. See other people as human beings just like you.” “Maybe one of you have been discriminated against. It’s not a good thing. Maybe you’ve been shot or beat because no one wants you there. We need to respect each other. My friend, my FRIEND, said “my world would be better without you.” He called me a cockroach a snake. April 8 1994 was the longest night of my life.” His sister survived. The rest of the family was killed when the US Peacekeepers pulled out. She was shot with an AK47 while holding one of the younger siblings, tore through her chest, arm, then she was hit in the head with a hammer. They thought she was dead but a few days afterwards was found and taken to a hospital. “As a small child, it makes me ask myself ‘Am I as human as anybody else?’ I only have a dream. I want not only my country but all people to be the best they can be. …discriminated against and hated. I know how it feels and no one else should ever feel that way. You need me. I need you. I feel like I should be the best person I can be. People have to learn consequences. We must learn from what happened. Do we REALLY learn from history? The consequences are much more than in the moment. Twenty years later it affects me.” “One person to another, we need to remind each other ‘Yes I am different but this is not an excuse to exterminate. Only by being different can I appreciate the beauty around me.’ This world is a paradise and a garden and each of us is a flower. We need each other. We complete each other. You need me. I need you.”
Posted on: Wed, 09 Apr 2014 20:43:09 +0000
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