This essay is part of a (more or less) weekly feature on this blog that presents interesting stories from elsewhere in the world, particularly Africa, that are little reported in the American media. It's part of my campaign to get people to realize there is a lot going on in the world outside the US, Israel, Iraq, North Korea and Iran.
13 years after a national nightmare, the Anglican Bishop of Rwanda John Rucyahana says that 'wonderful things' are happening in his country.
He doesn't shy away from the difficult path his countrymen have followed and he wishes that France and Belgium* had "asked for forgiveness. That would have been enough contribution to help us rebuild [Rwanda].”
Rucyahana, who fled the country during the genocide, says the aftermath of the horror has united the different ethnic groups in Rwanda, and there’s a new spirit of hope and reconciliation in the country.
The Voice of America has a long story on Rucyahana and his new book Bishop of Rwanda: Finding Forgiveness Amidst a Pile of Bones. He said he was moved to take pen to power after 'fatigue' in reading despairing, hopeless stories of post-genocide Rwanda. In the book, the bishop tries to make sense of the horrors of 1994, how it shook people's faith and how Rwandans today are dealing with its aftermath.
Note: a broad look at the role of France and Rwanda in the genocide is explained here. More recently revealed complicity is explained here.
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