Francine Umutesi

Forgiveness . . . the Rwandan Way Francine Umutesi

Forgiveness the Rwandan Way is the story of one Rwandan family's odyssey, tracing their myriad challenges, losses, gains, hopes, and discoveries as they journey through life before, during, and after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The author recounts the shocking true story of how, at the age of 13, she, along with her parents and five siblings, witnessed the immediate aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide, returning to their homeland from a long and dangerous exile in Burundi only to discover that all their Rwandan relatives had been massacred! Ms. Umutesi explores the pain of those who had lived abroad for many years as refugees, finally returning to Rwanda and finding empty lands, destroyed houses, and a devastated country. Following this tragedy, the author describes in vivid detail the long and arduous path traveled by all Rwandans towards reconstruction, unity, and reconciliation . . . a path towards forgiveness as it had never been witnessed before. This powerful eyewitness account illustrates the indefatigable will to survive, to live, and to love again.