- Fr. Deo contends that the principle of reconciliation and forgiveness presents itself over and over in his mind as he reflects on Rwanda.
- Rwanda’s story reminds us that no matter how deep the scars may be, rehabilitation and forgiveness are possible.
- The memories continue to infuse deep emotions within us – of revulsion, agony, grief and shame.
Reconciliation will help Rwandans to wrap up a verse of their history and compose a fresh one,” this is according to Father Deo Mugenyi Ahaisibwe Atwooki.
On Tuesday, May 28, 2024, Reverend Father Deo Mugenyi Atwooki spoke to Scholar Media Africa on his voyage to Rwanda earlier this year and the lessons he gathered while on the all-important trip.
“I was pleased to be on the Rwandan soil. My liking for this nation commenced when I arrived.
The depth, jacaranda-lined boulevards of Kigali shone in the sunrise glint. Jacaranda trees were in enormous zenith; their light-purple sprouts conveyed the city’s gentleness.
“The highways and structures provided the notion of being in a first-world country; a sensation welded by the guise of the Convention Centre right in front of us. Even through the car windows, it looked compelling. Comprehending the topography of Rwanda was not straightforward,” he started our conversation as he reminisced his experience in the East African nation.
He continued: “I noticed that I would be sympathetic. We had scheduled to tour the Ntarama Genocide Memorial and the Kigali Genocide Memorial and use our time speaking with survivors of the genocide.
“We were given an account that almost 10,000 men, women and children had gone to the church for shelter. Only a few dozen survived the spasm. We were told that some survivors lost their spouses, whole lineages, and children. Their throats were sliced, hid in a marshland for days, and somehow, lived through the ordeal. Their resilience to persevere and profound morality that was designated to survive was remarkably powerful,” Fr. Deo recounted the narration about the massacre that shook the world.
In his voyage to Rwanda earlier this year, Fr Deo had an earth-shattering moment to catch a glimpse of the scars of the 1994 Rwandan genocide which the BBC christened “100 days of slaughter” – where nearly a million innocent civilians were killed in just 100 days.
Fr. Deo in his capacity as a Catholic Priest, urges us to hold Rwanda high up as a model of reconciliation, bearing witness to their stories of monstrosities, survival, clemency and reconstruction.
Who is Father Deo?
Fr. Deo Mugenyi Ahaisibwe Atwooki is a humble, reasonable, remarkable wordsmith, yet trailblazing Roman Catholic Priest under the Missionaries of Jesus the Divine Master, Arua Diocese, North West Uganda.
From the succulent earth of Hoima, at the seat of Bunyoro Kingdom, Fr. Deo is an author who imbibes age-old wisdom from intelligent prowess from the apex of his theologically virtuous mind and, an inspiration to many young people within and beyond with his voice of reason.
Without a doubt, his literature plays an integral and indispensable part in the debates that put on the surge to the wave of ethics and morality throughout our plagued society.
He styles on with a tough sense of instrumentalism which essentially challenges, in several ways, the systems of the decaying society that sabotages the very people.
Fr. Deo contends that the principle of reconciliation and forgiveness presents itself over and over in his mind as he reflects on Rwanda.
Throughout his conversation with Scholar Media Africa, he echoed the notion that Rwandans must strive and serve a better destiny together, rather than being devoured by the eyesores of its history.
Not Effortless
“The knowledge that the perpetrators of the genocide now dwell alongside the survivors, mixes up this intent in a myriad aspect. Yet, it also looks like it splashes an indispensable position in nudging people to reconcile,” Fr. Deo argues.
Everywhere his introspections, he contends that Rwandans are breathing angle-by-angle with each other in what seems to be reconciliation. It is inevitably not effortless – a different mix of people whose lineages were massacred are breathing next to the very people who were assailants.
“Rwandans have struggled very overwhelmingly to eliminate Tutsi and Hutu from their lingo yet it is almost ridiculous for me to visualise this proficiency to forgive and the alacrity to live together plainly as “Rwandans,” he observes.
“Of course, many explain it is not invariably lenient to do so. Specifically, there are challenges in enlightening their children about the genocide — how do you respond to qualms about what ensued or who executed the horrors when some of those people are your neighbours? Or if you were a perpetrator or a family member of one, how do you come to terms with the fact that you must ask for forgiveness — that you were responsible?” he ponders.
“We all examine this point and we interrogate it. And the response is reasonable — not easy– but reasonable. Rwandans assert that they want life — but to go on and live in harmony, they must acknowledge, and forgive. They should decide on a life of peace and reconciliation and a decent life for all their children. Now, if only the rest of the civilisation could learn this lesson,” Fr. Deo explains.
Key Issues
- Strategy of confession as a way forward:
The post-genocide Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) government put a reckoning from the top but it was also up to conventional Rwandans to comprehend how to persevere day-to-day.
The Gacaca Court System made use of traditional conflict resolution symposium to draw perpetrators face-to-face with victims and the whole population to admit guilt and ask for forgiveness.
The penalty varies from jail time to community service but, honourably, it permits victims to publicly speak their truth.
“I appreciate the entire concept of truth and reconciliation. According to the Gacaca, people’s accounts of the truth are given attention. Then a dignitary facilitates that restorative justice where people can acknowledge the truth as it transpired and then they go back to normal,” Fr. Deo noted.
- Living with many truths:
“The local prosecutions are about one thing – confessions of Hutu perpetrators who attacked Tutsi people,” Fr. Deo observes.
The servant of God affirms that the confessions are energized, often, by a regretful conscience but also by a fondness on the part of perpetrators to make amends and begin life over.
He adds that the proofs of the genocide are well-established. There is full testimony and it is uncontested. But in the lives of individual Rwandans, there is also an emotional ordeal of the genocide that also forecasts reconciliation.
“…so, you can visualise thousands and thousands of individual Hutu amplifying and speaking about their truths. I mean, that was some sort of accounting. And so, there’s that degree of reality where people recognize that what they did to their colleagues and neighbours was erroneous, that they were deceived by others and that when push came to shove, those who hornswoggled them escaped.
“And so, Rwandans live with many actualities; the flakes of myriad realities at this juncture in their everyday lives. The verity that they, I believe, abide by, and the certainty that they rely on is that what they did was forbidden. And I think there is an admittance of that, there’s a knowledge of that, and an enthusiasm to make amends to the breadth possible as they move on,” he pronounced.
- No people have introverted remembrance:
According to him: “The qualm of truth is taken up in assorted aspects in Rwanda. There is, of course, the detailed truth, the demonstrable truth. But there are the truths Rwandans confess to themselves and each other that compose the unanimous recollection of the genocide.”
He further argued that there’s no antagonism between truth and facts, but rather there’s a linkage of parity between them.
Facts are the matter-of-fact complexion of truth and likewise, truth is the personal complexion of facts, according to him.
“The Rwandan reconciliation is a model to commemorate because it encourages Rwandans to understand and lock the verse of their chronology and undertake to compose a fresh one,” Fr Deo adds.
- Journey towards healing and reconciliation ongoing:
“The blemishes of the genocide may never entirely heal, but the nation’s obligation to carve a more thorough and rhythmic civilization is unwavering. Rwanda has headlined the world that forgiveness, humanity, and unity are possible, even in the face of astonishing agony and trauma,” he summarises the key issues.
It is Possible
Through the eyes of Fr. Deo Mugenyi Ahaisibwe Atwooki, Rwanda’s story reminds us that no matter how deep the scars may be, rehabilitation and forgiveness are possible.
The pictures of what took place in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide which BBC calls “100 days of slaughter” remains etched in our consciousnesses and conscience.
The memories continue to infuse deep emotions within us – of revulsion, agony, grief and shame. To understand this in whatever measure, and to begin to overcome it, we need to know that serious efforts have been made to recall and acknowledge the gravity of the offences and the gross violations that occurred.
Thus, the essence of Fr. Deo Mugenyi Ahaisibwe Atwooki in speaking to Scholar Media Africa is an important step on which to remember and grieve for the lives that were lost, show solidarity with survivors and renew commitment to ensure it never happens again.
Also, it is a chance to evaluate Rwanda’s inspiring story of reconciliation and nation-building.
In reflecting on the three decades, I hope that we take away not only some deeper insights, but also a reinvigorated prominence that we must never be vain, or content to merely memorialise the genocide.
Rather, we must redouble our endeavour to put right the past injustices through peace and reconciliation.
We should take inspiration from Rwanda’s journey and join hands to work towards a future where ethnic animosities, hatred, and prejudice have no spot in our civilisation as we resuscitate our obligation to build a more comprehensive and melodious world for all.
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And if the enormousness of the undertaking seems daunting, we can intensify our discipline and our courage.
The words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu can lead the way and ‘give us heart’.
When he was appointed to chair South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission he said: “True reconciliation is never cheap, for it is based on costly forgiveness. Forgiveness in turn depends on repentance, which has to be based on an acknowledgement of what was done wrong, and therefore on disclosure of the truth. You cannot forgive what you do not know. The Commission needs to be geared towards the victims of human rights abuses. I would like us to concentrate on the rehabilitation of victims and restoration of their dignity.”
