After experiencing the horrors of the Rwandan genocide first-hand, Hadidja Nyiransekuye received numerous requests to speak about the tragedy. Realizing that the American public and the world in general needed to be educated on Rwanda and its people, she decided to pen her story in “The Lances Were Looking Down: One Woman’s Path Through the Rwandan Genocide to Life in the States” (published by iUniverse).
“People tended to think that the genocide just happened out of nowhere,” Hadidja says. “I wanted to give them a context. I wanted the world to know about my country and my people beyond the genocide.”
In her memoir, Hadidja shares her incredible journey before, during, and after the 100 days of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Nothing had prepared Hadidja, her family or other Rwandans for the magnitude of the carnage and barbarism that followed the death of the country’s president. When all was said and done, more than 800,000 people would lie dead in the streets; their country would never be the same.
As Hadidja leads others through the heartbreaking, shocking and disturbing events that caused the self-destruction of a beautiful country and its people, she also shares her hopes and fears for her fellow Rwandans, proving that no matter what the tragedy, an unyielding love for family, friends and country will always triumph over evil.
“I want readers to gain a better understanding of the Rwandan tragedy and the way it was resolved so that when the world vows ‘Never again,’ they really understand what that entails and the consequences of not taking action because the way the Rwanda genocide was resolved – with one presumed winning group, one-sided justice and the string of refugees that followed – can lead to future genocides.”
About the Author
Hadidja Nyiransekuyewas was born in Gisenyi, Rwanda, and lived in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide. She immigrated to the United States in 1998 and graduated from the University of Denver with a master’s degree in social work and a Ph.D. She lives in Denver, where she teaches at the Metropolitan State College of Denver.
