A Mosaic
Nicole Umurungi had changed her name to Madina. But the memories of what had happened during those three months in 1994 had stayed with her in exact and painful detail. “They stormed the church we had taken shelter in,” she cried. “We begged for mercy, but our words fell on deaf ears. They attacked us by guns, knives and even bludgeons with sharp nails at their end. My mother was killed. Then they grabbed my little brother and beheaded him with cleavers.” Her story has stayed with me and tears roll down my face every time I remember it. We documented other survivors’ testimonies. “We are pinning high hopes on Al Jazeera to be our voice,” said one survivor. “Tell our story to the world, lend us a helping hand. We are very poor; thousands have been widowed and orphaned. We do need your help.” At the end of our trip, the local fixer who had accompanied us, told me: “Thanks to Al Jazeera, Muslims are no longer a small minority in Rwanda. We are now in possession of a valid deed documenting our presence. We are recognised as an example of tolerance.”
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