Jean Baptiste Kayigamba

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The month of April will go down in the annals of Rwanda's history as the month of infamy. It is indeed the month that I and many people saw our lives turned upside down because of the genocide which claimed the lives of the people we loved and who loved us. The year 1994 had started with many ominous signs that the country was on the brink of something terrible, but we did not know what it could be. By early February, violence characterised by nightly explosions and a spate of assassinations were a regular occurrence. There were no-go areas for Tutsi around the city. No Tutsi would dare venture into parts of the capital Kigali, especially in the area near Nyenyeri, Gatsata, Gatenga neighbourhoods. We lived in constant fear for our lives. Our fears materialised on 6 April 1994 when extremists shot down the jet carrying President Juvenal Habyarimana and his colleague from Burundi as it approached the Kigali international Airport. They both died, together with the French crew and all who were on board. By killing the president, this action catapulted the entire country into a killing frenzy which, in the space of three months, claimed over one million ethnic minority Tutsi, of which I am one. From that night on, my life became a hell, not knowing whether I would survive. Amongst those massacred during the month of April 1994 were my parents and six siblings and scores of aunts, uncles, and other relatives. This changed my life forever. When killers raided our camp in late April 1994, I knew they would exterminate us. But by God's miracle, I survived. Even today, I am still traumatised by the events of that day. In this book I am going to narrate my story, which is neither fiction nor fabrication. It is the story of my life: about how I was born in a very hate-filled environment, grew up in a totally oppressive regime and narrowly survived many deaths. It is also a reflection of my resilience and my battle to survive against all odds, but above all how I survived during the 1994 genocide. I use my actual name, and the persons cited in this book are real. I hope many people will benefit from my story.