Sometimes I forget the horrible things our families have experienced. I came across this story today and thought I would share it with you. So many of our families have been traumatized in this way. Flora's story helps me remember why we are in Rwanda. I love all of our families and can not imagine how they go on after the things they have seen. But I am honored that we are doing something about it! And so can you!
'Living among the dead' - as seen on BBC April 4, 2004
Flora MukamporeIn 1994 in the village of Nyarubuye, Rwanda, the Hutu majority went on a killing spree in the local church, slaughtering neighbours and friends. Flora Mukampore lost 17 members of her family and saw her neighbour doing the killing. This is her story.
We used to go to church with them and they taught us together that committing murder is a sin and God punishes those who kill. We thought that no one would dare come to attack us at the church because the church is a holy place. [When the killers arrived] our men were ready to fight, even though they didn't have any weapons, so they died standing. You would not think that they were all going to get killed because they were very many. We did not think they would get killed.
My neighbour Gitera was there. Imagine someone leaving their home, knowing the possible victim's name and their children's names. They all killed their neighbours' wives and children.
All the people they were cutting fell on me because I was near the door. I had too much hair but it all was washed with blood. My body had been drenched in blood and it was getting dry on me so killers thought I had been cut all over. They thought I was dead. I lay down on one side with only one eye open. I could hear a man come toward me and I guess he saw me breathe. He hit me on my head saying: "Isn't this thing still alive?" Immediately I heard my entire body say "whaa". Something in my head changed forever. Everything stopped.
Afterwards, when the cold wind blew. I woke up. But I did not realise that there were bodies around me. I did not remember what had happened. I just thought they were normal people and so I slept among them like we had slept before the killers came.
Later I heard a girl say: "She is rotten. It's all over for her. Does she look human to you? "
Then I realised that all the people around me had decayed. When they sat me up I realised there were maggots and I started removing them off myself.
Can you imagine living with the dead? At some point God helped me and made me unconscious because if I wasn't, there is a possibility that I would have committed suicide. But, I wasn't conscious and anyway killing oneself needs energy. Can you imagine. People died on the 15 April and I lived among them until the 15 May?
~Flora
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