Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?
We have qualified writers to help you.
We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.
You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)
NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.
NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.
Introduction
The book Left to Tell is an incredible publication that tells how a young woman managed to escape from the 1994 Rwandan massacre. Ideally, the book is captivating as it unfolds horrific incidences that cost the lives of thousands of people in Rwanda. The book is so moving and touching that it keeps a reader glued to every detail of the story. Influentially, the author, Ilibagiza takes her readers through inspirational moments that reflect on what she went through during the Rwandan genocide. One unique character of Ilibagiza is that she positively overcame the traumatizing experience without anger and resentment. Despite losing her close family members, Ilibagiza becomes an inspiration to her readers as she gives an insight on developing a true relationship with God. Basically, the events in the book are heart-stopping and this acts to enhance the readers desire. The objective of this paper is to address a brief cultural historical context as it provides a history of the country that the stories take place. The paper addresses the colonial, racial and religious histories. The paper also addresses a description of the macro and micro cultural groups, muted group, and how power is distributed. It goes further to discuss the categorization process that took place within each of the main characters. The paper addresses how the main character acculturated to the situation they were in. Finally, the paper discusses what was learned as a result of the selected story.
History of Rwanda
Originally, Rwanda was inhabited by the Twa people although their population has greatly reduced over the past years. Later, Rwanda was inhabited by the Hutus and Tutsis who are believed to speak the same language despite their separate ethnicity. Notably, the Hutu and Tutsi have many similarities as they also share cultural distinctiveness. Historically, cultural distinction between the two groups was based on their occupation but not their ethnicity. As such, people from the two tribes were involved in different cultural activities. The Hutus were agriculturalists who grew crops while the Tutsi were cattle keepers. Structurally, the Tutsi were known to be tall and thin while the Hutus were believed to be short (Scherrer, 2002, p.120).This distinction was however not convincing because it was difficult to know who was who. As a result of this, there was an introduction of identity cards by the Belgians who invaded Rwanda. This was during the colonial period when World War 1 was still at its peak. The identity cards served as a distinction between the two groups because it clearly indicated a persons tribal ethnicity. Towards the end of the colonial period, tension erupted between the Hutus and Tutsi leading to an exit by the latter. The tension led to a civil war that forced Tutsi rebels to go into exile in Uganda. Later on, the Tutsi rebels went back to Rwanda with a mission to overthrow the government which was led by a Hutu. Due to this reason, there was the need to form a coalition government in order to solve the tension between the Hutu and Tutsi. Peace accords were therefore signed although it did not yield positive results. Eventually, tension between the two tribes culminated when Rwandan president was killed in a plane crash. The president was a Hutu and for this reason thousands of Tutsi were killed in genocide. Tutsi were greatly affected by the massacre though there were some Hutu who were also killed. Approximately, 800,000 people were killed during the genocide.
Minority and Majority groups in Rwanda
The Rwandan population is composed of majority group which consist Hutus and minority groups which consists of Tutsis and Twas (Batwa). Hutus are the majority group because they have a very large population compared to the other minority groups.
Prior to the Rwandan Genocide there were continuous tension between the Hutu and Tutsi. Primarily, the conflict was compounded by the fact that Tutsis felt marginalized following the victory of a Hutu president (Graham & Raj 2005, p. 84).
The victory was a big threat to Tutsis who feared that they would be excluded from political arena by Hutus. Power became a bone of contention between the two tribes who were in constant conflicts (Kingsley, 2005, p. 112).As a result of this there was a need to have a power sharing government which would offer equal supremacy between Hutus and Tutsis. Unfortunately, the power sharing government did not achieve its goal as Tutsis were persecuted by the authority. Normally, power sharing is characterized by ethnicity which ensures that the rights of minorities are protected. Because of this, the Tutsis also wanted political position in the government although they did not succeed. After the genocide, Rwanda adopted a constitution which was based on coalition government. The Rwandan constitution is one that allows citizens to join political parties. Ultimately, the government of Rwanda is geared towards eradicating ethnical differences that led to the 1994 genocide. Today, most Rwandese embraces the spirit of brotherhood in order to avoid ethnical differences. For example, people like Ilibagiza have taken positive direction by inspiring people about the word of God. According to Ilibagiza, the genocide was full of pain although she managed to overcome her emotions through prayer (Ilibagiza, 2007, p. 71).
Ilibagiza Experience
Ilibagiza was living happily and comfortably in her country until the day when the genocide robed her idyllic life. During the massacre, Ilibagiza lost her family members who were brutally murdered. In her book, Ilibagiza narrates how thousands of people were killed within a period of 91 days. The massacre was a very traumatizing experience that claimed lives of many Tutsis. Luckily for Ilibagiza, she narrowly escaped death as she went hiding into a bathroom. Apart from her, there were other seven women who stayed in the bathroom for 91 days. Ilibagiza talks how they were assisted by a pastor who directed them to his bathroom along a dark hallway. The bathroom was not spacious and did not have good ventilation. Even with those limitations, Ilibagiza and her counterparts had no choice but survive in the tiny room. According to Ilibagiza, the pastor told them to keep quiet because any noise could lead to their death (Ilibagiza, 2007, p. 82). No matter how tough the situation was, the women had to maintain at most silence for them not to be discovered. Logically, that was a very long period that left those women into starvation and fear. Those 91 days were full of uncertainty as thousands of people were murdered daily. Ilibagiza and the other women constantly heard noise from outside as people were crying out loud. It was a very difficult and devastating experience for Ilibagiza because they could have been killed incase she went out. Naturally, anyone in her shoes could develop anger and resentment following what had happened. For Ilibagiza, that was not an option because she developed a positive attitude after the massacre. Eventually, the author came out of the small cocoon although she met painful realities like the death of her family members.
As a remedy, Ilibagiza gathered courage that enabled her to face life positively without dwelling in a dark history. The author managed to overcome the traumatizing experience though her catholic faith that brought more meaning to life. If it were not for her Christian faith, then probably Ilibagiza would be full of hate and resentment. Alongside her faith, she positively forgives all the genocide perpetrators. Her book inspires readers as she shares out her catholic faith that helped her overcome the all her pains. After the massacre, Ilibagiza not only thinks of herself but also millions of other people who were affected by the genocide. For example she decided to help Rwandan orphans who lost their parents during the ordeal (Graham & Raj 2005, p. 108).
Conclusion
The authors story is motivating and inspirational as it teaches on how one can forgive others after a painful experience. Ilibagiza is a living example of a true Christian who reflects on what she talks about. Spiritually, the author is generous because she decided to write a book that was geared towards transforming many people positively. She does not think only about herself but also remembers many other people who could be in her shoes. Her generosity also extends to orphan children whom she supports without considering their ethnic backgrounds. Through her book, she is able to create a spiritual insight for her readers as she provides motivations and encouragements. Even though she was a Tutsi, Ilibagiza did not develop a negative attitude towards the Hutus. Despite losing her family members, the author took everything positively without revenging back. Naturally, any one in her shoes could have developed anger towards those who were masterminds of the genocide. Basically, the story teaches of how people can withstand any kind of difficult situation.
Reference
Graham, C., & Raj, P. (2005). Genocide: Approaches, Case studies and Responses. Cambridge University: UK. Web.
Ilibagiza I. (2007). Left to Tell: Discovering God amidst the Rwandan Holocaust. Hay House: Inc. Web.
Kingsley, M. (2005).Rwandas Genocide: The politics of global justice. Palgrave Macmillan. Web.
Scherrer, C. (2002).Genocide and Crisis in Central Africa. Conflict Roots, Mass + Violence And Regional War. Web.
Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?
We have qualified writers to help you.
We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.
You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)
NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.
NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.