Rwandan Genocide Remembered in Boston

In advance of reading Ken Urban’s Sense of an Ending, I share the following.  An article from the Boston Globe this week talks about Boston’s Rwandan community, and how they continue to deal with the ramifications of the genocide 17 years on.

An excerpt:
The genocide, which spanned 100 days in 1994 and resulted in roughly 800,000 deaths, grew out of conflict between two ethnic groups, Hutu and Tutsi. Most of the victims were Tutsi.

Most present yesterday were Tutsi, said Chantal Kayitesi, who chairs Friends of Rwandan Genocide Survivors, which helped sponsor the event. She said a few Hutu may be among the dozens of people expected to attend. No one, however, could point specifically to a Hutu attendee. The difference, attendees said, is no longer important.

“Do we really want to keep hanging onto the anger?’’ said Gabriella Mukakabano, 21. “I’ve never really known [this group] to focus on that,’’ she said of the distinction between the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups. “Those separations are what caused [the genocide].’’

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