Wet under the rainbow (eBook)

In a thoughtful silent battle to heal Rwanda

Akariza Laurette Annely (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2023 | 2. Auflage
117 Seiten
tredition (Verlag)
978-3-384-11937-7 (ISBN)

Infos

The book, 'Wet under the Rainbow' by Akariza Laurette Annely, explores the profound impact of the genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda on the younger generation. It provides a deeply personal account of the aftermath and consequences, delving into the struggles, hopes, and dreams of Rwandan youth as they rebuild their lives in the shadow of the dark past. The author highlights themes of loss, trauma, resilience, and the ongoing challenges faced by the younger generation. Through vivid storytelling, the book sheds light on the often overlooked perspective of young survivors, emphasizing the need for empathy, compassion, and support. It serves as a powerful reminder of the long-term effects of mass violence and calls for engagement in healing and reconciliation efforts. The narrative also addresses questions of identity, justice, and forgiveness, challenging readers to reflect on the lasting impact of violence. Overall, the book portrays the resilience and hope of survivors and the role of storytelling in preserving memory and fostering a brighter future.

What make me stand out is that i believe that hands wash each other I get my knowledge and ideas from people I enjoy every moment I am in, when i am not writting books. My readers should look forward for my other book Masterpiece.

Textauszug

CYUSA

This is the story of my life, it’s a pleasure I have to share it with you, where should I start from? Let me start from my earliest childhood memories, mmh I’m Cyusa David, my father is Muvunyi Aimable; he was a nurse and my lovely mother is Murekatete Mediatrice. I am the firstborn of my family and my only sister is Umuhoza Divine whom I usually call Divine and I hope you too will read this my love for you is always strong, I was born in 1997 three years after the Genocide against Tutsi in 1994 and Divine was born in 2000.

My childhood was not different from any other child in that period.

Our mother is very calm, she barely speaks, and I knew that she speaks only when she felt her words are more important than her silent but it was ok with everyone at home. Her eyes were filled with love from the very first memory of her that I have. We always enjoyed each other’s company especially Divine’s, as our last born she was our source of happiness, she could make her sit beside just to make sure she was comfortable, she is a good businesswoman and in her silent she manages to do it perfectly, she had a shop of groceries near us but she later shifted further.

Did I just talk about my amazing father? A cheerleader who even helped us with our Home Works. Divine and I were so happy and comfortable to be around him, he was so mindful of our mentor and physical growth.

Divine grew up fast but she was still our little angel. She was very smiley and sweet girl, to grow up beside her was among the best thing that ever happened to me before all things started to fall apart.

Every boy in primary school is known to like football but my passion of it was there Lucky was my friend though we always found ourselves in different teams. We’re all good in football so we couldn’t be in the same team, we were always discussing about soccer, visiting each other, as we were neighbours, I came to see something different in their family, they always had people visiting and them going to their aunties and uncles and he had Patrick who was in the last year in our school. He was his cousin, and He is in football school team that time.

He was the best player and the captain of our football team, he helped Lucky join the school team as we were to join it a year later. It is not jealousy but that time I wanted to have elder cousins or elder brothers too. Because I thought that cousins or elder brothers were meant to help, support and lift each other. As my parents were busy, we spent most of our times with aunty Betty, Mama’s younger sister.

I can’t remember when I heard about Genocide for the first time but I get flashes of memories like when we sat in the compound. Aunty Betty was cooking and I was drinking milk in beside of her; “Aunty is Paul your Brother?” I asked, she laughed harder that time and she said “No, Cyusa Paul is not my brother, He is just your uncle”

I didn’t get her well that time, when I was young, we had no many visitors at home which didn’t bother me because I didn't know another life than that, frequently they called me Cyusa I didn’t know even its meaning, in our culture, our family name had a strong meaning and it held promises sometimes.

“But aunty can I ask you?” she responded with a simple yes she was peeling potatoes in the kitchen “why don’t we have cousins too” she surprisingly looked at me and I realized that I was not asking a simple question “Aaaaaa Cyusa and is Divine not enough for you?”

I shook my head and she said “Tell me, go and bring that chair there and sit so we can talk” as I was coming back, I started claiming “But Divine is not my cousin I want my cousins to be helping me;

‘See, Aunty we don’t even have uncles, where are they? I mean your brothers because you told me Paul is only my uncle and I know Kalisa works with Papa. He is not even his cousin.’

She yelled at me and that was not something I was expecting “But Cyusa how dare you to call adults by names, don’t you know its tonto, not Kalisa, we were taught to respect adults since our childhood, in our culture we don’t call adults in their names instead aunties and uncles that time I apologized and then lastly I didn’t get my answer.

And later at dinner when, I remembered that I didn’t get my answer and I wondered if I could rise my question there but I thought it was not a good idea. “Cyusa why are you not eating” when Mama said that I was finally brought back from my thoughts.

“Cyusa you are now old let me tell you…” Aunt Betty said after stressing her the following day. After finishing answering me, I knew that being old was bearing the worst and becoming strong as far as I can remember this is the beginning of my story. “Didn’t you study Genocide at school?” then I nodded. She continued “Cyusa you have Divine, you can help each other, you will ind everything you need in her since our parents and their siblings are not here. “I asked before she even finished” where are they?” she looked at me with sorrow” Cyusa Genocide took them “I was so shocked I knew they were not there I even thought that they died, but I don’t know it was genocide.

Yes, but surely hearing it stunned me more than I expected, was I so careless that at my age of nine. I didn’t know that my parents had lost their families in Genocide. I started to wonder… I think Aunt read my mind “Cyusa you were young to know this, I know Papa will tell you about it, don’t worry, he is waiting for the right time.”

I was carried away into deep thoughts and sorrow usually cried when Papa flagged us for misbehaving or when fallen down while playing. After all, it hurts too but I never have such sorrow before. I remember that I asked her “Were they killed that bad as I saw it on television?” they were several images which were displayed on television that I didn’t know how terrible, but that time it became clear in my mind I wondered why they were killed before I even meet them.

I cried hard, I felt like my heart wanted to burst, I slept early that night Mama brought my food in the bedroom, I didn’t know what bothering me but I told Mama that my head was hurting, she even asked me “Cyusa; did you fight at your school? your eyes are red” I shook my head she could not have thought of it that much cause I was not likely to be in fights like other boys of my age, when I was about to sleep, I heard papa coming in my room; he looked at me, I wanted to wake up and tell him that I knew that he didn’t have cousins, I was young, what else to think? I stayed still and I heard him asking Mama if I was sick that I need treatments and I didn’t hear what she responded.

Divine have big beautiful eyes it could be clear looking into it when she had a problem, and I always wondered if she knew what I knew. As time passed, I started to know a lot about the family I never got a chance to know.

I remember Aunty once told me “Cyusa if you continue to cry like a baby am not going to tell you anything again, you are old now” from that time we continued to talk until when she had to tell Dad about the thoughts that I had. Before that she sometimes said that I looked like her mother, I was so excited that I was going to see someone who looked alike but I was very disappointed when she said “no I don’t have her picture it was all lost “nothing that I could have told Aunt that could upset her cause she knew I was a kid but as I finished saying “ But Aunt won’t you forget her?” she responded in a lower voice “No, I can’t forget my mother “ just now I know that I offended her with my childish words I started to think that Mama have many reasons of being silent.

I was learning that I was in a hurt family that were still healing and I had to act and speak wisely but as I continued to fill my mind of what my parents had gone through, I enlarged extreme hate for those who have made my parents suffer, was that even unusual at my age?

Aunt can I ask you? Aunt smiled “what have you done, why are you speaking so nice to me or you want something, do you want to go visit Lucky? No, it’s late….” When she looked at me she knew something was wrong” what happened Cyusa why do you look like that?” that time I was feeling like, I am an adult it was more than one year when I knew about my family “Aunt can you tell me about those who killed your family I heard it’s Hutus but I want to know them…” she was very shocked that time I see it in her face “Shiiii Cyusa what is up with you, who told you that, look here they are not here they are in prison” I insisted on her that I even asked her at least to show me their children, that afternoon is when she told that she won’t tell me any other thing and that she was going to tell it to Dad, I had no fear of asking it to him too, I wanted them to show me them I was full of hatred, and curious.

That evening we were revising the room with Divine, Papa came and greeted us after a while he came back and said “Cyusa come I want you” it was the first time Papa that he wanted me when we were revising but I followed him in the sitting room. He stared at me and I started to search for what to explain I knew very well what he was about to tell me, Papa was very...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 24.11.2023
• Mitarbeit: Sonstige Mitarbeit: Andreas Schäfer, Judence Kayitesi
• Verlagsort: Ahrensburg
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Gesundheit / Leben / Psychologie ► Lebenshilfe / Lebensführung
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Persönlichkeitsstörungen
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung
• Themenwelt: Technik
• Schlagworte: All • and • are • But • CAN • Day • FOR • from • Had • have • Her • HIS • Like • Long • May • One • See • She • that • the • they • this • through • Time • what • when • with • would • You • Your
• ISBN-10: 3-384-11937-1 / 3384119371
• ISBN-13: 978-3-384-11937-7 / 9783384119377