Of all the photographs I've discussed so far, this one by far haunts me the most. These children are Rwandan orphans, left parentless amidst the terror and chaos of the Rwandan genocide that occurred from April to July of 1994. The genocide, caused by deep rifts between Hutus and Tutsis, two Rwandan ethnic groups, resulted in the deaths of between 800,000 to a million deaths. Only 300,000 to 400,000 managed to stay alive through the massacre. 75,000 of those survivors were orphaned children.
The eyes of the children in this photo weigh heavily on me, especially the eyes of the child in the center. Those eyes seem so wide for such a little tiny body. What those eyes have seen is unthinkably horrific. This child witnessed the deepest, darkest part of humanity, the part where unquenchable hatred and cruelty are buried, the part that is meant to never see the light of day. This child saw men hacking at their neighbors with machetes. This child heard the sounds of men, women, and children screaming in pain and terror and the sounds of shouting, angry men.This child felt more intense fear than you or I will probably ever know.
How could any child have a future after witnessing such atrocities? How could anyone move on from such tragedies? I would have thought the answer was that there is no recovering from acts of monstrosity such as many Rwandan children experienced. Yet humanity is an amazing thing. While mankind may hold the potential for terrible darkness as shown by the Rwandan genocide, mankind also holds overwhelming potential for light. Somehow, humanity has the capacity to overcome the odds; somehow something good and pure and strong can arise from the ashes of something terrible, like a forest that becomes stronger after a fire.
Many of the Rwandan children left vulnerable from the genocide have miraculously moved on from the horrible things they experienced to create good lives for themselves. About fifty miles from Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, in a village called Agahoza Shalom (meaning "tears are dried" and "peace") about five hundred young people orphaned by the genocide live together in groups of about sixteen. This village provides education, activities, and, most importantly, emotional support.
One girl in Agahoza Shalom, named Grace Muhizi Unutesi, said, "I feel very powerful, and I know that if something is good it is wonderful and if it goes wrong it is an experience." Both of Grace's parents were murdered, and she was raised by her aunt in such poverty and hardship that she often missed meals. But now, she dreams of being a software engineer. A boy from the village, Innocent Nkundiye, aspires to be a doctor so he can help the people of his district. He said, "Maybe I can change something, and I can solve these problems."
These wise words instill hope for humanity into my soul. I draw strength from these children, who are mostly grown up now, who can be strong even after such suffering, and I hope you can, too.
Salgado, Sebastião. Migrations. New York: Aperture. 195. Print.
This is really beautiful; your contrast between the horror of the genocide and the enormous potential that survivors of the genocide have is amazing. One of the most difficult parts of studying history such as the Rwandan Genocide is staying happy, and reminding ourselves that there is still light in the world.
ReplyDeleteI've wondered the same things you have--how can any child survive such atrocities? how can they recover? You answered the question. They're human, and its human nature to recover and improve. They can support each other and become better people for it. Thank you so much!
Sarah, I love this post! I agree with Maddy, your contrast between the dark and light side of humanity is great. You have great diction and the way you describe and portray your thoughts and feelings about the genocide and humanity is really thought provoking. You are so right about humanity's ability to take something bad and find a way to learn and grow from it. I have experience that in my life, and I believe that from the hardest of times comes the greatest lessons and the most growth. I really like the way you took Salgado's photo and made it applicable to humanity as a whole. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
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