A Thousand Hills: Rwanda’s Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It by Stephen Kinzer
“A fascinating account of the near-miracle unfolding before our very eyes: a country, Rwanda, rising from the ashes of genocide phoenix-like, and its President, Paul Kagame, who is making it happen. This is no hagiography, for he is depicted warts and all…A very good read” -- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
To see a short video of the author describing the untold stories of Rwanda that he tries to tell, please go here (you have to scroll down just a little).
We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch"In April of 1994, the government of Rwanda called on everyone in the Hutu majority to kill everyone in the Tutsi minority. Over the next three months 800,000 Tutsi's were murdered in the most unambiguous case of genocide since Hitler's war against the Jews. Philip Gourevitch's haunting work is an anatomy of the killings in Rwanda, a vivid history of the genocide's background, and an unforgettable account of what it means to survive in its aftermath." [excerpt from back cover]
"The most important book I have read in many years...Gourevitch's book poses the preeminent question of our time: What - if anything - does it mean to be a human being at the end of the twentieth century?...He examines [this question] with humility, anger, grief, and a remarkable level of both political and moral intelligence." - Susie Linfield, Los Angeles Times
Race Against Time by Stephen Lewis [CBC Massey Lectures]*"In 2000, the United Nations laid out a series of eight goals meant to guide humankind in the new century. Called the Millennium Development Goals, these targets are to be met by 2015 and are to lay the foundation for a prosperous future. In Race Against Time, Stephen Lewis advances real solutions to help societies across the globe achieve the Millennium Goals. Through lucid, pragmatic explanations, he shows how dreams such as universal primary education, a successful war against the AIDS pandemic, and environmental sustainability, are within the grasp of humanity. For anyone interested in forging a better world in the third millennium, Race Against Time is powerful testimony." [Product description from Amazon]
*Available as a CD of the original lectures, and as a book/transcript of the lectures.
Movies/Documentaries:
Ghosts of Rwanda- PBS Documentary"How could it happen that America and the West stood aside and did nothing to stop the slaughter of 800,000 human beings over 100 days? On the 10th anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the story of those who participated in the world's failure to act, those few who stood up and tried to save lives, and all who are still deeply haunted by what they did." [excerpt from documentary website, which can be found here.]
Hotel Rwanda*- Academy Award Winner"Don Cheadle gives "the performance of a lifetime" (Los Angeles Times) in this "remarkable" (Newsweek) and "inspiring" (Chicago Tribune) true story of one man's brave stance against savagery during the 1994 Rwandan conflict...Hotel Rwanda is "the kind of film that can change the world" (Joel Siegel, Good Morning America).
As his country descends into madness, five-star hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina (Cheadle) sets out to save his family. But when he sees that the world will not intervene in the massacre of minority Tutsis, he finds the courage to open his hotel to over 1,200 refugees. Now, with a rabid militia at the gates, he has only his wits and words to help keep them alive another hour, another day." [Synopsis from the official Hotel Rwanda page, found here.]
*Note: this is not as accurate as the documentary, but it is highly acclaimed and a powerful movie.
Music:
Jean Paul Samputu"Jean Paul Samputu has established himself as one of the most prominent African artists on the world stage. A winner of the prestigious Kora Award (the "African Grammy") in 2003, Samputu travels the world as a cultural ambassador for Rwanda, bringing to his audiences not only traditional African singing, dancing, and drumming, but alsoa message of peace and reconciliation. A survivor of the genocide in Rwanda, Samputu takes us to the most positive place of humanity through his spirit and graciousness. More than a talented and inspiring musician, Samputu is a model for anyone who wants to make a difference in this world today." [Artisit bio and image from Samputu's official website].
“Extraordinarily powerful.”- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Mizero Children"The Mizero Children of Rwanda is a non-profit public charity based in Kigali, Rwanda with branches in Nyanza, Rwanda, the USA and in Canada. The mission of Mizero Children is to bring the Good News message of hope, peace, and healing through music and dance. Through a combination of performances, testimonies, and multimedia presentations, the Mizero Children performance tours aim to creatively allow the youth of Rwanda to educate and raise awareness of the overwhelming need of 1 million orphans living now in their country as a result of the genocide of 1994. In addition, the tours aim to educate and market the cultural traditions and creativity of the Rwandese people through creative economics. Through the sale of hand made goods, coffee, media, and music on the tours, they will initially increase sales of goods from cooperatives/small business in Rwanda. This will subsequently result in both microeconomic and macroeconomic growth, and will help fight what many term as a “handout economy.” To link to Mizero Children's official site, clik here.
Cecile Kayirebwa"Cecile Kayirebwa, born in Kigali, Rwanda, in 1946, paid close attention to the traditional music of her heritage from an early age. At 15 she became one of the founding members of the Rwanda Song and Dance Circle. This association prompted her to begin composing and singing and she soon began appearing on Radio Rwanda. With the abolition of the old Tutsi monarchy and independence from Belgium in 1960, Cecile realized that an extremely rich and beautiful musical culture was in danger of disappearing. For the next forty years Cecile worked tirelessly both at home in Rwanda and in Belgium, where she lived for twenty years, to share the love of her country's music with others and to heal the pangs of homesickness felt by exiled Rwandese all over the world. Kayirebwa has continued to use her music as a vehicle for attracting attention and raising funds for Hope, the Children of a Thousand Hills, a charity organization that she formed. All cultures have recognized the healing power of music and if there's anyone who can contribute significantly to the long tortuous process of rescuing Rwanda from the trauma of genocidal hatred then it must be Cecile Kayirebwa. "-- Craig Harris, All Music Guide
