DAY 18 – KILLER DOGS

Dogs were trained to “sniff Tutsis”. Birds stopped singing. Pigs became vultures.

This past weekend, I was given the daunting task of translating a survivor’s testimony at Mercer University. He shared how he watched dogs and pigs feast on the bodies of his nuclear family members. He was stoic in his retelling so I, too had to be. Internally though, I felt sick for him. For my father and for all those in the generation above who saw these horrors and had to continue adulting. We vow to be better children…

It is difficult for children born early 1990s to grasp the magnitude of the horrors our parents lived. Even wildlife was affected; in 1994, following the killing of Akagera conservationists and the destruction of infrastructure, lions and elephants posed severe threat to nearby cattle. Noting that a single elephant can destroy up to a year’s worth of farmer’s crops, villagers started poisoning wildlife. This unfortunately led to the complete extinction of some species.

PTSD is what happens when you were involved in a car crash or when you experienced homophobia. This, my friends, this, only God can heal… The toll that watching dead, mutilated bodies for 100 days has on the human brain cannot be quantified. Not mere bodies either. Your friends, your neighbors, your lovers, your blood. In fact, researchers found that the genetic makeup of Rwandan children whose mothers were pregnant in the Genocide has been altered. Their DNA endured chemical modifications which makes them prone to mental health disorders.

In spite of it all, in the words of my father: “Abicanyi ukuntu ubatsinda, ubaho kandi ukabaho neza” – The Antidote to these killers’ poison is to live and live well. – For My Father, The Apple of My Eye: Your Worst Days are Behind.

Noting They Could Not Dethrone God,

-Liv