“Running the Rift” (in Rwanda) By Naomi Benaron
Dr Laksiri Fernando
This is a story about a young athlete, a runner, Jean Patrick Nkuba and his family, and it is also a story about the ethnic conflict and genocide in Rwanda. The story begins in 1984, ten years before the actual genocide, in Gihundwe, not very far from the Southern tip of the picturesque Lake Kivu. The nearest town is Cyangugu which you can locate easily on the Google map. The background of the story is the Hutu-Tutsi conflict in Rwanda. Hutu are the majority and Tutsi are the minority. A highly acclaimed novel, “Running the Rift” was published by Oneworld Publishers (London) early this year (2012).
A Glimpse
“Before his first day in primary school, Jean Patrick had not known what Tutsi meant. When the teacher said, ‘All Tutsi stand,’ Jean Patrick did not know that he was to rise from his seat and be counted and say his name. Roger [his brother] had to pull him up and explain. That night, Jean Patrick said to his father,
“Dadi, I am Tutsi.” His father regarded him strange and then laughed.
‘Dadi’ died in a motor accident. He was a Prefect (French) in charge of teachers in Gihundwe. They stayed for a while in official quarters but had to move to uncle Immanuel’s place in Gashirabwoba, not very far from Ginhundwe. Before leaving, one day “the window exploded in a spray of glass.” A second window splintered in few seconds later. “Tutsi snakes!” the shouts were very close. “Next time we’ll kill you!”
Uncle gave them a lesson in history unlike their farther: “Nineteen seventy-three, the year Habyarimana overthrew Kayibanda. All over the country, Hutu rose up to murder Tutsi. They burned down our house, killed your grandparents and your uncle, our younger brother. He turned to Jean Patrick. ‘You were named for him,’ No one told you?”
It was like in Sri Lanka during the war and the conflict; the difference is that the Sinhalese civilians apparently did not kill the Tamils directly after 1983. No doubt that the Rwandan conflict was more horrendous than the Sri Lankan one, but there are obvious parallels. That is one reason why this well written and inspiring novel should be read by all discerning Sri Lankans. It is inspiring for us to reflect on our own prejudices, irrationality of the conflicts and dreadful deeds that they could entail.
Why a novel without reading a human rights report or a book on the subject? The reason is that a novel is more effective and can arouse our conscience as in the present case. This novel however is not a substitute for any factual report or book available on Rwanda but supplementary.[1] In addition, one can enjoy the story running through 365 odd pages of the life of not only the main protagonist, Jean Patrick, but also of others in the family and in Rwanda; their hopes, fears, love, jealousies, generosity, cruelty and failings. It is a good read on the life and culture of this small and picturesque Central African country, similar perhaps to the natural beauty of Sri Lanka and its people, always smiling and enduring their unfortunate destinies due to political calamities.
