Teeth
The stars were glowing intensely that night; It looked almost as if it was a warning. The mousebirds that usually fill the sky were nowhere to be seen. You could feel it: something terrible was going to happen. The humidity of the air stuffed my lungs making it extremely difficult to breath. I could barely hear the TV over the loud roar from the helicopter,
“Breaking news: Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana has been killed. The former president’s plane has been shot down above Kigali airport believed to be by a Tutsi rebel group. The president’s plane came crashing down and exploded on impact. There was one survivor who is currently in the hospital in critical condition.”
The world had stood still; we all stood frozen as the TV announced the events that happened. How did the situation become this bad? I knew the tension between the Tutsis and the Hutus was nerve-racking but an assassination on a political figurehead was something that could never been foretold; even our lieutenant-general Romeo Dallaire was shook. It was alarming to see a man of his stature so tense. I could hear him mutter something under his breath, “Shit.” The attack on president Juvenal Habyarimana’s plane triggered something catastrophic. …show more content…
In only a few days, a slaughter began. Everyone turned on everyone; neighbours killed neighbours and family killed family. Husband’s killed their Tutsi wives in fear that they would be killed themselves. Churches became memorials as a reminder of the people that died. There was something weird about that: A place where you can praise god and mourn the dead altogether. I made my way into Mr.Dallaire’s office to figure out our next course of action. We were part of the UNAMIR, a peacekeeping force that was initially supposed to supervise and control the civil issues of Rwanda. “What’s next?” “What do mean, what’s next?” he said. “You’re supposed to be monitoring and assisting the civilians.” “Mr.Dallaire people are dying. We’re outnumbered and outgunned and- I just don’t see what we can do anymore” His resolve never faltered even though we were put in the same position, “These are people and we’re the only ones that are willing to help. The United Nations aren’t helping us and we have to do with what we have.” I walked out of his office more confused than when I entered. The idea of hope started to die as fast as the people outside. In one hundred days, almost a million people had died. I’ve seen kids hacked with machetes, houses burned, homes destroyed. Bodies littered Kagera River turning it into a beautiful shade of red. Screaming became as normal as the sound a cicada makes during the summer. The Hutu extremist carried out their plans and sparked a genocide. The Rwandan government started using identification cards which identified people as either Hutu or Tutsi. This was an official government-approved tactic that allowed the Hutu militia to kill with precision. In the month of July, God finally turned his attention to Rwanda and sent us salvation. After repeated pleading with the United Nations, they finally sent reinforcements. We were able to come out of the lions den alive; we were broken and scathed but alive. Mr. Dallaire’s unwavering commitment is probably what kept me from dying. A year has passed since my serving …show more content…
The blood on the razor blade had become dry almost as if he has was sitting like that for a while. He wasn’t conscious enough to respond to my questions but he was conscious enough to keep crying; it looked like he was stuck in a dream.
“Eight hundred thousand,” I heard him whisper.
“He lost a lot of blood but he’ll be alright,” the doctor stated. “Do you have any idea why this happened?” “We believe that Mr. Dallaire may have post-traumatic stress disorder. We would like to keep him here for a while so that we can be sure.”
I was in no position to deny, after all, he wasn’t my family. He was an old friend whom I used to look up to. Yet for some reason, I felt responsible for him; as if I there had been an unspoken debt between us that needed to be repaid. In that moment I realized how dangerous the human mind can be. Memories have teeth and will rip you apart before you even know what
The stars were glowing intensely that night; It looked almost as if it was a warning. The mousebirds that usually fill the sky were nowhere to be seen. You could feel it: something terrible was going to happen. The humidity of the air stuffed my lungs making it extremely difficult to breath. I could barely hear the TV over the loud roar from the helicopter,
“Breaking news: Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana has been killed. The former president’s plane has been shot down above Kigali airport believed to be by a Tutsi rebel group. The president’s plane came crashing down and exploded on impact. There was one survivor who is currently in the hospital in critical condition.”
The world had stood still; we all stood frozen as the TV announced the events that happened. How did the situation become this bad? I knew the tension between the Tutsis and the Hutus was nerve-racking but an assassination on a political figurehead was something that could never been foretold; even our lieutenant-general Romeo Dallaire was shook. It was alarming to see a man of his stature so tense. I could hear him mutter something under his breath, “Shit.” The attack on president Juvenal Habyarimana’s plane triggered something catastrophic. …show more content…
In only a few days, a slaughter began. Everyone turned on everyone; neighbours killed neighbours and family killed family. Husband’s killed their Tutsi wives in fear that they would be killed themselves. Churches became memorials as a reminder of the people that died. There was something weird about that: A place where you can praise god and mourn the dead altogether. I made my way into Mr.Dallaire’s office to figure out our next course of action. We were part of the UNAMIR, a peacekeeping force that was initially supposed to supervise and control the civil issues of Rwanda. “What’s next?” “What do mean, what’s next?” he said. “You’re supposed to be monitoring and assisting the civilians.” “Mr.Dallaire people are dying. We’re outnumbered and outgunned and- I just don’t see what we can do anymore” His resolve never faltered even though we were put in the same position, “These are people and we’re the only ones that are willing to help. The United Nations aren’t helping us and we have to do with what we have.” I walked out of his office more confused than when I entered. The idea of hope started to die as fast as the people outside. In one hundred days, almost a million people had died. I’ve seen kids hacked with machetes, houses burned, homes destroyed. Bodies littered Kagera River turning it into a beautiful shade of red. Screaming became as normal as the sound a cicada makes during the summer. The Hutu extremist carried out their plans and sparked a genocide. The Rwandan government started using identification cards which identified people as either Hutu or Tutsi. This was an official government-approved tactic that allowed the Hutu militia to kill with precision. In the month of July, God finally turned his attention to Rwanda and sent us salvation. After repeated pleading with the United Nations, they finally sent reinforcements. We were able to come out of the lions den alive; we were broken and scathed but alive. Mr. Dallaire’s unwavering commitment is probably what kept me from dying. A year has passed since my serving …show more content…
The blood on the razor blade had become dry almost as if he has was sitting like that for a while. He wasn’t conscious enough to respond to my questions but he was conscious enough to keep crying; it looked like he was stuck in a dream.
“Eight hundred thousand,” I heard him whisper.
“He lost a lot of blood but he’ll be alright,” the doctor stated. “Do you have any idea why this happened?” “We believe that Mr. Dallaire may have post-traumatic stress disorder. We would like to keep him here for a while so that we can be sure.”
I was in no position to deny, after all, he wasn’t my family. He was an old friend whom I used to look up to. Yet for some reason, I felt responsible for him; as if I there had been an unspoken debt between us that needed to be repaid. In that moment I realized how dangerous the human mind can be. Memories have teeth and will rip you apart before you even know what