What Remains Deogratis Niyizonkiza Summary

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In the story Strength in What Remains Deogratis Niyizonkiza is faced with unbelievable stuggles that no one should ever have to go through. Divine intervention plays a role in Deo’s life, whether it be good or bad. All throughout his life, we see instances where a higher being is working in the background. Through divine intervention, Deo’s successes and struggles lead him down the path of righteousness.
From the sheer mass of dead and decaying bodies, to the cries of a lone baby, Deo was no stranger to the years of genocide in Rwanda and Burundi. One of the first glimpses of divine intervention occurs on the first day of the killings. Deo was tending his patients and the next moment he was cowering under his very bed. Hoping to not be killed, Deo forced his hands over his eyes but released them for a second to see two pairs of barefoot feet in his room. I believe that a higher being stepped in right at this moment because the two filthy men moved on as one said, “The cockroach is gone. He ran away” (Kidder 67). This was merely the beginning, for he had a great journey ahead of him.
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Deo has every right to be critical of God for what he is allowing to happen during this massacre. Us as humans have a great responsibility to not allow things like this to happen, but Deo is nearly positive that it will happen again. This is a period of time that Deo has lost his faith in God because he appears to have forgotten about Him. The dogs in Burundi and Rwanda became like rats once the genocide started. As Deo left his sanctuary the he could smell, “The stench of burned flesh in the hallway. Already he could hear dogs barking and growling, fighting over the bodies no doubt” (Kidder 68). Where was God during these times? It can be hard to justify divine intervention throughout Deo’s life, but God works in mysterious

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