I went there wanting to write about Rwanda and the genocide, but I was trying to
figure out a way to avoid being like everybody else, to avoid going through the
front door. I wanted to go through another door—a side door, a back door.
I wanted to have a different perspective.
knows Kinyarwanda fluently to convince Anathalie to meet with
me. In a few days I show up at her place with my translator (and
a blind man), and she takes a long time to answer the door. She
opens the door, blesses the blind man first (which I totally get),
and then goes “Ugh, it’s you” in Kinyarwanda. But, Anathalie welcomed us in, we prayed with her, and it was a beautiful experience.
I’m not sure exactly why Our Lady picked her to talk to, but she’s
definitely a vessel of light and love. Even if she has a little attitude.
Signature: Did she tell you what it was like to speak
with the Virgin Mary?
KH: Well, there’s absolutely a narrative that’s been
constructed surrounding the legend of Kibeho, and she
reiterated that. The interesting moments were when she
allowed me in to her humanity and how she survived the
genocide, how she prayed through it. I thought sharing that
with me was very brave. I asked her too about where the
conflict started and if in 1981 people were calling themselves
Hutu and Tutsi. She told me, “Those terms, those categories,
do not exist. I’m Rwandan.” I remember she kept on saying
“I’m Rwandan,” and so I didn’t find out if she was Hutu or
Tutsi. A lot of people in Rwanda refuse to name themselves.
People are on the edge even now.
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