Nyamata & Ntrama

We woke up and ate breakfast at the hotel. The plan for the day was to visit two churces about 30km outside of Kigali. Both were sites where mass slaughters took place during the genocide.

James and Dave decided to take a taxi to both of the sites so that we could take our time, look around, talk, and take pictures. We negotiated a price with a French-speaking cab driver and went on our way. On the way to the town of Nyamata where the first church was located, we saw several Gacaca processes happening in villages. We asked the cab driver about this, and he said that most villages set aside time on Thursdays for the Justice in the Grass procedures (see above for an explanation).

Upon arriving in Nyamata, we located the church, and it was closed. A church staff member was driving by and he said to go on in even though the gate was locked. He and our cab driver fooled around with the gate until it opened.

Some background on the church: Around 10,000 people hid inside the church when the genocide started. After about a week, the genocidaires arrived and killed everyone inside with either guns, machetes, or clubs.

This is what we saw: Upon entering the church, we were drawn to the altar which was covered by a cloth. James remembered about this part of the church in one of the books we read. The cloth on the altar was bloodstained about halfway up as it had soaked up the blood of the victims from the floor. Similarly there were blood stains on the walls and the pews. There were several caskets in the church. We're not sure if there were bodies inside them or not. In the basement of the church, officials have encased about 200 skulls and a variety of other bones from the victims in a clear glass case. Below the case was a single coffin draped in a white cloth with a purple cross. The guide (who showed up after we had walked through the site) informed us that the coffin contained the body of a woman who was not killed with the others. She had been raped many times by the killers before they killed her.

Behind the church were two tombs. The tombs contain over 40,000 victims from the Nyamata area. The first tomb we entered contained caskets similar to the one inside the church. The second tomb contained racks of skulls and bones. Each rack contained hundreds of skulls or bones, and there were dozens of racks.

After we discovered that the guide had arrived, we sat down to ask her some questions. She was a very soft spoken person and seemed reluctant to talk with us. She gave us a brief account of what happened at the site. We asked her about a book we have both read called, Machette Season. She said that she knew the author and had talked with him. Then she ended the conversation.



Our next stop was the village of Ntarama, about 10km away. This site has been preserved in an interesting way. As we entered the church, there was a rack which again contained skulls, pelvic bones, and other remains from the victims. As we turned toward the interior of the church, we saw the clothes the victims had been wearing at their times of death. They were draped from the sides of the walls and the ceiling beams. Up at the altar lay a single casket. Next to the casket was a rack of the personal effects of the victims: suitcases, jewelry, pens, glasses, rosaries (many), wathces, and many other items. Next to the door was a chest with the identification cards and diaries of the victims.

The guide at this site was a little more willing to talk to us. There were 5,000 Tutsis who hid in the small church (approximately 50 ft by 150 ft). When the genocidaires arrived at the church, they were unable to break down the doors. Instead, they broke the windows and threw grenades inside. Those who were not killed by the grenades were finished off with machettes and other weapons as they ran stunned from the church. There were shrapnel holes in the ceiling and large gaping holes in the walls where the grenades had exploded.



We asked the guide about the book, and she took a look at it. We showed her a picture of the genocidaires that were interviewed for its contact. The setting of Machette Season takes place in this area. She recognized and knows one of the genocidaires. He was in prison up until recently. In order for him to reeenter the community, he had to go through a Justice in the Grass procedure. We asked if he had indeed been welcomed back into the community and granted forgiveness. She said "yes."

This was our day. Amahoro.

James and Dave