Interview with Charles Butera, author of the book "Temoins a Nu” (“Bare Witness”), a work on the Rwandan Tutsi genocide of 1994

Interview by Jean Jill Mazuru
Kigali, July 2023

After his brief tour in Europe from Canada where he lives, which took him notably to Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands and France for the launch of his book entitled "Témoin à Nu", Mr. Charles Butera completed it in his home country, Rwanda last July. On the sidelines of his tour, he answered Journalists questions, the content of which is as follows:

JJM: Introduce yourself and tell us what connection you have to the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

CB: I am Charles Butera, a survivor of the genocide committed against the Tutsis of Rwanda in 1994. I was working at the Rwandan Ministry of Interior Affairs when the genocide took place. I studied sociology at the University of Lubumbashi, in the former Zaire, but I currently hold what is called in Canada, where I live, a postgraduate degree in community economic development, acquired after the genocide. I lived in the Remera neighborhood, near the former KIE (Kigali Institute of Education) before it was committed. I was married and the father of an 18-month-old child. Both were killed in this tragedy at Sovu of prefecture Butare, delivered by Sister Gertrude, Consolata Mukangango by birth, in collusion with the bourgmestre Ruremesha Jonathan, who still runs, if he is not dead! As we say in our country ntawuzi aho aherereye.

Monsieur Charles Butera, Author of the Book

JJM: What was your goal in writing this book?

CB: Naturally, the preservation of memory, so that young people learn our history, but it is also my contribution against genocide denial.

JJM: What is your publishing house?

CB: It’s L’Harmattan; they are in charge of production, distribution, and sales.

JJM: Tell us about your work, please.

CB: The book contains four parts:

Firstly, the genocide and everything that goes with it... ethnic balance (équilibre éthnique) harassment, the concept “Ibyitso” or the accomplices of the adversaries of the power in place during the liberation war of Rwanda, ad hoc intimidation, etc.

Secondly, the genocide itself, which took away more or less 56 people, members of my extended family, including close relatives; my 27-year-old wife, my 18-month-old son, my two parents (father and mother) and grandmother.

Thirdly, the post-genocide part describes survival; what I like to call: "life after death." It’s the long journey of resilience that sounds better in my national language: Kudaheranwa, (resilience itself) gushyingura abacu bari bandagaye ku misozi yose mu gihugu (the dignified burial of the victims of the genocide that littered all the hills of the country), as well as the struggle for life.

The fourth part encompasses a personal reflection on a bit of everything:
• Concept of forgiveness
• Rwanda, I love you in spite of everything
• The genocide survivor and how to interpret his ideas, thoughts, actions, etc.

JJM: When will the Kinyarwanda version of your work be available?

CB: The publisher has been somewhat reluctant, but I’m working on it so that our compatriots who only read in the national language can familiarize themselves with its content

JJM: What are the main challenges you encountered in writing and publishing your book?

CB: The hardest part is that when someone writes about such a history, images of the facts that were reality play in your mind. You pick up your pen to write your text, and suddenly it stops an hour later; blocked by a strong emotion. You feel exhausted, all senses worn out. You put down your pen, take a short walk to try to calm down and recover. That’s the main reason why it took all this time post-genocide to put the facts on paper. Another striking challenge is that publishing houses find it difficult to accept stories from Rwanda, supposedly because they are not sellable.

Sales Locations: Ikirezi Bookstore, Caritas Bookstore, Kigali Genocide Memorial, Amazon, and soon at the Kigali International Airport.