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Deogratias, A Tale of Rwanda

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Originally published in Stassen's native Belgium in 2000, this graphic novel takes on the 1994 Rwandan genocide and does a credible job of bringing the horror of that dark stain on recent history to the page. Alternating between the time of the genocide and a time about five years after it, the story follows a young Hutu teenager named Deogratias. Prior to the massacre, we see he is a normal boy trying to get into the pants of two pretty Tutsi sisters. However, in the aftermath of the genocide, he has been reduced to a homeless, ragtag lunatic with only moments of lucidity, who tries to keep horrible memories at bay with the aid of the local banana beer (urwagwa). Those familiar with the kinds of atrocities perpetrated in genocides or civil wars won't be particularly surprised at the final revelation as to what rendered him insane -- nonetheless, it's grim and powerful stuff. There's also a subplot involving a French tourist who served in the French army in Rwanda during the genocide. This exists mainly to highlight the French complicity in allowing the genocide to unfold -- albeit guilt that is only marginally greater than that of other Western powers. What happened in Rwanda serves to point out the emptiness of slogans such as "Never Forget", and while it has been covered by many excellent non-fiction books and films, Stassen is to be commended for bringing the horrific story to another medium. This is rough material, definitely not for kids, although the translator's introduction does a nice job of providing enough background for one to use it in a high school history or ethics class.

Deogratias is an emotionally harrowing tale of the Rwandan genocide in the mid-90s, told from the perspective of the titular Hutu, and is about as far from a children's book as you can get.*

Leading off with a brief but informative essay about the horrific genocide of nearly one million Tutsi, Rwanda's minority ethnic group, by the Hutus, the majority, while the superpowers of the world stood by and effectively did nothing, translator Alexis Siegel puts the events into historical context and provides a sturdy foundation for J.P. Stassen's gut-wrenching tale. Deogratias is a teenage boy with a teenaged boy's interests, amongst them a fondness for Tutsi girls and Urwagwa (a local banana beer), but when we first meet him, he's a disheveled drifter who's been pushed to the edge of madness by what he's seen and experienced. Stassen takes a risk with the unusual structure of his story, eschewing a linear narrative in favor of switching back-and-forth in time, before and after the massacres, with the only visual cue being the condition of Deogratias' white clothing. As a result, it's not immediately clear where the story is going or what's actually happened that changed him from a happy-go-lucky teen to a delusional drifter who thirsts for Urwagwa and sometimes imagines he's a dog. While the non-linear structure is confusing at times (a second reading is almost mandatory to fully appreciate it), when it all starts to come together towards the end, it offers the kind of slow reveal gut-punch that sticks with you for days.

Stassen's visual storytelling is especially strong throughout, and while he avoids focusing on the actual massacres themselves, the couple of key graphic moments he does show will be seared into your brain and effectively punctuate Deogratias' madness. Beyond those two moments, though, it is his expressive faces and coloring that brings each of his characters to life, from the innocence and determination of Apollinaria and Benina, the Tutsi sisters whose lives are central to Deogratias' fate, to the culpability of fellow missionaries, Brothers Stanislas and Philip, whose hands are as covered in blood as those of the leaders of the countries who ignored what was happening in Rwanda.

Deogratias proves that graphic novels do not have to simply be escapist entertainment, joining the likes of Maus, Palestine and Persepolis as representatives of more than just great graphic novels, but also as powerful, thought-provoking literature.

* Presumably because Deogratias' publisher, First Second, is an imprint of Henry Holt's Roaring Brook Press children's division, Amazon has it improperly categorized, IMO, in two different sub-sections of their Children's Books section. This is heavy material for anyone under the age of 13.

Over the years when I've had to defend the medium of comics to my less illuminated friends and co-workers I've been able to point to many examples of works that rise above the mire of the usual. Things like "The Watchmen", "Bone", "Love and Rockets" and others. I will now add "Deogratias" to this distinguished group. The book is the product of Belgium writer/artist J.P. Stassen. The book is told against the backdrop of the brutal ethnic cleansing that took place in Rwanda in the early 90's as the majority Hutu savagely butchered some 800,000 of the minority Tutsi ethnic group as the world looked on and did nothing.

Stassen first provides a brief, but very necessary history lesson about the events that led up the genocide and what has happened after. Stassen now resides in Rwanda with his family. The book if required reading if only for Stassen's opening monologue and history lesson. The story itself moves back and forth in time with the lead title character Deogratias. These shifts in time come with no warning or captions and at first are a little dizzying but you'll soon have it figured out. Deogratias in present time is a pathetic creature, wearing ratty clothing, and addicted to Urwagwa or banana beer. He also seems to be quite mad as other villagers ask him if he is "still a dog?" This will become significant later in the story. We first seem him interacting with a French tourist who was in the military back during the genocide. This character is meant as a representative of the French government who if they didn't actually back the horrors that took place, they turned their back as they went on.

As we move back in time we learn about the past of Deogratias, a Hutu, and others of his village. We see him in school as even the teachers spew hate against the Tutsi. Deogratias is in love with A Tutsi girl named Benina but her mother wants Benina to have nothing to do with him. The radio broadcasts are filled with hateful tirades against the Tutsi who they refer to as cockroaches. Deogratias is expected to take up arms with his Hutu brothers but all he can do is think of saving Benina and her family. Ultimately he will pay for this with his very sanity.

Deogratias is a powerful, tragic, horrifying story. Made all that much more terrible because of the real-life events and even worse by the world's complete lack of action to stop the violence. Was it because this was black on black racism? Was it because there were no strategic locations or oil fields as stake? Whatever the case, This is a story that will haunt the reader for a long time.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

First published in Belgium in 2000, this translation of Deogratius: A Tale of Rwanda by Alexis Siegel may appear to be like a comic--but it does not have any humorous content.

The setting is 1994 in Rwanda, in Eastern Africa. A bit of history is required. Everyone carried ID cards to designate whether they were Hutu, the majority ethnic group, or Tutsi. Extremists from the Hutu group planned to exterminate the Tutsi minority and kill moderate Hutu who opposed their goal. The ID cards made it easy for the murderers to know who to kill.

The story, told through flashbacks of the days before and after the horrific genocide, is told from the viewpoint of Deogratius, a Hutu boy and Benina, a Tutsi girl.

In the genocide, 800,000 humans are murdered while the world did nothing. The United Nations estimated that 3 million people were murdered as the war spilled over in the neighboring countries to find the refugees from Rwanda.

The graphic author's storytelling is powerful and eloquent. The history lesson is told from the eye of a young boy and an older man--both native and white immigrants, soldiers and others.

Armchair Interviews says: Not an easy read, Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda is an important history lesson told in this manner by the author who now resides in Rwanda with his family.

Stassen, Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda (First Second, 2006)

Stassen's Deogratias is a perfect example of the raw power to be found in the image and the image alone. There can be little doubt that the climax of this book is as powerful as they come. It's just that what leads up to it has some big problems.

Deogratias is a survivor of the Tutsi massacre in 1994 in Rwanda, a madman who tries to use prodigious amounts of alcohol to drive the dogs out of his mind. The townsfolk consider him amusing but harmless; his friends from before that time just want to help him. We alternate between scenes of a present-day Deogratias searching endlessly for urwagwa, a cheap Rwandan banana beer, and scenes of Deogratias in early 1994, going along living his life as the Tutsi-Hutu race war was about to boil over.

It becomes obvious that something during the massacre drove Deogratias insane, and the book's big mystery is what that was. There is another mystery going on at the same time, as a serial killer in the present day is eliminating people close to Deogratias, making his remaining friends fear that he's in even greater danger from outside forces than he is from the dogs in his head.

There's so much to like about this book-- Deogratias' character is engaging, both before and after his mental damage. Stassen chose a wonderful vehicle for showing the transition of time. The rendering of the dogs in Deogratas' head, and the ways in which Stassen chooses to reveal them, are great. And, of course, the twin revelations of the mysteries are powerful scenes as they stand. However, while all this attention has been (rightly) paid to the nuances of Deogratias' character, the plot suffers considerably. By the time we get to those two revelations, we've seen barely enough of the plot to know there's a mystery going on. If you're not paying attention, you could miss both of them entirely. It would be a mistake to ask for the book to be more linear-- the inventive time sequencing is one of its strongest points-- but it might have worked a good deal better if it were a bit more linear in each of its separate linearities.

This is a book that shows Stassen has a great deal of potential, and one that has an important set of ideas to get across. It is not entirely successful in getting those ideas across, but it's easy for the reader to see where Stassen was going and fill in the blanks himself. ** ½

Stassen documents the 1994 Tutsi genocide in Rwanda through the eyes of the title character, Deogratias, a member of the Hutu ethnicity. The story begins with the massacre's aftermath: Deogratias, traumatized by the recent past, wanders from place to place like a disturbed animal, even imagining at times that he's a dog. As the narrative progresses, the reader pieces together fragments to reveal the horrifying truth. While Stassen doesn't show the violence as it happens, his depiction of a murdered woman towards the end of the book proves to be disturbing enough. With its vibrant colors and its gutwrenching content, Stassen's work will leave the reader feeling unsettled long after the story is finished. Originally published in France, Deogratias won YALSA's Great Graphic Novel Award, and was named one of ALA's Best Book for Young Adults. A helpful introduction provides readers with a brief history of Rwanda, its colonization by the French, and the political factors that paved the road to genocide. Recommended for Ages 16-Up for language, sexual content, and violence.

Deogratias by J.P. Stassen provides a history lesson about the events that led up to the genocide in Rwanda and what has happened after. The history lesson is told from the eye of a young boy and an older man-both native-and white immigrants, soldiers and others. This is a great book because it deals with the issue of genocide, and also because this is an issue many countries in Africa are facing. This helps you better understand the story from the eyes of the people affected by it. Deogratias is very powerful, touching, and real story of survival. I recommend this book for history classes to educate them about issues surrounding the world.

Deogratias is the name of a young man from Rwanda. The story dances back and forth between pre- and post-1994 massacre Rwanda. Pre-massacre Deogratias is a likeable young man. Post-massacre Deogratias is insane. As one reads this graphic novel one finds out what drove him insane - in a climax that is not all that surprising or shocking (just sad), especially if one knows any of the detail of the Rwanda massacre.

Great works take the story of one person or group of people in a tragic situation and somehow make their story universal. For example, the Civil War movie "Glory" is the story of the first all-Black Federal regiment in the Civil War - it is also the story of every soldier - black or white, Union or Confederate. In "Saving Private Ryan", the Tom Hanks character epitomizes the average man stuck in a terrible situation doing the best he can and dying in the process.

"Deogratias" fails to do this. It is too personal. The story is too small. Not to say it isn't important, but rather to say that it fails to become a universal story of the Rwanda tragedy.

My copy of the book has an introduction from Alexis Seigel, the translator. He does an exceptional job of explaining the Rwanda tragedy and its aftermath. I would give his introduction 5 stars.

However, the grade has to go to the graphic novel, not its introduction. So, I give this one a grade of C+.