Customer Reviews

God Sleeps in Rwanda: A Journey of Transformation

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In this compelling and heartrending memoir, Sebarenzi weaves together his devastating experiences of exile and loss as a Tutsi in Rwanda, his spiritual journey toward a life of reconciliation and forgiveness, and his sharp critique of current Rwandan politics and policies.

Sebarenzi, a prophetic name given by his father that means "chief shepherd," or good leader, begins his narrative with a moving portrait of his youthful life in rural Rwanda. Materially poor, his childhood was rich in family relations and traditions, with connections to Tutsi and Hutu alike. This seemingly benign environment, however, was repeatedly shattered by ethnic violence, and Sebarenzi remembers several life-threatening experiences and narrow escapes from ethnic murder that foreshadowed the 1994 genocide. As the years passed, Sebarenzi temporarily relocated to neighboring countries, struggling to complete high school and university, marrying and starting a family, and experiencing periodic assault based on his ethnic identity.

Subsequent chapters of the book recount Sebarenzi's political career, with his meteoric rise to Speaker of Parliament and his escalating conflict with Kagame, the Tutsi rebel leader who, by defeating the Hutu militias, ended the genocide and became Rwanda's president. As Speaker, Sebarenzi endured heavy-handed intimidation from Kagame and the coterie of followers who supported his leadership. Due to his open opposition to some of Kagame's behaviors and decisions, Sebarenzi's own life was threatened, eventually leading him to escape and seek asylum in the US, where he is now a citizen.

The final chapter of this memoir is a teaching on reconciliation and forgiveness after genocide or mass violence, with Sebarenzi using his own transformational journey of resisting revenge and relinquishing hatred. Over the years, he has come to embrace and espouse a life-giving, future-oriented process of spiritual healing that includes forgiveness of those who destroyed his family and his country.

Readers will be swept up by this powerful narrative, with the remarkable arc of Sebarenzi's life, and especially by his capacity to transform violence and embrace love. Rwanda-watchers may have different lenses for evaluating Rwanda's fifteen years of post-genocide progress and current political, social, and economic realities. In the attempt to understand Rwanda, we will have to consider Sebarenzi's insider status and stark portrait of Rwanda, and his exhortation to his fellow countrymen to increase their commitment to build a just, peaceful, tolerant, democratic, and more transparent society. Of Sebarenzi's personal journey, one can only stand in awe, with gratitude that he has survived and that we are able to share in his journey.

Reviewed by Paula Green

The author lived through the Rwanda genocide in the 1990's, saw his parents and many of his friends and other family members murdered, served in the Rwanda parliament until learning the VP wanted him assassinated, fled the country, and now speaks of forgiveness, not revenge, in order to "heal" Rwanda.

The author gives us a history of strife between the Hutu and the Tutsi in Rwanda, what it caused it, and how the power struggle shifted back and forth between the two groups. He looks back on his life and his country, but only that we can understand why he believes that Rwanda needs to move from the past so the country can move forward. And to move forward, the author speaks of forgiveness so old wounds can heal instead of festering and breaking open again. The author speaks of his faith in God and how this helped him during the terrible mass murders in Rwanda.

The author is an amazing man who practices what the God he believes in preaches. A very worthwhile book to read. It makes the genocide in Rwanda a personal thing, not just an event that affects people who live in a country far away.

This book is a good perspective. It gives readers an inside, personal look into the trials and terrors of Rwanda. What the book does well is letting readers know the realities of what life is like in a nation that is so devastated with instability and racial tension and violence. It puts a face with the countless victims of some of the worst atrocities perpetrated in the twenty-first century.

Mr. Sebarenzi gives a cursory overview of how these racial tensions were exacerbated by the colonialist powers in order to ensure an easier rule, and thus a more thorough stripping of any economic resources they could get their hands on. While the history is cursory, one is able to understand just how destructive Western influences were for Rwanda and other nations which were exploited. The seeds of destruction sown by Western powers there and elsewhere are still bearing fruit today, and it shows how some of these same nations turned their backs on any humanitarian responsibilities they had during the genocide that followed.

The author's own personal story is one of triumphs and failures but also of enduring hope. The problem is the story has no happy ending. After the civil war it looks as though the story may turn out alright, but as happens so often in Africa the same people who fight so hard to oust corrupt and despotic rulers end up becoming the same monsters they fought so hard to unseat. This book gives readers a front row seat to watch a fledgling democracy die. As so often this one does not end in a bang but is instead a long slow bleed. It starts with a few innocuous changes and just enough people willing to acquiesce to power. You see good men such as this one attempt to stem the tide of totalitarianism, but the rule of law only works when everyone agrees to play by the rules.

The one problem I had with the book was the author's apparent naiveté. He had been through so much and had seen the very worst of human beings that his faith in the system and leaders seems out of proportion with his actual experiences. The story of Rwanda is not an unusual one, but is instead all too common in Africa. The author describes being blindsided by the eventual power grab, but it seems so obvious that the author's faith seems very strange. Parts of the book just struck me as odd and unrealistic. Of course hind sight is always 20/20 and maybe in situations like this all one really has left is their faith and hope or maybe I am just too much of a cynic, so this odd feeling may be my own fault instead of a real problem.

This book is not a feel good read. The author is very much a sympathetic character, and one is hard pressed not to be drawn into such an enduring and hopeful person, but the story is not a happy one. The book does a terrific job giving the insider's experience. The reader will come away with a better understanding of Rwanda's terrible and horrific past. It is that understanding which makes this book an important read.

The first part of this book is a compelling story, first about the background of the tension between the ethic groups in Rwanda and then a first-person account of the genocide and how he survived. I learned a lot in this section because so much of the little that was reported on American television was wrong and/or inaccurate. For example, the ethnic tensions were not long-term historically, but started and promoted by the Belgians who ruled Rwanda.

The second part was more slow moving and awkward in the narrative. The same points seemed to be repeated again and again. It just did not hold my interest. I kept waiting for the narrative to move on in various parts. It's too bad because there was a lot to the story.

It took me just a week to read Hon. Sebarenzi's book following its quick delivery from Amazon.com. I was a practicing journalist in Rwanda at the time Hon. Sebarenzi was speaker and my publication "The Rwanda Newsline" was the first publication to break the story of his safe escape to Uganda. The story ran with a survey of public opinion (within Kigali) over his downfall. I remember majority of our respondents were not happy at all with the fall of this young and respected speaker!! At the time Rwanda was going through a lot of sharp political pains. The account presented in this book reaffirms a lot of true stories we knew at the time but were unable to publish due to the political sensitivities at the time. For instance the relationship between the president (Pasteur Bizimungu) and his (artificially created position) vice president, the rumored intention of the creation of the 'Forum for political parties', the elimination of political opponents that (current President) Kagame thought were a threat to his eventual emergency as president, etc... Going through the pages of this text was a 'breaking of the (political) mysteries' that I have always known but never sure of their accuracy. The fact that a man who stood between the public and the governing elite is able to demystify these stories was a great vindication. I find this book fulfilling and inspiring. I believe other readers will find solace in its pages especially the last chapter that deals with forgiveness and reconciliation!! Hon. Sebarenzi May God Bless you!!
John E. Mugabi

If you're like many Americans (myself included), you really don't pay much attention to international politics and events. Among my Asian friends, I've been criticized for foolishly being so unknowing of what happens outside the U.S. border. They're right.

So I chose this book to read because all I really knew about Rwanda was that it used to be in the papers a lot a long time ago (in the 1990s), that it was a poor nation and had a lot of civil strife. Beyond that, I couldn't even tell you where in Africa that nation was.

The book's author, Joseph Sebarenzi, gives a first-person account of the Rwandan genocide that occurred in 1994, where 800,000 Rwandans were slaughtered in just 90 days. Everyone in the U.S. knows about 9/11 where only a few thousand lives perished, but nearly a million people perish outside our border, and we hardly know about the event because 1) it happened outside the U.S., and 2) it happened in Africa, in a nation that has no strategic interest for the U.S. That so many people died yet the U.N. and U.S. didn't do anything to intervene is part of Sebarenzi's struggle.

The book is split into two neat divisions. The first half Sebarenzi recounts the harrowing experience of nearly being killed while he was just a young boy. This storyline continues until the time of the Rwandan genocide. The story is well-told and often becomes gripping, especially since this is not a fictional story, but a true account of someone who lived through the real-life horror of civil war.

The second half of the book details Sebarenzi's surprising rise to political power in the Rwandan parliament. In this story, you learn of an increasingly powerful autocracy that develops in the Rwandan government. You see a man who is so hopeful for true, democratic change in a country this author dearly loves, and yet he is stymied because of the way people try to hoard power rather than share it.

I really liked this book, overall. I know infinitely more about Rwanda than I ever did, and I learned it not by reading a dry, encylopedic article in Wikipedia. Sebarenzi's first-person account made this story intriguing, believable, interesting. You must be willing to attempt to understand politics to enjoy the second half of the story, though.

The primary reason I gave this four stars instead of five is because the book is retold by Sebarenzi and written by Laura Ann Mullane, whom I presume is an American author. Laura does a good job putting into words what Sebarenzi undoubtedly recounted to her in somewhat halting English (Sebarenzi alludes to the fact that he isn't completely fluent in English). But I found that the retelling gave a somewhat plastic account of Sebarenzi's story. As Sebarenzi learned of how the Rwandan genocide affected his own family, I don't think Mullane could ever capture what Sebarenzi actually dealt with. The metaphors used in the story were American metaphors, not Rwandan. In sum, the passion and power of Sebarenzi's story were somewhat diminished by having another person pen Sebarenzi's words.

Is this a worthwhile book to read? Absolutely. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about a hugely tragic event that, to most of the world, just wasn't very important because it didn't involve the loss of natural resources or strategic assets - it "only" involved the loss of thousands upon thousands of African lives.

So I usually never read books like this. I stay as far away from biography, autobiography, or political books as my little feet can fly. However something about this book called to me. Gosh does that sound, well, corny.

I will say it took me a long time to read this. I only had a cursory understanding of what happened in Rwanda (courtesy of 30 second sound byte's on places like CNN) but felt distanced from it. I'm not sure that I'm happier to know more but I can't go back now. A similar kind of sinking sensation I had when, almost 20 years ago, I was in France and happened to catch a news show on what was happening in Bosnia. I could't believe something like that would happen and I would not know. This book brings things to a personal level which makes it almost closer. It's one thing to see those pictures and have an intellectual knowledge and another to go through someone's life that is intertwined with the events.

The writing is very good although it doesn't read like a novel (which meant I wasn't up at night waiting to finish just one more page). In fact in some places I had to force myself to keep reading. I'm not sure it has whetted my appetite for learning more about the poltics of the African continent but it certainly gave me more exposure to an area of the world I know almost nothing about. It's a book that stays with you long after you close the cover for the last time.

From time to time I come across books like this one, and once again I'm amazed to realize that there are still new voices in the world, as well as fresh perspectives about subjects that have been in the news for years. Joseph Sebarenzi's memoir about his life growing up in the killing fields of Rwanda is just such a book.

While I've grown familiar with the story of the Hutu and Tutsi clashes and the genocide that followed, I've never been exposed to this story in such an intimate and unflinching manner. During the bloody years of trouble in Rwanda, a huge part of Sebarenzi's family was slaughtered in the carnage. In spite of this, and in spite of the fact that he could have stayed away, he felt the urge to return with his wife in the years following the genocide and attempt to play a role in the rebuilding and reconciliation of his beloved country.

What he encountered upon entering politics was a system that put on a unified face for the world at large, but inside was still rife with corruption and hidden agendas. After assuming a leadership role as Speaker of the Rwandan Parliament in 1997, he set out to do the most good that he could without compromising his principles. What he encountered at every turn was a leadership that pretended to support him, but secretly started to view him as a threat that might eventually seek to overthrow it.

Throughout his ordeal, Sebarenzi's deep faith kept him centered on bringing his countrymen together and working toward reconciliation and forgiveness. In the end, his drive and motivation weren't enough, and he was warned that in spite of his claims to have no interest in becoming the country's leader, the current leadership viewed him as a threat and set out to assassinate him. He was forced to leave the country by escaping into Uganda, and from there he made his way to the United States, where he now devotes his life to conflict resolution and reconciliation.

This is a deeply-touching story, beautifully told, and I highly recommend it.

For any book that looks more favorably and in support of President Kagame, I recommend this book as its complement. Because of the diverging views of Post-1994 Rwandan politics, it is important to understand many sides of the debate on the current leaders/leader. Aid agencies, NGOs, and human rights organizations tend to despise Kagame, while many businesses and Western leaders have a very different opinion.

There is no doubt Rwanda's economy is growing and there is stability and order in the country today, but many ask, at what cost? Sebranzi says human rights and democracy are being sacrificed in the guise of creating a better Rwanda (there is no mention of Rwanda's allegedly negative role in the DRC). As former speaker of parliament, Sebranzi's story is definitly one worth reading to gain an important view of the political climate of Rwanda.

Not to mention, this book is not entirely about politics. Sebranzi also tells the inspiring story of his childhood at the beginning of the book and stories of friends and family accompany each chapter. This makes it an enjoyable an enjoyable and easy read.

Though Sebranzi can be repetitive at times, this does not take away the important insight he provides on present day Rwanda.

When I ordered God Sleeps in Rwanda by Joseph Sebarenzi I thought I was ordering a book that would bring a new perspective on the 1994 Rwandan genocide, but I don't think that's an accurate description of Sebarenzi's new memoir.

That's certainly not meant as a criticism. There's plenty of information on the genocide in this book, but the real focus of God Sleeps in Rwanda has been the aftermath of the genocide. Where is Rwanda today more than 15 years after the tragedy?

Certainly the nation is more stable and recovering, but this book provides a number of disturbing details about the direction of the nation and the actions of political leader Paul Kagame. It's told from the perspective of Sebarenzi who was out of the country during the violence and returned to eventually serve as the Speaker of Rwanda's Parliament.

Since his term as speaker, Sebarenzi has been forced to flee the nation again and his account raises a number of questions about Rwanda's future.

Overall, I would recommend this book but if you aren't that versed on the topic, I would urge you to start somewhere else and then come back to read this book.