Renowned novelist and musician Gaël Faye, whose acclaimed work ‘Petit Pays’ recounted the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi from a child’s perspective while reflecting on the enduring spirit of a nation scarred by tragedy yet fueled by resilience. The snippet shot shared on Instagram by ‘La Grande Libraire’, comes as Rwanda prepares to mark, on April 7, the 30th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, which claimed more than one million lives. Faye, an international recording artist and writer with roots in Rwanda offers touching insights into the aftermath of unspeakable horrors. “The day after the Genocide,” he recalls, at that time, they said “the events” or “the war” to designate what had just taken place there.” “After a few days there, I wanted to escape and never return to this immense field of desolation. The looks I met were wild, stunned. The looks I met were wild, stunned or even drunk with insane violence.” “Then, there was this deafening silence which covered everything like viscous oil. In families, often, in my house in particular, we did not talk about the Genocide.” “It took me several years to understand that what had happened in Rwanda was not a cruel war as was claimed but a total extermination project whose slogan was “until the last Tutsi.” ALSO READ: I’m more of an author than musician - Gael Faye “This year, we commemorate 30 years of the Genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi of Rwanda. Far from attenuating the echoes of the disaster, time seems, on the contrary, to amplify them 30 years later, the memory remains a burning ember, he added. The wounds are still raw and the pain resurfaces at each commemoration but society has stood up against all odds and achieved the impossible,” he observes, highlighting the remarkable “Cohabitation” between victims and perpetrators, a proof to the human capacity for forgiveness and reconciliation. Despite the situation, the ‘Taxiphone’ singer draws inspiration from the countless men and women who, despite the weight of buried tears, stand tall and dignified. He said: “Seeing so many men and women who never stop burying their dead standing tall and dignified and believing in the future despite buried tears inspires me and gives me the courage necessary every day to write about this country.” “Tell your story, tell the fragile beauty that is reborn from the ashes,” he emphasized. The ‘Respire’ singer has been in Rwanda the last few days, working on his forthcoming novel he titled ‘Jacaranda’. “After several months of writing, I am moved to print the proof of my next novel ‘Jacaranda’, he shared on his social media platforms. He added: “There is still a little work left on the text but I can now confirm that eight years after “Petit Pays” my second novel will be released at the next literary school year in September.”
