Antoine Rutayisire on what inspired him to write book on reconciliation

Reverend Antoine Rutayisire, on Sunday, December 18, launched his book on reconciliation in which he details his personal experiences including how he moved on from a hurtful past that was characterized by his journey through the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Titled “Reconciliation is my lifestyle: A life’s lesson on forgiving and loving those who have hated,” the book shares a story of how the famous Anglican cleric was affected by the dark past of Rwanda and how he later chose to chart a positive path of forgiveness. It documents some of the horrifying experiences he encountered and his family prior and during the Genocide which his father was killed. Rutayisire, a senior cleric at St Peter's Parish in Remera-Giporoso, notes that from 1957, the doctrine of hatred was taught in Rwanda when he was as young as three years old, and this later culminated into the bloody genocide against the Tutsi. When the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi was over, as a preacher, Rutayisire was one of the people who offered counselling to genocide survivors but as he was doing so, he realised he needed healing as well. He started being intentional towards seeking healing, choosing to forgive and love, something that he managed to do. After some years, he embarked on writing a book on reconciliation and how he has experienced its power. Though he started working on the book around 2015, he did not complete it until last year. Speaking during a media briefing, he revealed that he initially did not even intend to publish it. “It is 10 chapters, including five about the bad times and the years of injury and another about forgiveness and the journey of unity and reconciliation after the Genocide” said Rutayisire. He added that, “I didn’t write this book with the intention of publishing it. After the Genocide, I was helping people and counselling them through the journey of healing, and at some point I realized that I am also not fine.” Rutayisire says he wishes that every survivor of the Genocide against Tutsi would write their own stories maybe then, they would heal. He said that the situation looked hopeless then, and to him the only best solution was a revolution and luckily enough the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) came and saved the nation. Rutaysire's book is written in English, consisting of 124 pages; First published in the United States by Pembroke St. Press in June 2021. Its foreword was written by famous American evangelist, Rick Warren. Be book is currently sold in all major bookshops in Kigali. The launch was attended by the Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement Jean Damascène, Bizimana, the Ambassador of Israel Ron Adam and religious leaders among others.

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Antoine Rutayisire on what inspired him to write book on reconciliation