š š·š¼ #46: A pre-genocide story from Rwanda
Scholastique Mukasonga on manufactured tension
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Set in the late 1970s in an elite lycĆ©e in the Rwandan mountains, Scholastique Mukasongaās Our Lady of the Nile paints a horrifying picture of how the eraās anti-Tutsi hate speech set Rwandaās two main ethnic groups, the Hutu and the Tutsi, against one another in the years preceding the genocide. Mukasonga herself grew up in Rwanda, settling in France just two years before the anti-Tutsi massacres that engulfed her homeland in 1994. In the aftermath of the genocide, she learned that 37 members of her family had been murdered.
In Mukasongaās novel, a boarding school for Catholic girls called The Lady of the Nile serves as a microcosm of Rwanda. Though Rwanda gained independence in 1961, its government and church maintained strong ties to Belgium, its colonial ruler which continued to exacerbate tensions between the Hutu and the Tutsi. At the time of Our Lady of the Nile, the country is made up of a Hutu majority and a Tutsi minority.
The lycĆ©e is ostensibly a part of the governmentās efforts to promote female education in Rwanda. Its students are taught by Belgian nuns and priests who immediately make it known that āHistory meant Europe, and Geography Africa.ā Students are given European foods and banned from speaking anything but French.
ā¦ the only language permitted within the grounds of the lycĆ©e was French, except in Kinyarwanda classes of course, but only in class, and nowhere else. Once they married men in positions of high office (and why shouldnāt some of the girls end up holding such positions too?), they would be required to use French as their main language. And above all, it was forbidden to utter a single word of Swahili in the lycĆ©e, which had been placed under the patronage of the Virgin Mary, for it was a deplorable language, that of the followers of Muhammad.
Through linked chapters that focus on individual characters in turn, Mukasonga explores the roots of the politically manufactured tensions that led to the 1994 genocide. Among the students we meet are Gloriosa, the daughter of a Hutu politician who parrots her fatherās anti-Tutsi sentiments; ImmaculĆ©e, a Hutu who is considered unusual for befriending her Tutsi classmates; Modesta, who is of mixed Hutu and Tutsi heritage; and Veronica and Virginia, two Tutsi girls who have been admitted to the lycĆ©e to fill the required quota of Tutsis. The bookās adult characters include Father HermĆ©nĆ©gilde, a priest who sexually abuses his students, and Monsieur de Fontenaille, a recluse who believes the Tutsi are descendents of the ancient Egyptians and are thus worthy of worship.
Mukasonga does a fantastic job of portraying the rising tensions between Tutsi and Hutu students. Early on, the girls argue about the proper way to cook bananas, with Virginia making the case that theyāre best grilled straight out of the fields. āSo what did you come to the lycĆ©e for?ā asks Gloriosa. āYou should have stayed in the sticks munching bananas in the fields. You would have made room for a real Rwandan from the majority people.ā As the story continues, the girlsā disputes become even more sinister. One day Gloriosa decides that the schoolās statue, a black Virgin Mary, has a āTutsi noseā and takes it upon herself to replace it. When she accidently breaks the statue, Gloriosa invents a lie about being attacked by Tutsi militia. Unsurprisingly, this fuels hostility toward the lycĆ©eās Tutsi students.
At times Mukasongaās authorial voice is a little pedagogical, but in my opinion thatās no bad thing. In providing plenty of historical and cultural context, Mukasonga offers a balanced exploration of the mythological, Biblical, and colonial reasoning that led to the belief that Tutsis are not ārealā Rwandans. The result is a violent, disturbing, moving take on a coming-of-age novel, which offers a glimpse into Rwandaās history. Iāll be thinking about Our Lady of the Nile for a long time.
Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga, translated by Melanie Mauthner (Archipelago Books, 2014 / Ćditions Gallimard, 2012)
More books by Rwandan authors:
Here is a short list of other books by authors from Rwanda:
Teta by Barassa
The Past Ahead by Gilbert Gatore, tr. Marjolijn de Jager
Left to Tell by ImmaculƩe Ilibagiza with Steve Erwin
Cockroaches by Scholastique Mukasonga, tr. Jordan Stump
Igifu by Scholastique Mukasonga, tr. Jordan Stump
The Barefoot Woman by Scholastique Mukasonga, tr. Jordan Stump
Not My Time to Die by Yolande Mukagasana, tr. Zoe Norridge
The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clemantine Wamariya and Elizabeth Weil
What have you read recently?
If youāve read a brilliant book in translation or youād like to pass on a recommendation, Iād love to hear about it! For this project, Iām focussing on contemporary fiction and short stories, with a preference for female authorsābut Iām always happy to venture further afield for a good recommendation.
You can get in touch by replying to this email or leaving a comment. Iāll be featuring your recommendations in upcoming newsletters, and Iāll keep a growing listĀ here.
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