Miracle in Kigali

Monday, 16 November 2009

50 Christmas Trees in a Church 2009

Working with the Rwandan Embassy UK for a cultural display to go with our tree at this year's 50 Christmas Trees in a Church, Dickleburgh http://www.50christmastrees.com/.

The official opening is by Anna Mudeka, http://www.tambai.org.uk, Norfolk-based Zimbabwean singer, drummer and dancer, with her drumming group Drumskin, on Saturday 5 December at 5.30pm. The event then runs from 6 to 13 December inclusive .

Friday, 30 October 2009

Miracle In Kigali Talk 31 October

Illuminee and I were interviewed by Tara Greaves from Eastern Daily Press in advance of the Black History Month talk. The story is online at
http://www.advertiser24.co.uk/content/advertiser24/news/story.aspx?brand=NOROnline&category=News&tBrand=NOROnline&tCategory=News&itemid=NOED29%20Oct%202009%2009%3A04%3A17%3A503.

Thursday, 15 October 2009

Miracle in Kigali Talk Norfolk Black History Month 31 October

Illuminee and Paul will be talking about Miracle in Kigali, the visit to Rwanda in 2008 to launch the book and will also be doing readings in a special Norfolk Black History Month event at The Cube (next to Pizza Express), The Forum, Norwich on Saturday 31 October from 11am to 12pm.
For more information email Paul @ paul-dickson@btconnect.com.
http://www.norfolkblackhistorymonth.org.uk/
http://www.norfolkblackhistorymonth.org.uk/events/2009/miracle-in-kigali.html

Norfolk Black History Month African Market

We will be selling Miracle in Kigali at The Norfolk Black History Month African Market outside Chapelfield, Norwich on Sunday 25 August 9.30am to 5pm. http://www.norfolkblackhistorymonth.org.uk

Monday, 17 August 2009

Meeting with Gerard Sina

Illuminee went to Rwanda in July and met Gerard Sina, the man behind Akabanga chilli sauce and other products that we will want to sell in the UK business. This is his business website http://www.sina.co.rw. He is an inspirational Rwandan entrepreneur.

Saturday, 18 July 2009

Rwandans in UK

Just visited this website http://www.rwandansinuk.com/. It features a video of President Kagame at 10 Downing Street.

Tuesday, 9 June 2009

The Big Skill Awards Norfolk 2009 - Awards Ceremony

Congratulations to Illuminee who was highly commended in the adult learner category at the Big Skill Awards Norfolk staged at The Forum in Norwich on the evening of Monday, June 8. She received her certificate from BBC TV's Ray Stubbs and BBC Radio Norfolk's Nicky Price.
http://www.edp24.co.uk/content/edp24/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=EDPOnline&tCategory=xDefault&itemid=NOED08%20Jun%202009%2011%3A46%3A31%3A353

Miracle in Kigali Introduction

Miracle in Kigali

How does it feel to wake up every single morning for over three months facing the prospect that you and your newborn baby will almost certainly be brutally murdered that day?

This was the experience of Illuminée Nganemariya, a young Tutsi bride, now living in Norwich, England. Yet by a seeming miracle Illuminee, and her son Roger miraculously survived the 1994 attempt by Rwanda’s Hutu extremists to wipe their Tutsi neighbours from the face of the earth.

Illuminée existed for 100 days in the living hell of Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, after watching her husband being dragged away to be killed by friends who had celebrated their wedding with them a month earlier.

Then she embarked on a horrific journey through the barbaric holocaust with her newborn son strapped to her back. At any moment a wrong move would have seen them join the 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus who were murdered in three months - at a faster rate than the Nazis achieved in their industrial gas chambers.

One of Africa’s most beautiful and fertile countries, Le Pays de Mille Collines – The Land of a Thousand Hills – Rwanda descended into pre-historic savagery. Fired by a cocktail of drugs and alcohol, the killers went about their work seemingly without remorse or mercy.

Friend murdered friend, slashing and cutting with machetes and bamboo spears. Thousands of women were casually gang-raped. Pregnant women had their unborn babies ripped from their wombs and smashed against the nearest tree or wall. ‘Lucky’ victims paid for a quicker despatch, courtesy of a bullet to the head.

Illuminée Nganemariya is a survivor. She has spent the last decade, living in Norwich, dealing with the trauma of her 100-day nightmare. She is believed to be the first survivor of the Rwandan genocide resident in Britain to tell a personal story of that experience. With the assistance of Paul Dickson, Illuminee has recounted her ordeal in this book to finally put the memory of those tragic events behind her.

It is one woman’s story of enormous personal courage and character -- but most of all it is testament to the indestructibility of the human spirit.

Miracle in Kigali, price £12 can be purchased via Paul Dickson Books www.pauldicksonbooks.co.uk/miracle-in-kigali ; also available as an ebook on all main ebook sites including Amazon.

Finalist in The Creative East Awards 2008 Best Factual Publication.