Miracle in Kigali

Wednesday, 31 December 2008

Rwandan Office of Information Report

Click here to see the Rwandan Office of Information report on the launch of Miracle in Kigali at The Irish Centre, Camden, London on 11 October 2007.

http://www.orinfor.gov.rw/DOCS/Amakuru27.htm

Tuesday, 30 December 2008

50 Christmas Trees in a Church 2007

In December 2007 we took part in the 50 Christmas Trees in a Church event, http://www.50christmastrees.co.uk/ at Dickleburgh Church, South Norfolk. Our Miracle in Kigali tree was one of more than 50 colourful Christmas Trees that decorated the church for this Christmas celebration. Illuminee and Roger are pictured with the Miracle in Kigali tree.

Tuesday, 23 December 2008

Holy Trinity Church Event

More than 100 people attended the Miracle in Kigali event at Holy Trinity Church, Norwich on 6 November 2007. Illuminee spoke about the meaning of reconciliation and Paul read from the book.

Illuminee and Roger are pictured with Rosemary English who organised the event.

Cambridge Student Review

Read Louisa Sutton's review of Miracle in Kigali for Cambridge Student magazine at

http://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/impact/arts/from-rwanda-to-norwich/

Thursday, 18 December 2008

Harmabe Book Signing

Harambe, Glynis Potter's shop in Felixstowe hosted a book signing for Miracle in Kigali on Saturday 6 October 2007. Illuminee and Roger are pictured at work.

Miracle in Kigali London Launch

His Excellency Claver Gatete, Rwanda's Ambasador to the UK was guest of honour at the London launch of Miracle in Kigali at The Irish Centre Camden on the evening of Thursday 11 October 2007. This special event with the Rwandese Community Association featured traditional Rwandan dancers. BBC World Service attended the event and record an interview which was broadcast in Rwanda.

Wednesday, 17 December 2008

Tales of a Survivor

Read 'Tales of a Survivor' from The Norwich Advertiser

http://www.advertiser24.co.uk/content/advertiser24/news/story.aspx?tBrand=NOROnline&itemid=NOED02%20Nov%202007%2010%3A52%3A47%3A933&category=News&brand=NOROnline

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.