Miracle in Kigali

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

Sunday, 24 May 2009

The Big Skill Awards Norfolk 2009

Illuminee is shortlisted in The Big Skill Awards Norfolk 2009, adult learner category. The awards ceremony is outside The Forum, Norwich on Monday 8 June at 6.30pm http://www.alivecom.co.uk/events.asp?eventID=41.

Saturday, 9 May 2009

Meeting with Ignatius Mugabo

We had a very good meeting on Tuesday 5 May with Ignatius Mugabo, Chairman of the Rwandese Community UK during which we had an initial discussion about working together on a biography of Gerard Sina.

Gerard Sina is an inspirational Rwandan entrepreneur who is providing education, training and work for his local community in Nyirangarama. This is is website http://www.sina.co.rw/.

We also went to Deptford to meet Tony Ojorio. He imports primarily green bananas and chillies from Uganda. The aim of the meeting was to discuss the possibility of getting supplies to sell in the Norwich area.

Thursday, 23 April 2009

Another Research Trip to London - Tuesday 5 May

We have arranged to meet Tony Ojorio on Tuesday 5 May in London. He imports Ugandan food products - good research for Illuminee's business.

We will also meet Ignatius Mugabo, Chairman of the Rwandese Community UK for a first meeting about the possibility of a book about Sine Gerard, the producer of akabanga chilli sauce and many other items in Rwanda. This man is an inspirational Rwandese entrepreneur.

Saturday, 18 April 2009

African Food Research

We went to London on Wednesday 15 April to research Ugandan food importers for Illuminee's business, with help from the Rwandan Embassy. We also had lunch at a very good Ugandan Restaurant in Hackney http://www.excelinecatering.co.uk/.

Tuesday, 14 April 2009

New Times Report - Rwandan Genocide Commemoration London

The New Times, Kigali included a report on the Rwandan Genocide Commemoration held in London on 8 April. The news item included a summary of the key points of Illuminee's testimonial. Click this link read the report http://www.newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=13862&article=14865.

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.