African Journal of Philosophy and Religious Studies

African Journal of Philosophy and Religious Studies ISSN 1621-4587 Vol. 2 (10), pp. 001-007, October, 2016. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Righteous Hutus: Can stories of courageous rescuers help in Rwanda’s reconciliation process

Paul Conway

Political Science, SUNY College at Oneonta, New York, USA. E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 18 June, 2016

Abstract

Many believe that stories of heroic rescuers can make a modest contribution to reconciliation efforts years after genocide occurs. One extended effort to gather stories of Hutu rescuers in Rwanda led to a Kinyarwanda publication and the posting of a blogsite with several dozen narratives. The purpose of this paper is to share the essence of some of the rescue stories and observations about the reconciliation process in that country. The slowly growing number of Hutu rescue stories now emerging is grounds for very cautious optimism about the country’s gradual reconciliation.

Key words: Rwanda, Kinyarwanda, genocide, reconciliation, rescue, stories, courage, religion.