On Tuesday, October 29th, Delbarton welcomed Immaculée Ilibagiza, a survivor of the Rwandan Genocide of 1994, to campus. As a motivational speaker and New York Times bestselling author, Immaculée seeks to spread her inspirational tale of survival, centered on faith, hope, and forgiveness.
The Rwandan genocide was a clash between two ethnic groups, the Hutus and the Tutsis, in which radical Hutu militias attempted to exterminate the Tutsis. After foreign powers and international organizations such as the United Nations hesitated to intervene, the 90-day conflict led to approximately 800,000 deaths.
During the genocide, Immaculée was forced to flee her family and hide in a local pastor’s house. Along with seven other women, Immaculée spent 91 days in a twelve-square-foot bathroom, as extremist Hutus searched the house and issued death threats to Immaculée. Not only did Immaculée suffer physically from a lack of nourishment, but she struggled mentally and experienced extreme anger, initially questioning why God was allowing her to suffer. Yet, rather than letting this frustration consume her, Immaculée maintained trust in God and strengthened her faith, as she immersed herself in prayer with the rosary that her father gave her.
After the genocide ended, Immaculée discovered that her entire family, apart from one of her brothers, had been murdered. However, instead of perpetuating the cycle of hatred in Rwanda, Immaculée chose to forgive, even pardoning the man who murdered some of her family members, as she understood that “they know not what they do.” Later, Immaculée spent some time working for the United Nations before she began to share her story and published her memoir, Left to Tell.
Hopefully, after listening to her compelling narrative, the Delbarton community can learn from Immaculée’s perseverance, faith, and willingness to forgive others.
