The Shadow of Imana

"As evidence emerged of the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, the outside world reeled in shock. What could have motivated these individual and collective acts of evil? In 1998 Véronique Tadjo travelled to Rwanda to try to find out. She started with the premise that what happened in Rwanda concerns us all. It is a reminder that humankind the world over is capable of genocide. Records of what the author saw--sites of massacres, corpses, weapons dumps--are combined with personal stories: of traumatised returnees, bereaved survivors, rape victims, orphans, lawyers faced with the impossible task of doing justice, prisoners. But [this book] goes beyond reportage. With passages savouring of poetry and traditional tales, Tadjo explores the spiritual legacy of the genocide and uncovers a healing vitality and a commitment to forgiveness."--Publisher's description, from p. [4] of cover.