On April 6, 1994, President Juvenal Habyarimana was killed when as his plane was shot out of the sky. This started a chain reaction that lead to the mass killings of my people, the Tutsi, and any who did not wish to kill us all across Rwanda. 800,000 people were killed in 100 days. One tenth of the country's population had been wiped out. I was one of the lucky ones. My name is Tharcisse Mukama and I survived. I was born on June 15, 1928 in Ruhengeri, which is in the North Province of Rwanda. Just like everyone else I was given an identity card. There were the Hutu and the Tutsi. On my identity card there was stamped "Tutsi". Throughout my younger years, people were still trying understand why we had been given these identity cards in the first place. I found out that it was a rank on ones appearance. In my small neighborhood there would be Tutsi and Hutu. This was when Hutu and Tutsi got along until the identity card was presented in 1926. I was told Tutsi were the people who looked more taller, lighter-skinned, and have sharper noses. This made no difference to me for I was just a young selfless child and did not know how much my rank was the risk for my life. As I grew up I went to school and finished in 1942. I then married my beautiful wife in 1950. She was Hutu. Life seemed calm, until 9 years later. 1959 was when the history of the tragic genocide broke. King Rudahigwa had died and Kigeri took the throne. Bikamumpaka opposed to Kigeri as King and exclaimed to the Hutu about exterminating all Tutsi. The Europeans had put  the Tutsi in power, but now they were gone. The Hutu made up the overwhelming majority and took control of the country. Hutu extremists began to spread propaganda about the Tutsi which started the genocide. Before, the Hutu never thought of killing anyone because some Hutu were my neighbors. I knew them, but they began burning houses anyway. Thousands of Tutsi were evacuating to the provincial town. I was told to evacuate to Bugesera as well but I decided to stay on my land I owned. Then I ended up heading to Nyamata with my wife, two kids grandmother, and grandfather as refugees. This is where the mass killings began and how I managed to survive it all. Most of the murders were on conflicted on the wealthy and educated. There was a church for refugees but it seemed as if the Hutu aimed more at the churches since I remember seeing more bodies piled near God's house. The Tutsi probably believed that praying would save them. Unfortunately, they were wrong. Then there was a new King on the throne, King Habyarimana, in 1973. Ever since he had died from the plane attack that was when things began to go over the top. I would hear the Hutu Power Radio on every day. From April 11 we tried to fight back the Hutu but there was no use. Gunshots could be heard in the distance and fires arose. People ran towards the churches but my wife and children ran to the tall grass to hide. My wife died in the brush of the wild Rwandan grass along with my 6 other children. Sometimes I regret things such as not dying with my family but I know I am lucky and the series of events I had witnessed will remain in my mind. I will never forget what I have seen, done, and gone through to survive such an epidemic. 


 -Disclaimer: All information listed on this site is part of a school project. The views of the children involved to not necessarily reflect that of the actual Tharcisse Mukama. This story is our interpretation. If you happen to come across this website Mr. Mukama, I hope we did your story justice.-