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JULIET KARUGAHE: BETWEEN TWO WORLDS
Juliet Karugahe is a 23-year-old student at the University of Toronto, but she spent most of her life as a refugee in Kenya and Uganda. Juliet’s parents, who escaped ethnic strife in Rwanda in the 1950s, always dreamed of returning to their homeland.
In 1994, Tutsi refugees were finally allowed to return to Rwanda after a brutal civil war in which over a million Tutsis had been massacred. When the Karugahe family returned, it wasn’t the happy reunion they had hoped for. Her journey to find a place to call home had only just begun.
Photo: Juliet Karugahe
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Rwanda has two dominant ethnic groups, the Hutus and the Tutsis. When Rwanda was under German and then Belgian rule from the late 1800s, the colonialists prefered the Tutsis and gave them the better paying jobs as middlemen and overlords, stoking resentment amongst the Hutu population.
By 1959, frustrated Hutu groups staged riots against the Tutsis and thousands of innocent people were killed. In 1962, when Rwanda declared its independence, the country’s new leaders were from the Hutu majority. Fearing persecution, many Tutsis fled to Uganda where they lived in overcrowded refugee camps.
Like many Tutsis, Juliet’s family fled and lived as refugees in Kenya and Uganda while their brethren in Rwanda faced an uncertain fate in their homeland. In 1994, Hutu extremists launched a devastating genocide in which over a million innocent men, women and children were brutally murdered.
Photo: Juliet's family were refugees first in Kenya, then later in Uganda
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Toronto’s Rwandese community is scattered around the city and there are few places where an outsider can enjoy their wonderful traditions, including music, storytelling, and their fluid and beautiful national dance. And yet, each spring, Torontonians are invited to share those traditions while raising money for orphans in Rwanda through the Annual Walk for Hope in High Park.
At this event, a traditional Rwandese dance troop and other special guests will perform after participants complete a 3 km fundraising walk. The money raised goes to help orphans in Rwanda pay for their education. During the genocide, over 400 thousand Rwandese children lost both their parents.
The Ninth Annual Walk for Hope in High Park will take place on Sunday May 1 2005 from 1:00 to 4.30pm. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet and support the community. For more information visit: http://www.hopefund.on.ca
Photo: Rwandese dancers
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CULTURE AND FUNDRAISING
Hope for Rwanda’s Children Fund
R.P.O. Box 81585
1057 Steeles Avenue West
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M2R 3X1
Telephone:
http://www.hopefund.on.ca
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SCN
Tue, November 7, 2006 @ 8:30 pm (CST)
channel m
Sun, October 15, 2006 @ 11:00 am ()
Mon, October 9, 2006 @ 8:30 am ()
Tue, May 23, 2006 @ 1:00 pm (PST)
Sun, February 26, 2006 @ 9:30 pm (PST)
SCN
Tue, November 8, 2005 @ 10:00 pm (CST)
Canadian Learning Television
Mon, October 24, 2005 @ 9:30 pm (EST)
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Pre-viewing Question:
1. What do you know about the African country, Rwanda? What do you know about other countries in Africa? Do you know more or less about countries in Africa than you know about countries in other parts of the world like Europe or the Middle East? What do you think accounts for this level of knowledge or lack of knowledge about Africa?
Post-viewing Questions:
1. When they were children living in Kenya, Juliet and her brothers, Frances and Michael, were taunted by schoolmates and friends. They were greeted with comments like “Hey, Refugee!” and treated with disdain by some teachers. In Canada, our schools have students who are refugees, immigrants and visible minorities. Does racial and ethnic taunting take place at your school? Has it happened to you or a friend? How should one react to such insults – either as the target of the insults or as a witness?
2. What happened in Rwanda in 1994? Do you remember reading about the Rwandan genocide in the newspapers or seeing T.V. news coverage on the events? What role did Canada play ?
3. Juliet’s family returned to Rwanda during 1994. The difficulty of trying to create a comfortable family life in a post war society came as a shock. What do you think are the main challenges/problems of living in a post war society? What other countries in the world present these post-war challenges to their citizens?
4. Juliet suffered from a depressive illness a few years after coming to Canada. Why do you think she regained her balance so quickly?
5. Juliet says her role model is a former Prime Minister of Rwanda who was killed in the genocide for resisting both the ideology of hate and the violence such an ideology led to. Why is it important to have role models? Do you have a role model? How does he or she inspire you?
Further Research:
1. Outline the role of the west in the Rwandan genocide.
2. Write a short essay on General Dallaire and the role he played or failed to play in Rwanda during the events of 1994.
3. What is post-traumatic stress? Does it only occur after a war or social trauma? What else can precipitate post- traumatic stress?
Additional Research Question:
This film tells the story of a woman who is a role model to women in her family and in her community. Who, in your life has been a role model? If you would like to share the story about this person with other young people to whom you think this story might act as a beacon, please add it to the website www.mothertongue.ca. Alternately, if you would like to read stories that others have posted, please click on the website and become a part of a dialogue about the importance of role models.
Note:
These starting points for discussion and research questions were written by Dr. Carole Ann Reed, an educational consultant. Dr. Reed has worked as a human rights educator for almost twenty years in the Toronto area and has authored and co-authored many articles, curricula, and educational kits as well as a book. The topics she writes about include issues such as the Holocaust, the Rwandan genocide, women’s rights and anti-racism. For several years she was the Director of the Holocaust Centre of Toronto.
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This series of educational videos was made possible with funding from
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Mother Tongue: A woman's history of ethnic Canada is a 13-part TV series that documents Canada's multicultural history from a female perspective. Each program tells the story of a notable woman in one of Canada's communities, including a Black fugitive slave, an Acadian mail order bride, and an Icelandic suffragette.
mother, tongue, woman, history, ethnic, Canada, video, DVD, TV, tele, television, series, show, think, stock, inc., canada, ontario, british, columbia, quebec, education, school
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