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.