ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tharcisse Seminega is a survivor of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. He was born in that country in 1941 and raised in a Catholic family. While growing up, Tharcisse witnessed Rwanda’s turbulent transition from colonial power to independence. In 1994, he was serving as a senior lecturer at the National University of Rwanda when his colleagues, friends, and neighbors turned against him. Tharcisse, his wife Chantal, and their five children were hidden by Hutu Jehovah’s Witnesses and their friends. These rescuers risked their own lives for 75 days in life-threatening situations to help the Seminega family survive the machete’s fury. By the end of the 100-day genocide, more than 120 of their family members had been brutally massacred.
Dr. Seminega holds Bachelor’s degrees in Philosophy and Education, Biological Sciences, and Translation. He holds a Master’s degree in Nutrition and Food Science, and a PhD in Biotechnology and Food Industry. He taught Biological Sciences and Biochemistry at the National University of Rwanda in Butare from 1977 to 2001.
Tharcisse, along with his family, immigrated to Canada in 2003. He taught Biochemistry and Cell Biology at the University of Alberta. He has also worked as a translator for the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada and the Ottawa Court House. He speaks English, French, Italian, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, and Swahili. Today, Tharcisse and Chantal volunteer their time to share their experience with students around the world.
He is the author of “No Greater Love: How my Family Survived the Genocide in Rwanda.”