Copyright © 2019 GM&A Publishing
Excerpts by permission of Publisher
PROFILE
Benjamin Seminega
Tutsi survivor
Youngest child of Tharcisse and Chantal
Seven years old during the genocide
Temporarily separated from his parents
Experienced asthma attacks and starvation
Benjamin was born in France and was 18 months old when his family returned to Rwanda. It is still challenging for him to remember the details of the distressing events of the genocide.
Frightening Sights and Sounds
Just prior to the genocide, the Seminega children were playing soccer in the front yard when all of a sudden they saw two soldiers taking a man down a hill and beating him while he screamed. They watched silently. In the following days Benjamin saw protests in the streets and military planes flying overhead. He could hear gunshots and blasts in the nearby woods where militiamen and soldiers would train. On several occasions Benjamin and his family slept in the hallway of their home for their safety. He was scared of the darkness and the noises outside.
On the night the Seminega family fled their home, Benjamin and his older sister Naomi were separated from their parents. Adolphe, a family friend, took them to his house. While they were there, militiamen came several times looking for the small “cockroaches.” Benjamin saw his sister violently attacked and he wondered how he would survive alone if she were killed.
Don’t Make a Sound
Several days later, Benjamin and his sister reunited with their family who were hiding in a goat shack. Now he had to keep completely silent so the killers outside of the shack would not know there were "cockroaches" hiding inside. This was easy for seven-year-old Benjamin to forget. It was very cramped, dirty, and dusty with no fresh air. He had asthma attacks and would have to wrap his head in a blanket and cough into the mattress so the many people passing by would not hear him. One night, just outside of the goat shack, Benjamin and his father were able to wash themselves with water from a bucket. They heard footsteps in the field and his father told him to stay still, afraid it was militiamen.
Always Hungry
Later, when the family had to be moved, they again split into small groups. This time Benjamin went with his mother who carried him piggyback for over four miles to the place where they would stay for two weeks. Food was very limited, and Benjamin was always hungry. Even though his mother and their host would give up their food for him, he still showed signs of malnutrition. His hair turned red, and his belly swelled.
A plan was needed to safely move Benjamin and his mother to the underground room. He was asked to disguise himself and say he was the twin brother of a Hutu friend. He didn’t want to lie but he was never questioned. He and his mother safely joined the rest of the family in the underground room. Benjamin fondly remembers his oldest sister Marie’s face shining with joy when she saw him.
Traumatizing Memories
After their rescue, Benjamin and his family spent a few weeks in the survivors’ camp of Shyanda. It was dark, scary and it was not safe. They were afraid to go to the latrine pits outside the camp without being guarded by a soldier. Survivors would try to identify their loved ones or neighbors among the dead bodies. The smell was terrible. Hutu men suspected of participating in the genocide were brought before the survivors to be tried on the spot. Benjamin heard the screams of men being tortured and saw some of them being shot. Up to this point, he had not seen anyone being killed. These are images that he will never forget.
Benjamin now lives in Canada, where he immigrated with his family in 2003.