PROFILE
Marie-Providence Seminega Umutoni

Tutsi survivor
Firstborn child of Tharcisse and Chantal
15 years old during the genocide
Changed schools because of bullying

Marie was born in Rwanda and moved to France with her family when she was five years old. She did not know the difference between Hutu and Tutsi.

Innocence Lost

When her family returned to Rwanda, Marie was nine years old. Tensions between Hutu and Tutsi were increasing. Every day at school her teacher would list and count everyone according to their ethnicity. Each child knew not to look at one another during roll call or talk about their background. To escape daily harassment for being Tutsi, Marie’s parents enrolled her in an international Belgian School where no mention of ethnicity was made. The innocence she had known in France was gone.

Haunted by the Fear of Death

When the plane carrying the presidents of Burundi and Rwanda was shot down, Marie knew in her heart that something bad was going to happen. But she did not think things would turn against her and her family. That changed as they continued to hear reports of Tutsi families being killed in the capital. Marie started to imagine being killed simply because she was Tutsi. She was haunted by the fear of death.

Escape

On April 21, 1994, Marie and her family spent the day going in circles looking for any means of escape. When all seemed hopeless an unexpected visitor, Adolphe, knocked at the door. He quickly organized a rescue plan that meant the family would need to leave their home immediately. Marie quickly followed her mother’s instructions to put on two pair of pants. This would make it more difficult if someone tried to rape her. She grabbed a hooded jacket and her asthma inhaler. When they left their home, Marie went with her parents and two of her siblings. Two of her younger siblings went with Adolphe, which made Marie sad because her family had never been separated.

The next day, while she and her family were hiding in the reed thicket, their friend Justin would shout out words such as courage, patience, and endurance. This gave her the strength to carry on.

Dead Inside

During the time Marie and her family were hidden in the goat shack, it became like a grave. She felt as though they were rotting away with stale air, disgusting odors, and lice. They all had to use a small bucket for a toilet. Marie struggled with feelings of frustration, humiliation, and low self-esteem. She felt dead inside.

From inside the shack Marie could hear the killers brag about raping and killing Tutsi women. The horrifying cries of those who were dying made her feel insecure and terrified.

Never Forget

Marie will always remember July 5, 1994, the day she and her family were rescued from the underground room. She was nothing but skin and bones, feeling humiliated and wounded. She was afraid of enemies that still walked around willing to resume their killing if given the chance.

Back home in Butare, bad memories made it impossible to stay. Everything and everyone was gone, including all of their Tutsi friends, neighbors and relatives.

Although recalling the memories of what happened to her and her family is heartbreaking, Marie would feel guilty if she forgot. She is committed to never allow such a thing to happen again in her life.

Currently, Marie lives in Switzerland with her husband and son.

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