Merida, Sabiyumva

Merida, Sabiyumva

Sabiyumva Merida

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Interviewee Age

Born around 1950 or 1952

Interviewee Gender

Female

Geographical Location(s) during the genocide

Muhuzu Village, the commune Burambi, Bururi Province

Current Geographical Location

Muhuzu Village, Burambi commune, Rumonge Province

Interview Date

4-26-2022

Interviewer Name

Florence Nitunga

Summary of Oral History

Sabiyumva Merida was born around 1950 or 1952, in Mugamba, at Kiryama but they moved to live in Burambi, after she got married at Muhuzu in Rumonge. When the 1972 tragedy started, they didn't know why it started, because they were living peacefully in hutus and tutsis. But there came other people called Mayimayi from other provinces. So, when those people came, they went to the people of Merida’s neighbors and harassed them, urging them to help them in killing.

Merida lost her father and her two sisters in that war. Perpetrators went to their home to look for them, and when they went to look for her father, he was not there, he had gone to see his sister who was there in Rumonge, so they killed him when he was going to see her. They also wanted to kill Merida and others, but fortunately their neighbors tried to protect them. Their neighbors warned them to run away. As they ran away, they heard that her little sister was killed and the child who was with her. So Merida ran away. Even their neighbors were obliged to run away because if they didn't accept the order perpetrators gave them, they attempted to kill them. It was the order to kill others. They targeted the ethnic group. At that time, they were persecuting tutsis. Of course even the hutu who didn't accept to practice that evil was harmed.

Merida ran away to the countryside because her mother had already gone upcountry because she got ill and her father had taken her upcountry, when she ran, she was following her mother at Mugamba where her father was born.

Her sisters killed had tried to run away but they were caught. One of her sisters bore a child with her, it was not possible for her to pass through the valleys as Merida did. Merida had things like clothes and money her father had given her which were in a wooden box, when she saw that they approached her, she threw down the box, she passed through the forests, so she was saved but others were killed. On other sides people after knowing what was happening, they wanted revenge.

During that time they looted many things of the victims: livestock, crops, clothes, money, they even burned the houses. They looted all things, they harvested crops.

Merida advises Burundians to change and come from wicked ways and go forward, they should only look for means to live, and stop wickedness. They should not follow wicked people because those sorrowful things were done by wicked people, avid of materials and not patriots. People should stop evil things, they should only look for life, they should love each other in order to prosper. If people don't love each other, they can't develop, but if they love each other, help one another, they will develop and build their country, it will be peaceful and prosperous.

Named Persons

Sabiyumva Merida, Ntezahorirwa Peter: her father, Nintunze Rinzi: her mother, Niyonizigiye Therese and Domithile and Ndayirukiye Seth: her siblings, Ndayizamba: her daughter.

Named Places

Muhuzu and Rumonyi and Midodo and Kiryama: villages, Mugamba and Burambi : communes, Rumonge and Bururi : provinces

Length of Oral History

00:40:51

Language(s) of Oral History

Kirundi

Language(s) of Transcripts

Kirundi, English

Translator for Transcripts

Pasteur Niyomwunger

Field Folder Number

98

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT - EDUCATIONAL USE PERMITTED This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. In addition, no permission is required from the rights-holder(s) for educational uses. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Download Merida Sabiyumva - Oral History Transcript and Translation (Kirundi and English) (383 KB)

Merida, Sabiyumva

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