Nijimbere, Judith

Nijimbere, Judith

Judith Nijimbere

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Interviewee Age

Born in 1958

Interviewee Gender

Female

Interviewee Level of Education in 1972

Just finished the seventh grade

Geographical Location(s) during the genocide

Bururi commune and province

Current Geographical Location

Muzima village, Bururi commune and province

Interview Date

12-12-2023

Interviewer Name

Member of the GHRAD research team

Summary of Oral History

Judith Nijimbere was born in 1958 in Bururi commune and province. In Burarana village, it borders Muzima. Before the 1972 tragedy, her family was really doing well. They were surprised when that tragedy began, because they were living peacefully.

In 1972, Judith had finished the seventh grade; she dropped out and she stayed home. She got married after three years, she didn't get a job in the government.

When tragedy broke out, they fled from school, she was studying at Lycée of Bururi. So many lives were lost ; in her family, there were about three important relatives killed. Among them were two uncles who were arrested from a vigil place, they took them away, they were twelve men who were dumped in the pit of Muzenga. Those uncles who were taken away were the ones who provided means of living to Judith and her siblings, they did different kinds of business. After the 1972 tragedy Judith didn't return to school; she dropped out of school.

There was a vigil place near their home, they rounded all twelve men. They found the pit at Muzenga full of dead bodies. One man informed them about it, he escaped from that pit because it was full and he stayed in hiding for three days on the river; he died very late.

Those who killed them were even mentioned. There was a man from the gendarme who came from far away in Vyanda commune, then he  went there after being called by others [native of village] to arrest them and to bring them there. After  killing people, they plundered cows and other things. Among perpetrators, there was Makakaza, he was a soldier and he came from Vyanda.

At school, they didn't know exactly what it was. If a Hutu passed a national test in school, they could find some contradictions; they then took the grades of the Hutu and attributed it to a Tutsi; so he passed the test though you would see he was not intelligent.

Named Persons

Nijimbere Judith, Makakaza: Perpetrator, Diyoneziyo Fyoto

Named Places

Bururi: High school, Bururi: Province, Vyanda: Commune, Muzima, Burarana: Villages, Muzenga: zone

Length of Oral History

00:34:19

Language(s) of Oral History

Kirundi

Language(s) of Transcripts

Kirundi, English

Translator for Transcripts

Pasteur Niyomwungere

Field Folder Number

117

Rights

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Download Judith Nijimbere - Oral History Transcript and Translation (Kirundi and English) (266 KB)

Nijimbere, Judith

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