Rudahemana, Oscar

Rudahemana, Oscar

Oscar Rudahemana

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Interviewee Age

Born in 1956

Interviewee Gender

Male

Interviewee Level of Education in 1972

Dropped out of school in sixth grade

Geographical Location(s) during the genocide

Kigobe Village, the commune was Vumbi, Kirundo arrondissement, the province was Muyinga

Current Geographical Location

Kigobe Village, the commune is Vumbi, the province Kirundo

Interview Date

2-16-2022

Interviewer Name

Philippe Mukamarakiza

Summary of Oral History

Oscar Rudahemana was born in 1956 in Gasura village, Vumbi commune, Kirundo province. He dropped out of school in sixth grade when he failed twice. He recounts that the 1972 tragedy was a very sorrowful period especially for a Hutu who had a job, whether a teacher or a doctor, or one who had any kind of work. At that time, they hunted him so that they would kill him from this world.

That’s why Oscar and others became orphans, they suffered and they didn't know how to handle that situation. Nobody could even mourn  for his parents. If someone dared to ask why those things[killings] were and how those things[war] broke out at that time, they then told him that he was a traitor. They found themselves in a situation where they couldn’t talk about it. They couldn’t talk about it at that time and it was very difficult and very sad.

They rounded up Oscar’s father from his school, in Gasura where he was teaching and they killed him. His father( Oscar's grandfather) and other people had warned him to escape and run away because they saw that they were taking away many hutu people but he denied. Then he stayed there until the end of May, he was already confident, the period of truce was about to be announced, then they heard that they took him away from school. People said that “it’s over, they had taken him away”. Among the perpetrators who arrested him were administrator Gahima Etienne and his soldiers. They entered the classroom and then said, "Get out!" They immediately went out and they threw them into the car. They left and didn't come back. After that, they all looked around and found that hutu people who were smart, who had jobs perished. Oscar’s family got a very miserable life after their father’s death, even though they had a good life before, they couldn’t continue their studies, they suffered too much.

Oscar wishes those bad things would not happen again until the end of the world, whatever the future may be, they would not reoccur, they should be uprooted.

Named Persons

Sembamba Antoine: his father, Igirukwishaka Marie, Bigirindavyi Abraham, Hatungimana Bernadette: his siblings, Barushibwira Severin and Bernadette: his grandparents, Gahima Etienne: the administrator at that time who arrested hutus, Stanislas: who tried to loot their house after their father’s death

Named Places

Gasura: village, Vumbi, commune, Kirundo : province , Gasura, kukamabungo, Kukanyabugiri, Cumva : schools where his father worked , Irimbi: where they took arrested people

Length of Oral History

00:35:36

Language(s) of Oral History

Kirundi

Language(s) of Transcripts

Kirundi, English

Translator for Transcripts

Translator: Pasteur Niyomwungere, Transcriptionist: — Sylvane Ndihokubwayo

Field Folder Number

39

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 Oscar Rudahemana - Oral History Transcript and Translation (Kirundi and English) (161 KB)

Rudahemana, Oscar

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