A Heartfelt Event at the Museum of Tolerance: Embracing Life
Storytelling
We believe in the power that stories heal, inspire, and connect us. Recently, we had the honor of contributing to an event at the Museum of Tolerance to celebrate the launch of Dydine Umunyana Anderson’s memoir, "Embrace Life: How I Survived the Tutsi Genocide in Rwanda." This event was not only a milestone in Dydine’s journey but also a profound experience for everyone who attended.
The event was filled with heartfelt moments and powerful reflections. Attendees were deeply moved by Dydine’s story of resilience, hope, and the human spirit’s capacity to overcome unimaginable adversity. One of the most touching aspects of the evening was the poems created by audience members using words from Dydine’s book. These poems beautifully encapsulated the essence of her memoir and the emotions it evoked.
We want to show gratitude to the Museum of Tolerance for showing unwavering support for Dydine and her journey throughout the past decade. Thank you to Jackie Young for having come up with this beautiful idea with the poems, to Dr. Linda Blanshay for writing her beautiful foreword for Embrace Life, to Gabriella Bohm and to Lorraine Sais for organizing this event, and Carlos for translating the event in Spanish, just to name a few!
Poems from the Heart
She is Umunyana, a young girl, surrounded by emerald hills. No matter what life brought her, she vowed never to let her smile fade. Rwanda, the entire country had been destroyed. It would be many years before true healing could begin. Sadness, a broken heart. It's only temporary. Tears flow, no one dared even whisper. Tired and confused but hope, great beauty.*
My country was once called the land of milk and honey, an ancient land surrounded by emerald hills, beauty, sanctuary. Overnight it has become a land of blood and sorrow. Women seemed to suffer violence, pain, loneliness. The words are written in my heart. I wanted to have a real home, to feel its protection and comfort. Rwanda, a great beauty.
The words are written in my heart. Rwandan culture, time for families, a voice, time. Humanity, home, life, love, people. We are born, we are my name, my family, my country, a person. She vowed never to let her smile fade.
Women seemed to suffer so much in times of conflict. I wanted to stand up for myself as a young girl when I mistakenly believed I had no control over my future, and give other girls hope that they too had the power to change their lives. But time after time we go on to become something, because we think big. I can do just about anything.
We are born, we grow up, we become, and we skip ahead. We go on. We’ve survived and accomplished.
My small body trembles, reminds me of how scary it is to tell the truth of what has happened to you, to me, to others in the world. Let us be as brave as you, as courageous.
A devastating loneliness set in. Something about this scared me, I was not a child. Those who survived, survived the physical not the psychological. The killers, a legacy of bodies, Europeans determined to make their home anywhere. My country Rwanda, land of milk and honey, emerald hills, sadness, joy, or broken heart, ancient land of blood and sorrow, great beauty. Never let her smile fade, whisper words that should never be said. Good luck.
The smile faded from her lips, good luck, a legacy of tension. Terrifying, confusing, and people meant to be cruel. Destroyed. My country, land of milk and honey. Rwanda.
We extend our deepest gratitude to the Museum of Tolerance for their support and for providing a platform where stories of survival and hope can be shared and celebrated. This collaboration has been instrumental in spreading Dydine’s message and connecting with a broader audience.
We are committed to continuing our mission of promoting kindness, understanding, and resilience. We invite you to join us in this journey by sharing your own stories of hope and perseverance. Let’s inspire each other and create a world where every story matters.
Thank you to everyone who attended the event and contributed to its success. Your presence and participation mean the world to us and to Dydine.
Stay tuned for more events and stories that celebrate the power of the human spirit.
Warmest regards,
The Kind Kulture Team
Additionally, this book has been published in Spanish in Colombia, the Museum of Tolerance and our website! We are working very hard to place it in book stores and libraries around the country and abroad.
On April 6, 1994, the plane carrying the president of Rwanda was shot down. From that moment, 100 days of massacre began, leaving more than 1 million Tutsis dead. Dydine Umunyana Anderson was only four years old when the genocide erupted, devastating the fertile "land of milk and honey." Thirty years after the violent onslaught by the Hutus, this testimony confronts us with the wounds of postcolonial Africa and reveals the long process of reconciliation that Rwanda and Dydine have undergone to heal and embrace life.
And a special thank you to Artimaña for championing this book and making this version come to life, and Giuliane Cerón for her beautiful illustrations for Embrace Life!
Make sure to check out her work on Instagram here!