Consolee Nishimwe Quotes

Genocide doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process. There are so many stages.

I want to make sure that those that are no longer here - their voices, their lives, their names . . . are alive. They were alive. They existed. . . My duty is to make sure that what happened is heard.

Words matter. Words have power. We saw in Rwanda, it [the genocide] started from words.

“I wanted to be in a place where I can start a new life, I needed to start a new life in a place where I’ve never experienced what I’ve experienced. At that time, it was for me to start a new life, through a journey of healing. Leaving Rwanda was easy for me because of the trauma experiences I have had. So I felt like I needed to be in a different place. It happened to be that I came to America because my cousin was here.

There are women survivors who are not able to share their stories. I have been able to help them, when it came to helping those who were raped, share their stories which is something they had not been able to talk about.

The international community was watching what was happening but they were not intervening which was very sad for me to see.

There’s a mantra that I live with. No matter what horrible circumstances you may face in your life, never lose hope.

For me, to share is so I encourage my fellow survivors to share their story. I want to be a part of helping - making sure the history of my family is told.

The genocide in Rwanda was preventable if the international community had intervened.

Rape is a weapon of the genocide.

And some of us live with the consequences because of what we’ve been through during the genocide.

My feelings of pain and suffering now have also become a way of helping other people and a big part of helping society in general. So, it was not easy. But I’m glad that I never gave up. I persisted and pushed myself to become stronger than before.

I survived for a reason.

I want to make sure that the world knows what we’ve been through, the suffering we’ve been through, and how we overcame.

It was important for me to never give up on life. There is a reason why I am alive. I have a purpose. That is why I am here talking to you .