Consolee Nishimwe Quotes

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

I am part of making people be aware of how genocide can happen, so. And if we are aware, we can make sure we prevent that from happening again.

Physical violence happened to me, and also living with HIV as a result of that, it’s something I will never forget—that will never go anywhere, that I have to live with.

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.

Rape is a weapon of the genocide.

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.

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

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

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

Do something. . . Be aware. . . Learn from history. It can happen anywhere.

What happened in one day can happen anywhere, and people should be aware of [this], because it’s not something that happens overnight.

My life matters. . . No matter what you’ve been through, you should never give up. Never lose hope.

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