Left to Tell is Immacule Iligabiza’s amazing story about her escape from mass murder during the 1994 Rwandan holocaust, which she accomplished by hiding out in a tiny secret bathroom for 91 days with seven other girls and women. During this period Iligabiza learned how to transcend her fear and physical suffering by communing deeply with God. Ultimately she experienced profound inner peace, grace and forgiveness — not in spite of her ordeal, but because of it.
This book is highly recommended. Iligabiza demonstrates how the harshest condition can be exploited to bring more light into consciousness. The translation of Iligabiza’s name means shining and beautiful in body and soul, and she is true to it. At the end of the book Ilibagiza says "the love of a single heart can make a world of difference," and we are extremely fortunate to have Iligabiza as a role model for dealing with fearful and seemingly desperate conditions.
For purposes of better understanding Iligabiza’s story, it’s helpful to know that Rwanda is located in central Africa and is about the same size as the state of Maryland. The country has a total population of 9 million mostly poor citizens who live on less than $2,000 per person per year.
Two tribes dominate. The Hutus account for about 85% of the population and Tutsis account for about 14% of the population. Over a 100-day period in 1994, Hutu extremists killed about 1 million Tutsis. Iligabiza is a Tutsi. Her parents and two of her three brothers were killed in the holocaust.
Hutu Power was the call to action to exterminate the Tutsi cockroaches: Kill then, kill them, kill them all; kill them big, kill them small. At the start of the holocaust, Iligabiza’s brothers begged her to stay with Pastor Murinzi because she would be raped and killed if the Hutus caught her. Murinzi agreed to hide Iligabiza and SIX other women, including a seven-year-old, in his tiny 4x3 bathroom.
The bathroom had a shower stall and a toilet, but no space for a sink and no space for the women to all sit at one time. Smaller girls sat on laps, and they all took turns switching positions every 12 hours. Even moving an inch was a major production.
Article comments
1 - isabelle
i like the story, i've been reading something else on a little girl who lost her parents in Rwanda's war 1994.
She was lost for a while but then God answered her prayers...
"So many people perished during the genocide, and yet God preserved me...God saved me when i didn't even know Him, and He brought me from death to new life in Jesus."
She met a kind man and his wife who befriended her. they invited her into their home and shared food with her, talked about the loving care of God..they were Seventh-day Adventists..the little girl name Denise loved these people because they wanted to help her find her family.But when they found no living relative,they asked Denise's permission to adopt her.She agreed. At last she had a home again and someone to care for her. the couple often talked to her about GOD.
Denise learned that her father had died in a refugee camp. But she never learned about what had happened to her mother..She was told that she has other relatives in Rwanda, and one day she would like to meet them. But she is torn. She loves her adoptive parents and the God they taught her to love.
" They have given me spiritual roots and a hope for the future," she says.