We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed with Our Families by Gourevitch

Gourevitch tells the story which starts on the morning of April 12 when the Presidential Guard first came to the house for Thomas. The genocide had already killed a lot of people. The family decided that they would rather be killed by a grenade or get shot so they drove to the churh of Sainte Famille. This cathedral was prominent and visible to the international observers in Rwanada. In 1994 the Tutsis who sought refuge here were not exterminated. Killing in such places was incremental. It was initially protected by policemen by their resistance quickly collapsed. The massacre on April 15th aws the first incursion into Sainte Famillie and it was very carefully organized by the interahamwe and the Presidential guard. Only men were killed, they could not find Bonaventure because he was hiding in a small room with his family. The priests did nothing.

One junior priest found Bonaventure a hiding place, even though he was Hutu. He was kind. The sergeant told Thomas that he would die if he did not leave. He went to the radio station and did 6:30 am broadcasts. He managed to get in touch with Hotel des Mille Collines where he later seeked refuge after asking a soldier to drive him there. Thomas went into an army major, Augustin Cyiza’s room where they drank beer and later Cyiza brought Thomas’s wife and daughter. The caretaker manager Paul Rusesabagina used beer to keep the Hutu power leaders drunk so that nobody was killed or taken away from his hotel. He sometimes even gave them money. One morning Paul got a call from Lieutenant Apolllinaire that he wanted all the refugees out in thirty minutes. Paul sent for several for the refugees he trusted the most. There were armed ranks of killers massed at the gate. The authors of the genocide, as they were called by the Rwandans understood that power was the gray force that gave weak people strength. Both hatred and power are passions but hatred is negative and power is positive. Paul tried to appeal to their power.

Odette and her family stayed at the house after hearing the announcement of their death on the radio. Paul made arrangements for them to leave with a lieutenant on April 27th.  The hotel was surrounded by people to prevent new refugees from entering. Odette’s children were stopped and question but after the vice president of the interahamwe came, he recognized the kids and asked the people to stop killing kids otherwise the French will stop arming us hence the children were let go. A lot of people who participated in the killing showed mercy to the Tutsis and protected them. Often people kept a few favourite Tutsis hidden. They agreed to kill more people to not attract attention. They could not be judged innocent because this shows they knew killing is wrong.