Rwanda Genocide affects Tanzania

        As I was flipping through Salgado's book Migrations, I saw this photo and I was immediately drawn to it. In 1994, the country of Rwanda was hit with one of the most devastating genocides in the history of man kind. It was a bloody battle between the two main tribes in Rwanda-the Hutus and the Tutsis. The Tutsis had been in power, and persecuting the Hutus, until 1962 when the Hutus overthrew the Tutsi monarchy. That was the straw that broke the camels back. After that, persecution upon persecution persisted. Eventually the persecution got so bad that the Tutsi people were fleeing the country. One of the places that was affected by the genocide was Tanzania (click here to watch a short video about this affect), where the picture above was taken. It is said that 250,000 Rwandese flooded into Tanzania-the largest and fastest movement of refugees ever witnessed by the UN Refugee Agency.
        In this photo above, the children are playing on a mound of dirt that these children considered their "playground". In the refugee camps in Tanzania, a system of bathrooms were created by digging large holes in the camp of Benako. These children had nothing else to do in these refugee camps, and so they made the best of the situation they were thrown into.
        The reason this picture speaks to me is because this past summer, I spent two weeks in Cambodia working in a village just one hour outside of Siem Reap. This was just one of the many villages/towns affected by the horror of the Pol Pot regime in the early '70s. We spent most of our time in the schools working with children. We would help construct their new school building, rectify the old building, teach English lessons, deliver medical supplies, install water filters, organize their gardens, interview members of the village (if they were old enough to remember) about the Pol Pot regime, and play with the kids. My favorite job was playing with the kids. They live in complete and utter poverty, yet so little brings them so much joy. They loved to play simple hand games, like Paddy Cake and Down By The Banks. I learned so much from those kids in Cambodia.
        Seeing this picture has a similar affect on me. Even those these kids have been persecuted, thrust out of their homes, and thrown into a new place, many of them still have smiles on their faces. I would guess lots of their parents have died, they have no brothers and sisters, and I would bet every single one of them is facing diseases and sicknesses unlike anything we can imagine. Life in a refugee camp is not easy. There are deaths constantly, hardly enough food, over crowding, and sicknesses. Despite these trials however, the kids in this picture remain smiling and optimistic, considering the circumstances.
        So much can be learned from this small picture. Especially as it is September 11th, I am exceptionally grateful for the freedoms we enjoy in America. We are not suffering from the affects of a genocide, we are not a poverty stricken country, and we do not have a violent dictator leading our country. We have freedom of religion, speech, and are able to vote and have a say in what happens to our country. This is a true blessing, and one that should never be taken for granted.
        These countries that have been affected by political, social, and religious unrest in the past, or present, are still being affected today. That is why I have this blog-to raise awareness that there are people in the world suffering from things like the Rwandan genocide, Pol Pot regime, and Sudan civil war every day.


Salgado, Sebastiao. Photograph. "Migrations: Humanity in Transition." Aperture. New York, 2000. 170.
http://www.history.com/topics/rwandan-genocide
http://www.unhcr.org/3b5402fa1.html
http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/pol-pot.htm