We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families: Stories from Rwanda, by Philip Gourevitch
 The Rwandan genocide of 1994 was a tragedy largely ignored by the western world. In just 100 days, close to one million people were killed by their neighbors, coworkers and former friends. During that time, the United Nations and independent foreign governments argued over the definition of genocide, leaving the small African country almost entirely on its own to face the violence. It was only when a rebel force of Rwandan Tutsi and Hutu refugees, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, re-entered the country and captured Kigali that a solution to the massacre seemed likely.
The aftermath of the genocide and the reactions of the Rwandan people have been difficult to comprehend; few successful attempts have been made to explain those feelings to outsiders, even to Rwandans themselves. Philip Gourevitch tackles this task with gripping style in his New York Times bestselling nonfiction, We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families: Stories from Rwanda.
Although Gourevitch is an American journalist, the chronicles of his trips to Rwanda and his retelling of stories told by those he meets are revealing and sensitive, almost as if they are told by someone who lived through the genocide. His book treats all its subjects with respect and dignity.
Gourevitch begins with interviews from Rwandan Tutsis of all walks of life: those who survived the massacre and others who had already fled Rwanda by 1994. The stories told reflect life before and after 1994 – warning signs, massacres of varying size throughout the twentieth century and the growing mentality that allowed people to kill and be killed without resisting, are all explained by these arresting testimonials.
After telling the story of the genocide, Gourevitch goes on to interview surviving masterminds; ministers, government officials and ordinary citizens, including those who are seeking political asylum in other countries. Explanations and denials from these individuals clarify, for the reader, problems that the country and its citizens face in healing the wounds left by this tragedy.
In the final part of his book, the author outlines the involvement of foreign governments – African and Western – in the Rwandan genocide and the small wars and massacres that occurred as a result. Gourevitch, through interviews with the current president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, and interpretations of international news reports, analyzes the causes and consequences of refugee massacres and militarized refugee camps.
This book is as close as the reader will come to a comprehensive explanation and understanding of the Rwandan genocide without having lived through the genocide itself. Rwanda’s history and future, the minds of its people and the mindset of the world’s onlookers can all begin to be understood through this book. Most importantly, the book outlines the challenges Rwanda has faced and continues to struggle against as the country rebuilds itself under a system of national, not ethnic, unity.
Any visitor or resident of Rwanda should be encouraged to read Gourevitch’s masterpiece in order to understand the country and its ongoing struggles.
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