"To have freedom you need to release hate": the Rev Philbert Kalisa
(Photo: © Jeremy Woodham/CMS)Rwanda is booming in many respects – but much work remains to heal the wounds of the genocide. Philbert Kalisa told the remarkable story of REACH at CMS this week
Seventeen years after Rwanda's genocide the country has transformed itself with effective policies on education and development making the country one of Africa's most promising economies.
It seems impossible to an outsider that the same kind of turnaround could happen in communities that were split apart by hatred and killing.
Yet Rwandans like the Rev Philbert Kalisa are leading the way and discovering a remarkable capacity for forgiveness in many of their fellow citizens.
Himself a Rwandan born in exile, Philbert set up REACH – Reconciliation, Education and Christian Healing 15 years ago to answer the question "How can we break the cycle of violence that started in 1959?"
"That's when divisions in the country were started by the colonials when they were applying their policy of divide and rule," says Philbert, speaking at CMS Oxford this week, along with REACH trustee Sally Botteley. Sally is a CMS member and is part of CMS's Africa Forum. She has played a key part in setting up REACH as a registered charity.
Philbert's own family fled violence in 1961, which is how he came to spend his first 29 years as a refugee.
"In 1994 the hatred which has been existing broke out – one million people killed in 100 days, hundreds of thousands of orphans and widows, people injured and traumatised, and refugees coming back who had been in exile for more than 35 years, other refugees who fled to Congo when the former regime was defeated.
"All that - the country has to deal with."
It's these root causes that REACH examines in its seminars, as it brings different groups from church leaders to local politicians to women and young people together to learn how essential the process of forgiveness is.
"One analogy we use is this: a snake biting someone leaves venom inside your body – and if you don't take out that venom you will die." So people tend to look for the snake before they see a doctor – so that they can find the right antidote.
"Humanly speaking you want revenge, but in order for you to have freedom you need to release this hate."
The seminars have led on to some remarkable practical outcomes, especially with prisoners – former killers – who have now been released back into the community.
"Some of the prisoners who have attended our seminars have realised that they needed to ask for forgiveness but they felt that was not enough – they wanted to do something to show they have appreciated the forgiveness they have received."
So far 38 homes have been built for survivors of the genocide and other vulnerable people. This restorative justice programme brings people together in a remarkable way – with survivors feeding the prisoners while they do the work.
Some survivors have even adopted children of killers into their families as a sign of their commitment to unity and to show the power of forgiveness.
Other remarkable acts by survivors after REACH seminars include taking food to people still in prison for genocide crimes. Philbert says he has seen this have a transformative effect on the prisoners, who also then have people in the community ready to welcome them when they are released.
Please pray for REACH
- for God's wisdom for Philbert and the team as they teach people about reconciliation with great sensitivity
- for sustainability – they want to launch projects to generate more income for themselves
You can learn more about the work of REACH in the new edition of
Mid-Africa News.