Christ Walks Where Evil Reigned
Responding to the Rwandan Genocide
by Emmanuel M. Kolini, Archbishop of Rwanda & Peter R. Holmes
GoodBookStall Review:
This is not an easy book either to read or to review, dealing with matters so dark and disturbing that the presence of study questions at the end of each chapter strikes an incongruous note. The book makes a creditable attempt to examine in depth the events leading up to, and the reasons behind, the terrible atrocity of 1994. It is a complex matter with many interwoven issues, and the authors handle it as even-handedly, honestly and comprehensively as is possible in a work of this size, including the roles of the church and governments without excusing any of the actual participants. The big questions run throughout: How to bring about healing and reconciliation in a people so brutalised and devoid of trust? How to handle the need for justice, the desire for revenge, the disillusionment with God and His people? With many fearing a recurrence of the violence, the matter is urgent, but healing cannot be rushed. The book ends on a note of cautious hope, tempered with realism. Rwanda’s recovery will be a long hard road for all concerned, and its fate holds lessons and warnings for many other places in the world where division and hatred take an increasing hold.
Reviewer: Diane Morrison (26/03/10)
This is not an easy book either to read or to review, dealing with matters so dark and disturbing that the presence of study questions at the end of each chapter strikes an incongruous note. The book makes a creditable attempt to examine in depth the events leading up to, and the reasons behind, the terrible atrocity of 1994. It is a complex matter with many interwoven issues, and the authors handle it as even-handedly, honestly and comprehensively as is possible in a work of this size, including the roles of the church and governments without excusing any of the actual participants. The big questions run throughout: How to bring about healing and reconciliation in a people so brutalised and devoid of trust? How to handle the need for justice, the desire for revenge, the disillusionment with God and His people? With many fearing a recurrence of the violence, the matter is urgent, but healing cannot be rushed. The book ends on a note of cautious hope, tempered with realism. Rwanda’s recovery will be a long hard road for all concerned, and its fate holds lessons and warnings for many other places in the world where division and hatred take an increasing hold.
Reviewer: Diane Morrison (26/03/10)
