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Rwanda genocide survivor Immaculée Ilibagiza to speak in Denver
By Julie Filby
In 1994 the African country of Rwanda suffered one of history’s most savage and bloody genocides. Immaculée Ilibagiza, a young university student, miraculously survived the killing spree that took the lives of more than a million people in three months.
She’s certain she was spared so she could tell the world her story—one of suffering, survival, healing, hope and forgiveness.
Ilibagiza, author of New York Times Best Seller “Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust,” will be in Denver April 1 and 2 to share her inspirational story.
Ilibagiza’s life was transformed during the Rwandan genocide when she and seven other women spent 91 days huddled in silence in a 3-by-4-foot bathroom, hidden by a local pastor. She entered the bathroom a vibrant 115-pound student with a loving family; and emerged weighing just 65 pounds to find that her father, mother and two brothers had been murdered.
As anger and fear ate her alive, she credits prayer—in particular a red and white rosary her father gave her before she went into hiding—for bringing her solace and peace.
“It was through the rosary and my Catholic faith that I came to let go of my anger,” she told the Denver Catholic Register in a phone interview from her New York home. “I wish more people could know the power of the rosary.”
She also found strength, while in hiding, by reflecting on Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
“During that time (in the bathroom) I thought about it: ‘What does it mean?’” she asked. “The cross is really his love, his ultimate love in giving his life.
“Many times we think about that as Christians, but we really don’t really go into the details to understand it, because we don’t need it at that moment,” she said. “But at that time, I needed it. I needed to know: ‘Why did you die for me?’”
Through many hours of prayer, she received the answer.
“Christ was saying, ‘Because I wanted to give you an example of life. I wanted you to know I love you even when you are rejected—I have gone through it,’” she said. “That was really the faith that comforted me, and helps me today.”
In 1998 Ilibagiza immigrated to the United States. Since her first book, she has continued to tell the story of her journey in: “Led by Faith: Rising from the Ashes of the Rwandan Genocide,” “Our Lady of Kibeho,” “If Only We Had Listened” and “Visit from Heaven.”
A major motion picture about her life is in the works by MPower Pictures and expected to be released next year. It will be produced by famed “Passion of the Christ” producer Steve McEveety.
Ilibagiza’s Denver appearances will be hosted by Trading for Treasures, an organization that empowers women of Rwanda by establishing markets for their handicrafts, such as hand-woven baskets. Products will be for sale at her talks with 100 percent of profits benefiting the people of Rwanda. For more information, visit www.tradingfortreasures.org.
“Every human being matters; everybody’s going through something,” she said, citing the need to pray for the people of Japan, Haiti and Libya. “The people of Rwanda need the world so badly. They need people to show them ‘Hey, we’ve got your back.’”
Ilibagiza visits Rwanda 2-3 times a year and leads pilgrimages to the Shrine of Our Lady of Kibeho.
Both speaking engagements are free and open to the public, and will include book signings.
Immaculée Ilibagiza in Denver
When: 7-9 p.m. April 1
Where: Aspen Academy, 5859 S. University Blvd., Greenwood Village
When: 9:30-11:30 a.m., April 2
Where: Our Lady of Loreto Church, 18000 E. Arapahoe Rd., Foxfield
Both events: free; first come, first served
Contact: Kim Hersel, 720-206-7657
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