“I’ll Never Tell My Mother”: A Memoir of the Genocide in Rwanda

Having been introduced by chance in December 2019, Beatha Uwazaninka and Sam Mitschke have been working together since to write Beatha’s account of how she survived the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda.

Beatha was just 13 when the genocide started, a Tutsi schoolgirl stranded in Kigali. With her widowed mother back at home in a distant village, and no way to know if she was still alive, Beatha spent 100 days on the run. Relying on luck, her wits, and the protection of strangers, Beatha moved from place to place to escape the Hutu génocidaires—fleeing roadblocks, searching for food, and witnessing the murders of friends and strangers alike. Finally, with the victorious Rwandan Patriotic Front closing in and the killings starting to come to an end, Beatha began the long walk home—not knowing what might be waiting for her on the road, or if she would ever be reunited with her mother…

It is anticipated that I’ll Never Tell My Mother will be released later in 2021. For more information about the book, to have Beatha speak at your class or group, or to book a workshop with Beatha and Sam on working with survivor testimony, please get in touch.