The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire Hosts Author of “When Love Prevails” –
A Story of Surviving the Rwandan Genocide
Portsmouth, NH: On Thursday, September 26, 2019 at 5:30 pm, the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (BHTNH) will host a book talk with Jean Bosco Rutagengwa, author of “When Love Prevails”. The event, part of the weekly educational Thursday on the Trail series, is free and open to the public, and will be held at the BHTNH headquarters at 222 Court Street in Portsmouth, NH.
This intriguing book is the unforgettable story of Jean Bosco Rutagengwa and his wife, Christine, and how their love and faith sustained them in the face of the Rwandan genocide
Twenty-five years ago this April a savage campaign of genocide began against the Tutsi people of Rwanda. In the space of 100 days a million people died at the hands of their countrymen. “When Love Prevails” is the true story of two survivors of the Genocide, who lost everything except their faith and one another.
Jean Bosco Rutagengwa worked as a government official; he and his fiancée, Christine, were among the millions caught up in one of the most terrible events of modern times. While most of their family members perished, they found refuge in what became famous as “Hotel Rwanda.”
The Rutagengwa’s story of survival is at once a love story and a harrowing look at what happens when a country is overrun by evil. Theirs is also a story of faith—an effort to find God in the midst of horror, to continue to believe even as you face the death of your loved ones—and of their struggle, when the horror finally ended, to find and to share meaning, healing, and reconciliation.
Born in Rwanda, Jean Bosco Rutagengwa served a Director General of Foreign Trade and as Chief of Staff at the Rwandan Ministry of Commerce. He is co-founder and first president of IBUKA, the organization for Genocide survivors. Jean Bosco, Christine and their family immigrated to the United States in 2000 and settled in New Hampshire, where they live today. They continue to share their story and the story of Rwanda, accompanying faith and humanitarian groups who seek to understand their country’s past and its long struggle to heal.
This book talk is a part of the ongoing educational outreach that is the mission of the BHTNH. For the past 20 years the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail has been a leader in celebrating the history and culture of people of color in New Hampshire through a series of educational programs and special events. The BHTNH is honored to continue that tradition by offering five major programs per year and, tours and other special programs like this book talk, that explore the past , present and future of Black heritage in the state.
For more information on this and other events, please visit https://blackheritagetrailnh.org/website or email info@box2307.temp.domains
