‘Rwanda, my story - Johan Swinnen’

In the spring of 1994 things went horribly wrong in Rwanda. From 6 April until mid-July at least half a million people lost their lives. Belgian Ambassador Johan Swinnen had to leave Kigali in a hurry. Since arriving in the country in the summer of 1990 he had witnessed at very close hand both the hopeful developments and the turning points.  

Twenty-two years later Johan Swinnen attempts to understand how a reform and peace process failed and how the genocide became possible. With great attention to detail and nuance he describes the key players, the circumstances and the way in which history was derailed before his eyes. With Rwanda, my story he has written a book about African agendas and aspirations but also about the role that we, as Belgians and Europeans, can and want to play in Africa.