Memories of Rwandan refugees reflected in photos

Twenty-three years after the atrocities of the Rwandan genocide, the country is still suffering from the scars of its past. Many Rwandans have fled to Europe to settle down in a peaceful environment. Portrayed namelessly here by Finnish photographer Miia Autio, some of them hesitated to disclose their new home, and others even preferred not to show their face.

The genocide went on for a period of 100 days only in 1994, but the horrors that preceded it did not stop afterwards either. "Almost all my family was killed in 1997, years after the end of the war," revealed the man portrayed above. "I fought against the government, first as a citizen and later as a politician. But they were chasing and torturing me, and I had to leave my country," he added.

"Only bad news come from Rwanda," lamented this woman, who arrived in Norway in 2005. She survived the massacres of 1994, but was later blackmailed when she decided to testify for her neighbor who had been unjustly accused of taking part in the genocide. "That's why I fled the country; I thought I would lose my life. Today, I am a Norwegian citizen, but it doesn't help me. I am Rwandan."

"My mother died in prison, and my father was incarcerated, although he hadn't been in the country during the war," said this woman. She ran from Rwanda to Kenya, and later to Cameroon with her two little sisters. Eventually, she came to Belgium. "I was accepted here. I found my place in Belgium and even started a family here. But I miss Rwanda, and I still feel more Rwandan," she added.

The reasons why people continue to flee from Rwanda are evident, but it doesn't make them easy to talk about. "It is too hard for me," admitted this man, who wants to return to Rwanda one day. "I wish freedom, justice, and real democracy for my home country. I wish the people there were able to express their opinions freely. I wish we all felt safe and in peace in our nation."

Rwandans used to describe their country as a "paradise," and for the woman pictured above, it was tough to leave it. In addition to her experience, she now has to face degrading prejudices. "Once, during a job interview, they asked me to turn on the computer to make sure I knew how to do it!" she said. "I wish Rwanda some day becomes the paradise it used to be, and I'll be able to go home."

The genocide led by the Hutu population against the Tutsi people resonates strongly in the Rwandan society. The man in this picture claimed the government discriminated against Hutus after the war. "My life here in Europe is a new start. It is often challenging, but I like that the government here supports everyone, including foreigners. Here I have hope for life and the future," he added.

"I don't only feel foreign in Germany, I am foreign, but I feel at home here," said this man, who lives and studies in Hannover. Despite many frustrations in his new environment and racist experiences, he doesn't want to return to Rwanda: "I am a person who wants to express his point of view. If I criticized the government, it would be bad for me. I have settled down in Germany, and I feel free."