Kigali, Rwanda – Tourists browsing Claudette Kamikazi’s souvenir shop see a Rwanda eager to showcase itself to the world. Business has grown steadily as the country has invested heavily in tourism, bringing more visitors through her doors. But Kamikazi sees something different: a country whose darkest chapter still shapes her life.The 29-year-old was born after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, in which about 800,000 people were killed over 100 days. Yet, she says, the genocide has never felt like history.On July 4, Rwanda marks Liberation Day, commemorating the military victory of the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), led by President Paul Kagame, which ended the genocide and brought the movement to power.“My father has been in prison since I was a toddler. My siblings and I were raised by my mother, who survived the genocide. The history of what happened in my country follows me every day,” Kamikazi told Al Jazeera from her shop in Kigali.Her story reflects one of the genocide’s enduring complexities. While some Hutu extremists killed their Tutsi spouses and even their own children, others risked their lives to protect family members despite the violence. Kamikazi’s mother survived, but her father was convicted for his role in the …
