Ashleigh Goheen Major Assignment #3

Multigenre Novel Project Diary:

Tuhabonyes Journal October 21, 1993

Today my life stopped. It just halted right in front of me. What happened? I cant even comprehend that question. It started out just perfectly fine. I woke up, ready to take my Chemistry test. Id studied all day and all night for that test. I was ready. So, I got dressed and headed out the door with my head held high. Surely, I would ace this test. I just knew it. When I got into my first classroom, Chemistry, nobody was in there. Not even my teacher. That was odd since I knew class would be starting very soon. I turned around and walked out of the classroom. All I was thinking was, I hope the test doesnt get canceled. I had also noticed that a lot of the Tutsi teachers had not arrived yet, mine being one of the few. As I was walking, the technology teacher, Mr. Damas, stopped me and said, Gilbert, we must do something. The president is dead. The Hutus are rising up against us. My stomach dropped when I heard that the president was dead. I couldnt believe it. Whats going on here? The Hutus are rising up against us? I wondered how he knew this so I asked him and he replied, The radio, son. The radio I fear that the Hutus are going to attack the school. Ive seen some of their preparations on the road. They are going to do everything they can to keep the military out. This news shocked me. I knew that some people were cutting down a tree earlier right near the entrance to the schools. I panicked and thought maybe that was the Hutus trying to keep us out. For sure, I knew this day wouldnt turn out well . A few of my Tutsi classmates and I went and stood on the campus lawn and watched what was unfolding with our dean, Mr. Niyonkenguruka. By ten oclock, I heard some Tutsis talking about escaping. With every passing minute, more Hutus joined the Hutus already surrounding the school. I got so frustrated just standing there so I decided to take charge. I turned around to find a group of Hutus coming towards us. My fellow track teammate pushed his way through the other men in his group and looked at me with a scowl and said, You killed our president. And now I am going to cut you, Gilbert. He ran his finger across his throat. By then, I was extremely confused. Why did they think I killed the president? I could never kill anyone, especially my own president. The rest of the day went on with me leading my Tutsi classmates in a march across the lawn. We were trying to march towards the edge of the grass where we could escape, peacefully. Except, the Hutus were looking at us like meat, staring at us as me strode past them. Then out of nowhere, a spear goes flying through the air and hits one of the Tutsis that was marching with me and he fell to the ground. After that, everything just went

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downhill. Later on was when the Hutus herded us into one of the classrooms like cows and held us hostage in there for a while. When they started swinging their machetes everywhere, thats when I got scared for my life. I knew how to run. Maybe I could just sneak out of the window when they werent looking and run as fast as I could. On top of me lay hundreds of dead Tutsis, bloody. I was panicking. What is happening? was all I could think. My sweat stung my eyes. I couldnt breathe. But then what happened next was beyond anything they had done that day. They started to pour gas all over the dead bodies on top of me. I tried to stay as quiet as I could so they wouldnt find me and kill me. I was going to die. I knew it. That day was definitely the worst day of my entire life.

Interview:
Interviewer: Not many people can say that theyve experienced something that changed their life forever. Can you describe to us briefly what it was like on the morning of October 21, 1993? Gilbert Tuhabonye: I thought that day was going to be a good day. They came to my school at about five oclock or six oclock that morning. I had biology, chemistry, and physics tests that I was very nervous about. There were people coming onto the campus, but I didnt pay attention. I was to focused on studying for my tests. I later learned that some of the schools professors would be taken away to be burned alive and that the students were next. Thats when I knew that something was wrong. They had come to attack our school. I knew that I could most likely run much faster than the attackers. I tried to run, but they stopped me. Then they were told to take me to the Headmaster, alive. I thought that he would protect me since hes almost like a parent to every child in the school. Then, I was sitting in front of him and he was looking me straight in the eyes and he told them to lock me in this small office. As this was happening, they were beating small children and cutting their ears. It was terribly awful torture and then they started to tie all of the children together with rope so they could take them to a place where they would burn them alive. Interviewer: What did the Hutu attackers do to you specifically and how did you finally manage to escape? Gilbert Tuhabonye: I was roped together in a group with 11 people to my right and 11 to my left. We were all naked because the attackers took off our clothes. We had a choiceeither they would chop us up with machetes out in front of the building or burn us alive inside the building. They were beating us with their machetes in the back of the neck to the point where we were paralyzed and couldnt move when they started the fire. They had beaten me with a machete in the chest so hard that it felt like they might have broken some of my ribs. Then, thats when they started tossing gasoline all over us, everywhere. It didnt explode, but there was fire everywhere. After I endured eight hours of that pain, I finally realized that I had to escape. So I grabbed a part of the body of a dead girl and used it to break open a window. There was a crowd of Hutus outside, though. And I knew they would kill me if they saw me. Anyway, I just prayed to God and then jumped out legs first. I just started to run and as I was

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running, they were chasing me. I finally ended up at a hospital. I had cuts and burns everywhere. Interviewer: How shocking was it when you first visited the big city of Bujumbura? Gilbert Tuhabonye: Well, Id never really seen running water from a tap until I went to Bujumbura at age thirteen. I was so in awe at it. I was like, Oh, my Gosh!, the first time in the shower. There were so many cars on the road, but back home there werent that many so it was shocking. Being in Bujumbura was a change for me.

Recipe:
Ugali Recipe (African Polenta) Most traditional Ugali recipes use white cornmeal. Its very similar to Italian Polenta. Its a big dish over in Africa and its usually eaten with vegetables or a meat. To make this recipe youll need the following: Ingredients: 2 cups of white cornmeal (finely ground) Salt to taste (optional)

Directions: 1. Bring water to a rapid boil. 2. Gradually add cornmeal, use a whisk to prevent any lumps from forming. 3. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 10-15 minutes. Every two minutes, using the folding method and a flat wooden spatula, scoop the mixture from the bottom of the pan to prevent any sticking. 4. Remove from heat and place Ugali on a large plate. Wet the wooden spatula and use it to form a perfect cake mound shape.

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Newspaper:

Biography:
Gilbert Tuhabonye was born on November 22, 1974 in the southern country of Songa in Burundi. He is the third of four children. He has an older brother, Dieudonn, an older sister, Beatrice, and a younger sister, Francine. Gilberts family was part of the Tutsi tribe and they worked as farmers. They kept milk cows and raised potatoes, peas, beans, and corn. His love for running was formed at an early age. He loved to run. Hed run to the valley to get water for his family, but his favorite thing to do was chase the cows. He went off to college at Lyce Kibimba and started running competitively. While a freshman at Kibimba, he participated in an 8K race and won, barefooted. By his sophomore year, Gilbert met a couch that taught him how to run correctly with his knees high and holding his arms correctly. The couch encouraged him to keep running and to try hard for the Olympics. On October 22, 1993, the Tutsi tribes rivals, the Hutu tribe, showed up at Gilberts school and turned their rivalry into a horrific reality. Some of Gilberts Hutu classmates, their parents, some teachers, and other Hutu tribesmen, forced more than one hundred Tutsi teachers and children into a room where they beat and burned them to death. After eight hours of being buried by the corpses of his friends and teachers, Gilbert used one of the bones from a classmate to break

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open a window. He jumped out of the window an tried to run as fast as he could. He survived one of the most horrible massacres in the Hutu-Tutsi war. Today, Gilbert lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, Triphine, and his two daughters, Emma and Grace. Hes also a national champion runner. Gilbert is also the founder/creator of a training group for people to learn the basics of running in Austin called Gilberts Gazelles. He is the Head Cross Country and track coach at St. Andrews High School. Gilbert also speaks French, English, Swahili, and his own native Kirundi.

Epitaph:
I must go for a run now. This Voice in my Heart tells me so. Gilbert Tuhabonye

Writing from a characters perspective:

Gilbert Tuhabonyes perspective: I can see from where Im standing that the Hutus are now taking small children into the school. Probably to beat them and then burn them to death. Theyve been doing this all day. They got here at about ten oclock and I dont understand why they would do this. Weve had our ups and downs, the Tutsis and the Hutus, but I never expected it to go this far. The next thing I know Im in the same room that they just took the small children into. Im not scared so much as confused right now. What are they going to do us? Right then I feel a big whack to my chest. Ow! That really hurt. Theyve tied me up in the middle of a whole group of other Tutsis. Theyre beating us and it keeps hitting me in the chest. I feel like every time the weapon comes in contact with my chest, I get a little life knocked out of me. Most of the Tutsis are dead now just from the beating, but I remain still. Hoping none of the attackers would notice I was still alive. After they checked to make sure everyone was dead, they pulled out a can of gasoline. Oh, God. I prayed to God at that moment. I prayed that he would save me from whatever was happening and that I could make it out alive. I tried to remain as still as I possibly could even though I was dying to just jump out from under the corpses that now lie on top of me and start running. Then, one of the attackers starts to douse us in the gasoline. I get a little in my mouth and it tastes horrid. However, I remain calm. They light a match and throw it onto the corpses and I just hold my breath. I cant really do much until they leave this room. Finally, after eight hours, the fire has

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stopped and the Hutus are gone. I can finally break free. So, I grab a body part from one of a girl I knew and used it to break open the window. When I finally managed my way out of the bodies, I could see the sunlight shining through the broken window and I jumped out of it and started running until my legs couldnt take it anymore. I finally end up at the nearby hospital and hurry in. I have cuts and burns all over me. It hurts so badly. I survived it and I can only thank one person for that. Thank you, God.