Genocide’s Legacy: A Reconciliation Village In Rwanda | The Daily 360 | The New York Times

This is one of Rwanda's

reconciliation

village

s, where the perpetrators and victims of the country's

genocide

live together. At least 800,000 people died during 100 days of violence that began in April 1994, when the country's ethnic Hutu majority attacked their Tutsi neighbors. But 23 years later, the country has formalized the

reconciliation

process in towns like this one. Jacqueline Mukamana and Mathias Sendegeya are two of these unlikely neighbors. Children are taught a state-mandated reconciliation curriculum from an early age. That day, his task was to describe his hopes for the future. This morning, the entire

village

participates in a day of mandatory community service, known as Umuganda, to instil a sense of cooperation and work to rebuild the nation.

Here, residents are digging a drainage ditch to prevent houses in the community from flooding. While the adults work, the children gather to play and perform a traditional dance. For a new generation growing up in an inclusive community, these children identify first as Rwandans.