From the heart of Rwanda: (Didacienne tries to create a union in Rwanda).

On the forest paths around Mountain House, the MRA centre in Caux, Switzerland, you may find yourself taking a walk with a new friend and hearing an unexpected story. This is how it was for me with Didacienne, a striking young woman trade unionist from Rwanda.

In her melodious French, she explained that she was one of six children and was brought up by her grandparents until she was 15. `My grandfather was a Pastor: life was well structured and serene. I don't know if that is where I got my dislike of violence but it is very strong in my character.'

As an 18-year-old, Didacienne trained as a nurse, and then went to work in a factory dispensary. `I found the workers abnormally exhausted. I discovered their working hours far exceeded 40 per week. They did not dare complain, for fear of losing their jobs. One day I said to them: "Tomorrow morning, I want you all on the steps, in front of the factory!"'

When the boss arrived, he was outraged, particularly when he discovered that the demonstration had been organized by Didacienne, who had a well-paid job. `I told him I could not live off the backs of the workers and that I wanted to create a union to protect the rights of the weakest.' As a result, she was sacked. Later, when the boss offered to reinstate her, she refused to go back unless he admitted that he was abusing the rights of the workers.

`In the meantime,' she says, `I had married and had two children. My attitude was causing my husband some anxiety.' To compensate for the loss of salary, she had started a small pharmacy. `Then came this terrible war: enough to drive one mad.'

The events at the factory had made Didacienne's name as a trade unionist, and in 1996 she was elected to the national federation of trade unions, in the post of education and training. Later on, she became involved in human rights issues and went to the US for training in democracy and government. There she met a colonel in the State Department. `I asked him: "Why did you let us down? Just one of your tanks would have put the killers to flight!"'

On her return she gave free training sessions in democracy and government in all the prefectures of Rwanda and two years later she attended a three-month course in Canada on conflict resolution. She is now a counsellor in conflict management and a trainer in mediation and conciliation at Rwanda's national university.

A few days before our conversation, Didacienne had spoken to a plenary session of the conference. `The war and the genocide of 1994 left deep hurts amongst Rwandans: on one side are those who have lost loved ones, on the other the families of those who participated in the genocide,' she said. `The two sides suffer from an illness called hate and need the remedy of forgiveness and reconciliation.

`I also knew hate. I was completely traumatized, I did not know what to do to overcome the pain of the massacre of members of my family, or how to bear to live near the families of the killers.'

In 1998, when someone else died in her family, Didacienne realized that `death is a natural stage, and that it is worse to be responsible for it than to be the victim'. This made it possible for her to `put myself in the place of the wives and children of the killers and feel great pity for them'. With some friends, she set up a women's group, which helps prisoners in hospital, particularly by taking meals in to them.

`At first, they could not believe that the widows of the genocide and Tutsi women would bring them food; they were afraid of being poisoned. But little by little they realized that our motivation was compassion. Some cried, some asked for forgiveness. It is terrible to see people brought low by their own wrong-doing: that is what gave me the strength to hate the sin without ha ting the sinner.'

Didacienne finished her talk by asking the international audience to stand so that she could ask for their forgiveness on behalf of the Rwandans present--`for the feelings of hate that we had for the whole world, accusing it of betraying us by not helping in the face of the massacre of our parents, spouses, children.' The whole assembly stood in silence, astonished, moved and abashed by her words.