Benjamin Sehene (born 1959) is a
Rwandan author whose work primarily focuses on questions of identity and the events surrounding the
Rwandan genocide
The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed H ...
. He spent much of his life in Canada and lives in France.
Sehene was born in
Kigali to a
Tutsi
The Tutsi (), or Abatutsi (), are an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the second largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi (the other two being the largest Bantu ethnic ...
family. His family fled Rwanda in 1963 for
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...
, and he studied in Paris at the
Sorbonne
Sorbonne may refer to:
* Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities.
*the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970)
*one of its components or linked institution, ...
in the early 1980s, before emigrating to Canada in 1984. He lives in Paris. He is a member of
PEN International
PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous Internatio ...
.
In the aftermath of the 1994
genocide
Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Lat ...
, Sehene returned to Rwanda, hoping to better understand what had happened. He subsequently wrote
Le Piège ethnique (''The Ethnic Trap'') (1999), a study of ethnic polemics, and
Le Feu sous la soutane (''Fire under the Cassock'') (2005), an historical novel focusing on the true story of a
Hutu
The Hutu (), also known as the Abahutu, are a Bantu ethnic or social group which is native to the African Great Lakes region. They mainly live in Rwanda, Burundi and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they form one of the p ...
Catholic priest
The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...
, Father Stanislas, who offered protection to Tutsi refugees in his church before sexually exploiting the women and participating in massacres. Sehene also contributes articles to the online newspaper
rue89
Rue89 is a French news website started by former journalists from the newspaper ''Libération''. It was officially launched on 6 May 2007, on the day of the second round of the French presidential election. Its news editor is Pascal Riché, forme ...
.
Publications
* ''
Le Piège Ethnique''(''The Ethnic Trap'')]
Éditions Dagorno, Dagorno, Paris, (1999)
Rwanda's collective amnesia in ''The
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
Courier'', (1999).
* ''
Un sentiment d'insécurité'', Play, Paris, 2001
* "Dead Girl Walking" (short story)
* ''
Le Feu sous la soutane'' (''Fire under the Cassock''),
L'Esprit Frappeur, Paris (2005)
"Ta Race!" (Short story) Éditions Vents d'Ailleurs,
a Roque d'Anthéron France, 2006
*''Die ethnische Falle'
Wespennest
''Wespennest'' (literally translated "wasps nest") is a bi-annual literary magazine published in Austria. It includes texts and images by authors and artists, presenting themes on specific countries, literature, art theory or politics, along wit ...
2006
External links
Official siteBenjamin Sehene's short storiesRioting in France: Le Mal FrançaisInterview on French cultureArticle in ''Jeune Afrique''Éditions Vents d'AilleursRue89
1959 births
Living people
People from Kigali
Tutsi people
Rwandan writers
Rwandan emigrants to Canada
Rwandan expatriates in France
Rwandan expatriates in Uganda
University of Paris alumni
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