''Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda'' is a

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

written and drawn by Jean-Philippe Stassen, published by

First Second Books First Second Books is an American publisher of graphic novels. An imprint of Roaring Brook Press, part of Holtzbrinck Publishers, First Second publishes fiction, biographies, personal memoirs, history, visual essays, and comics journalism. It als ...

Publication history

The book was published in French in 2000 by

Dupuis Éditions Dupuis S.A. () is a Belgium, Belgian publisher of comic albums and magazines. Based in Marcinelle near Charleroi, Dupuis was founded in 1922 by Jean Dupuis, and is mostly famous for its comic comics album, albums and magazines. It is ...

and has appeared in a number of different

translations Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...

. It was translated into English by Alexis Siegel and published in 2006 by

First Second First Second Books is an American publisher of graphic novels. An imprint of Roaring Brook Press, part of Holtzbrinck Publishers, First Second publishes fiction, biographies, personal memoirs, history, visual essays, and comics journalism. It als ...

Plot summary

The story takes place before, during, and after the

genocide in Rwanda 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 Hutu ...

; told through parallel storylines. It is divided between the present day and Deogratias' flashbacks, denoted by black borders for the former and blank borders for the latter. It follows Deogratias, a Hutu teenager who has been unstable ever since his two Tutsi friends died in the genocide. The story begins after the genocide. Deogratias is at a bar and meets an old friend, a French sergeant. Deogratias has flashbacks to his life before the genocide. He remembers the crush he had on the two girls and how he tried to spend time with them. In the flashbacks, Deogratias wasn't always a good person. We meet other people in the story. The two tribes in the country didn't get along. Deogratias was a bit caught in the middle of the feud, having been forced to join the "Interahamwe". His life after the genocide seems very bad. In day three of Deogratias returns to the town looking for urwagwa (

banana beer Banana beer is an alcoholic beverage made from fermentation of mashed bananas. Sorghum, millet or maize flour are added as a source of wild yeast. Etymology In Uganda, banana beer is known as ''mubisi'', in DR Congo as Kasiksi, in Kenya as ''ur ...

) because he is turning into a dog again, but doesn't. Because he talks to Julius about killing the Tutsis, then he begins to think of how the father and brother Philip left and the others stayed and hid.

Characters

Deogratias - The main character of the book. He is 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 prin ...

boy in Rwanda during the genocide. He struggles between good and evil actions throughout the novel . He also becomes mentally unstable as the book continues. He continuously turns into a dog to represent him changing into one of the people who are killing the Hutu and Tutsis. Venetia - 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 grou ...

women and mother of Benina and Apollinaria. She works as a prostitute at a local hotel, soliciting in sexual manners. It is revealed that she and Father Stanislass where once lovers. Apollinaria - Venetia's oldest daughter who works at the church. Deogratias pines after her though she denies him. She is very angered by the thoughts of being called a cockroach and is protective of her sister when she finds out early in the book that she is in a relationship with Deogratias. Benina - Apollinaria's half sister, she is also Tutsi. Benina is involved in a romantic relationship with Deogratias. Brother Philip - A young man who goes to Rwanda in order to try to bring religion and civility to the Rwandans. Who also at the end lets Deogratias confess to him and listen to all of Deogratias' stories. Father Prior Stanislas - A white priest who runs the local church. Deogratias steals money from him, catching him in a lie. He is known to have had an affair with Venitia, and also is Appollinaria's father. Augustine - a

Twa Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major American airline which operated from 1930 until 2001. It was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles via St. Louis, Kansas City, and other stops, with ...

man who works at the church and childhood friend of Venetia. He has an infant daughter named Marie. Julius - A leader in the Hutu militia called the " interahamwa". He forcefully makes Deogratias join his group and participate in the killing. Bosco - An officer in the Tutsi-led

Rwandan Patriotic Front The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF–Inkotanyi, french: Front patriotique rwandais, FPR) is the ruling political party in Rwanda. Led by President Paul Kagame, the party has governed the country since its armed wing defeated government forces, winn ...

who often supplies Deogratias with banana beer. Sergeant/The Frenchman - A French military officer who assisted the Interahamwe during the genocide.

Editions

The various editions and translations include: * French:

, 2000. * Dutch: Uitgeverij Dupuis, 2000 * Portuguese:

ASA ASA as an abbreviation or initialism may refer to: Biology and medicine * Accessible surface area of a biomolecule, accessible to a solvent * Acetylsalicylic acid, aspirin * Advanced surface ablation, refractive eye surgery * Anterior spinal ar ...

, 2005. * Italian : Nuovi Equilibri, 2005. * English:

, 2006. * Spanish:

Planeta DeAgostini Editorial Planeta-DeAgostini is a Spanish-Italian publisher and a subsidiary of Grupo Planeta and De Agostini specializing in collectable books, sold periodically in pieces through newsstands ( partworks). It has its headquarters in Barcelona.< ...

, 2008.

Critical reception

''Deogratias'' received overwhelmingly positive reviews by a number of literary publications including ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' who wrote: "The heartbreaking power of Deogratias is how it keeps the reader distant from the atrocities by showing the trivial cruelties of everyday life before and after the genocide."

Awards

The book won the 2000 René Goscinny award, the 2001 Angoulême International Comics Festival Media award and the 2007 "Best Reprint Publication"

Glyph Comics Awards The Glyph Comics Awards is for the best comics made by people of color from the last calendar year. The goal is to award the People of Color for their awesome work in the comics industry and also to inspire young writers from diverse backgrounds t ...

. It was also nominated for the

Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for Best Album The Prize for Best Album (''Prix du meilleur album''), also known as the ''Fauve d'Or'' ("Golden Wildcat"), is awarded to comics authors at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. As is the customary practice in Wikipedia for listing awards ...

and

Prix de la critique The Prix de la critique is a prize awarded by the Association des Critiques et des journalistes de Bande Dessinée to the best comic album released for a year in France. Previously, from 1984 to 2003, it was called ''Prix Bloody Mary'' and awarded ...

in 2001. The book also made the 2007

Young Adult Library Services Association The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. YALSA is a national association of librarians, library workers and advocates whose mission is to expand the capacity of l ...

list of "Great Graphic Novel for Teens".2007 Great Graphic Novels for Teens
, YALSA

Notes

References

''Déogratias''
at Bedetheque * * {{Refend

External links

at Dupuis.com
Deogratias
at Macmillan

Reviews

at the

Comic Book Bin a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...

Review
at Curledup.com 2006 books 2006 in comics Dupuis titles First Second Books books French graphic novels Works about the Rwandan genocide Books about Rwanda