WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.310 align:middle line:84% "You have a strong spirit," coach 00:00:02.310 --> 00:00:04.380 align:middle line:84% said when the soldiers had vanished 00:00:04.380 --> 00:00:06.240 align:middle line:90% into the haze behind them. 00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:08.130 align:middle line:90% "How are your feet?" 00:00:08.130 --> 00:00:10.650 align:middle line:84% "I'll have to pop the blisters again." 00:00:10.650 --> 00:00:12.120 align:middle line:90% "Do you need new shoes? 00:00:12.120 --> 00:00:12.930 align:middle line:90% You've earned them. 00:00:12.930 --> 00:00:15.180 align:middle line:90% Why didn't you say something?" 00:00:15.180 --> 00:00:16.670 align:middle line:90% Jean Patrick shrugs. 00:00:16.670 --> 00:00:19.200 align:middle line:84% It had never occurred to him that new Nikes could 00:00:19.200 --> 00:00:21.810 align:middle line:90% be his just for the asking. 00:00:21.810 --> 00:00:24.150 align:middle line:84% I've talked to the mayor, coach said. 00:00:24.150 --> 00:00:27.330 align:middle line:84% An Olympic runner would be quite a feather in his cap. 00:00:27.330 --> 00:00:31.380 align:middle line:84% "Tell me, how would you like to be one of the chosen?" 00:00:31.380 --> 00:00:34.560 align:middle line:84% It was as if a book written in strange symbols 00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:36.540 align:middle line:90% had become suddenly clear-- 00:00:36.540 --> 00:00:40.560 align:middle line:84% the photo before they left Kapundwe, the pointed questions 00:00:40.560 --> 00:00:42.360 align:middle line:90% and comments in the car. 00:00:42.360 --> 00:00:45.510 align:middle line:84% Coach was offering him a Hutu card. 00:00:45.510 --> 00:00:47.610 align:middle line:90% He could barely take it in. 00:00:47.610 --> 00:00:50.340 align:middle line:90% "But everyone knows I'm Tutsi." 00:00:50.340 --> 00:00:52.380 align:middle line:90% Coach waved the words away. 00:00:52.380 --> 00:00:56.280 align:middle line:84% "It's not so difficult to invent a male Hutu relatives somewhere 00:00:56.280 --> 00:00:57.390 align:middle line:90% in the past. 00:00:57.390 --> 00:01:00.360 align:middle line:84% Do you think it hasn't been done before?" 00:01:00.360 --> 00:01:03.060 align:middle line:84% Jean Patrick had heard the stories. 00:01:03.060 --> 00:01:06.430 align:middle line:84% "I've accepted a position at National University," 00:01:06.430 --> 00:01:07.650 align:middle line:90% coach continued. 00:01:07.650 --> 00:01:11.650 align:middle line:84% "No one else in Rwanda can train you to reach your potential, 00:01:11.650 --> 00:01:15.100 align:middle line:84% so I want you to follow me there after you graduate. 00:01:15.100 --> 00:01:18.510 align:middle line:84% You'll come to train with me on weekends next year too. 00:01:18.510 --> 00:01:21.840 align:middle line:84% A Hutu card would grease all the wheels." 00:01:21.840 --> 00:01:23.130 align:middle line:90% "I'm going to the Olympics. 00:01:23.130 --> 00:01:24.750 align:middle line:90% Isn't that enough?" 00:01:24.750 --> 00:01:26.940 align:middle line:90% "Not so fast," coach said. 00:01:26.940 --> 00:01:29.220 align:middle line:84% "You have to run an A standard time 00:01:29.220 --> 00:01:31.650 align:middle line:84% on a sanctioned track with an approved timing 00:01:31.650 --> 00:01:35.220 align:middle line:84% system between January '95 and the games. 00:01:35.220 --> 00:01:38.220 align:middle line:84% And you have to make it past the National Olympic Committee, 00:01:38.220 --> 00:01:40.470 align:middle line:90% the sanctioning body of Rwanda. 00:01:40.470 --> 00:01:45.150 align:middle line:84% If they choose, they can bypass a Tutsi with an A standard time 00:01:45.150 --> 00:01:48.630 align:middle line:84% to pick a Hutu runner with a B time." 00:01:48.630 --> 00:01:52.020 align:middle line:84% Jean Patrick sank back against the seat. 00:01:52.020 --> 00:01:55.050 align:middle line:84% He had assumed all he had to do was run fast 00:01:55.050 --> 00:01:57.360 align:middle line:84% and he would get to the Olympics. 00:01:57.360 --> 00:02:01.860 align:middle line:84% "We can never forget we're Tutsi," his mother had said. 00:02:01.860 --> 00:02:03.570 align:middle line:90% They were climbing again. 00:02:03.570 --> 00:02:09.090 align:middle line:84% Papyrus and umunyeganyege giving way to pine and eucalyptus. 00:02:09.090 --> 00:02:11.220 align:middle line:84% Coach honked at a group of children 00:02:11.220 --> 00:02:15.540 align:middle line:84% pulling a calf up the road, and they scurried out of the way. 00:02:15.540 --> 00:02:18.120 align:middle line:84% Clouds sailed across the Bugesera, 00:02:18.120 --> 00:02:20.670 align:middle line:90% the hills stained with shadow. 00:02:20.670 --> 00:02:24.060 align:middle line:84% Whirlwinds of dust swirled in the valley. 00:02:24.060 --> 00:02:27.240 align:middle line:84% A truckload of boisterous soldiers passed them. 00:02:27.240 --> 00:02:30.810 align:middle line:84% Crowded together in the bed, they shouted and sang, 00:02:30.810 --> 00:02:33.000 align:middle line:90% rifles raised high. 00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:34.320 align:middle line:90% Coach smiled. 00:02:34.320 --> 00:02:37.440 align:middle line:84% Their team must have won, he said. 00:02:37.440 --> 00:02:40.350 align:middle line:84% For a moment, his eyes followed the men. 00:02:40.350 --> 00:02:42.480 align:middle line:90% Then he turned to Jean Patrick. 00:02:42.480 --> 00:02:46.200 align:middle line:84% "Someday, a Hutu card could be even more important 00:02:46.200 --> 00:02:47.790 align:middle line:90% than the Olympics." 00:02:47.790 --> 00:02:50.340 align:middle line:90% His smile had disappeared. 00:02:50.340 --> 00:02:53.490 align:middle line:84% Jean Patrick watched an ocher funnel swallow 00:02:53.490 --> 00:02:55.560 align:middle line:90% the children and their calf. 00:02:55.560 --> 00:02:58.320 align:middle line:84% The dust had an almost human smell, 00:02:58.320 --> 00:03:02.790 align:middle line:84% like sweat and Earth fermenting in folds of skin. 00:03:02.790 --> 00:03:04.830 align:middle line:90% There was something else too-- 00:03:04.830 --> 00:03:09.990 align:middle line:84% a suggestion of iron and rust, like the scent of dried blood 00:03:09.990 --> 00:03:13.515 align:middle line:84% that remained as a war wind on Jean Patrick's Nikes. 00:03:13.515 --> 00:03:17.300 align:middle line:90% 00:03:17.300 --> 00:03:18.920 align:middle line:84% The next section I'm going to read 00:03:18.920 --> 00:03:22.880 align:middle line:84% is about the celebration that takes place right before Jean 00:03:22.880 --> 00:03:26.300 align:middle line:84% Patrick has been accepted into National University, 00:03:26.300 --> 00:03:28.290 align:middle line:84% partly because his coach is there. 00:03:28.290 --> 00:03:32.000 align:middle line:84% It's an atmosphere that is getting increasingly difficult 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:34.070 align:middle line:90% for Tutsi to do anything. 00:03:34.070 --> 00:03:37.050 align:middle line:84% They have very strict quotas, both for secondary school, 00:03:37.050 --> 00:03:39.350 align:middle line:84% which is our high school, and for university. 00:03:39.350 --> 00:03:42.390 align:middle line:84% It's almost impossible for Tutsi to get into school. 00:03:42.390 --> 00:03:45.350 align:middle line:84% So it's really a blessing that Jean Patrick has made it 00:03:45.350 --> 00:03:49.010 align:middle line:84% into National University, which is the main university 00:03:49.010 --> 00:03:50.360 align:middle line:90% in Rwanda at the time. 00:03:50.360 --> 00:03:55.080 align:middle line:84% And in Rwanda, every time you are going on a journey, 00:03:55.080 --> 00:03:58.190 align:middle line:84% a journey is always preceded by a celebration. 00:03:58.190 --> 00:04:00.650 align:middle line:84% And I've partaken in these celebrations, 00:04:00.650 --> 00:04:02.840 align:middle line:84% and they're really wonderful occasions. 00:04:02.840 --> 00:04:04.820 align:middle line:84% Everybody crowds together in these rooms. 00:04:04.820 --> 00:04:07.730 align:middle line:84% And you have just this feast with all kinds 00:04:07.730 --> 00:04:09.740 align:middle line:90% of really delicious dinners. 00:04:09.740 --> 00:04:11.480 align:middle line:90% They have real food there. 00:04:11.480 --> 00:04:14.090 align:middle line:84% Everything is grown, and it just tastes of the soil 00:04:14.090 --> 00:04:16.339 align:middle line:90% and really rich spices. 00:04:16.339 --> 00:04:19.700 align:middle line:84% And they have all kinds of really different home-cooked-- 00:04:19.700 --> 00:04:22.190 align:middle line:84% everything is cooked on a little charcoal grills. 00:04:22.190 --> 00:04:24.300 align:middle line:84% And everything is just really delicious. 00:04:24.300 --> 00:04:25.670 align:middle line:90% So you have these celebrations. 00:04:25.670 --> 00:04:29.570 align:middle line:84% And another thing that happens at the celebrations is urwagwa. 00:04:29.570 --> 00:04:31.640 align:middle line:90% And urwagwa is banana beer. 00:04:31.640 --> 00:04:33.530 align:middle line:90% And I'm not much of a drinker. 00:04:33.530 --> 00:04:37.460 align:middle line:84% And I always stay with friends in Rwanda. 00:04:37.460 --> 00:04:39.200 align:middle line:84% And the first time I had banana beer, 00:04:39.200 --> 00:04:41.510 align:middle line:90% they liked to drink a lot. 00:04:41.510 --> 00:04:43.190 align:middle line:84% And they were very good at drinking. 00:04:43.190 --> 00:04:44.840 align:middle line:90% So I'm a cheap date. 00:04:44.840 --> 00:04:48.980 align:middle line:84% But first time I had banana beer, we sat around-- 00:04:48.980 --> 00:04:51.470 align:middle line:84% and it's one of those things that tastes like sangria. 00:04:51.470 --> 00:04:52.520 align:middle line:90% It tastes like punch. 00:04:52.520 --> 00:04:55.370 align:middle line:84% So you don't realize that it's really alcoholic. 00:04:55.370 --> 00:04:57.830 align:middle line:84% So they kept giving me-- and it's really cool the way 00:04:57.830 --> 00:04:59.180 align:middle line:90% that it's stored traditionally. 00:04:59.180 --> 00:05:01.340 align:middle line:84% You have these big bottles, and a lot of times 00:05:01.340 --> 00:05:05.630 align:middle line:84% you'll see these men, and they have these five liter Jerry 00:05:05.630 --> 00:05:08.702 align:middle line:84% cans and they're filled with urwagwa homemade. 00:05:08.702 --> 00:05:09.410 align:middle line:90% And they make it. 00:05:09.410 --> 00:05:10.493 align:middle line:90% They bury it in the Earth. 00:05:10.493 --> 00:05:11.720 align:middle line:90% It's a long process. 00:05:11.720 --> 00:05:13.160 align:middle line:90% So they have these Jerry cans. 00:05:13.160 --> 00:05:16.040 align:middle line:84% And they pour it into these big beer bottles. 00:05:16.040 --> 00:05:20.030 align:middle line:84% And people drink with-- you have common reed straw. 00:05:20.030 --> 00:05:23.190 align:middle line:84% And people just pass these bottles of urwagwa around. 00:05:23.190 --> 00:05:24.680 align:middle line:90% So that's how we were drinking. 00:05:24.680 --> 00:05:28.460 align:middle line:84% And so I had a few drinks, and then I stood up, 00:05:28.460 --> 00:05:30.890 align:middle line:90% and then I fell down. 00:05:30.890 --> 00:05:32.540 align:middle line:90% And it never really changed. 00:05:32.540 --> 00:05:36.000 align:middle line:84% I love urwagwa but I'm very sensitive to it. 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:39.440 align:middle line:84% So there's a few people that you will meet. 00:05:39.440 --> 00:05:43.010 align:middle line:84% Mukabera is the neighbor of Jean Patrick's family. 00:05:43.010 --> 00:05:44.882 align:middle line:84% Jean Patrick's father in the first chapter 00:05:44.882 --> 00:05:46.340 align:middle line:84% of the novel, Jean Patrick's father 00:05:46.340 --> 00:05:49.140 align:middle line:90% is killed in a car accident. 00:05:49.140 --> 00:05:51.200 align:middle line:84% So he lives with his uncle Emanuel. 00:05:51.200 --> 00:05:55.880 align:middle line:84% Emanuel is a fisherman, and he fishes on Lake Kivu, 00:05:55.880 --> 00:05:57.260 align:middle line:90% which is in Cyangugu. 00:05:57.260 --> 00:05:59.990 align:middle line:90% So you'll meet Uncle Emanuel. 00:05:59.990 --> 00:06:03.380 align:middle line:84% You'll meet his wife and Aunt Esther. 00:06:03.380 --> 00:06:06.620 align:middle line:84% And then you'll also meet Mukabera's daughter, Olivette. 00:06:06.620 --> 00:06:10.310 align:middle line:84% And Uwimana is the headmaster at Gihundwe, 00:06:10.310 --> 00:06:12.290 align:middle line:84% where Jean Patrick has just graduated 00:06:12.290 --> 00:06:13.340 align:middle line:90% from secondary school. 00:06:13.340 --> 00:06:17.540 align:middle line:84% And Uwimana was Jean Patrick's father's best friend. 00:06:17.540 --> 00:06:21.230 align:middle line:84% We also meet his brothers Zachary and his younger 00:06:21.230 --> 00:06:23.000 align:middle line:90% sisters. 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:26.750 align:middle line:84% There was no room in the house to walk around without stepping 00:06:26.750 --> 00:06:28.160 align:middle line:90% on a hand or foot. 00:06:28.160 --> 00:06:32.060 align:middle line:84% Barely room to sit on the floor with a bowl of igisafuria 00:06:32.060 --> 00:06:34.940 align:middle line:84% and eat without jostling an elbow. 00:06:34.940 --> 00:06:37.550 align:middle line:84% Mama and Aunt Esther had been in the cook house 00:06:37.550 --> 00:06:40.940 align:middle line:84% all morning, preparing Jean Patrick's favorite dish. 00:06:40.940 --> 00:06:44.180 align:middle line:84% And the pots of peanutty stew disappeared as soon 00:06:44.180 --> 00:06:46.070 align:middle line:90% as they reached the table. 00:06:46.070 --> 00:06:48.620 align:middle line:84% "Jean Patrick, I've saved the best for you. 00:06:48.620 --> 00:06:52.760 align:middle line:84% Look, two chicken legs," Mama said, putting a steaming bowl 00:06:52.760 --> 00:06:54.170 align:middle line:90% in front of him. 00:06:54.170 --> 00:06:57.440 align:middle line:84% He sat in the place of honor at the head of the table. 00:06:57.440 --> 00:07:00.980 align:middle line:84% Drops of oil glistened on the stew's surface. 00:07:00.980 --> 00:07:04.100 align:middle line:84% Plump, green bananas floated like islands 00:07:04.100 --> 00:07:06.530 align:middle line:90% in the reddish sea of sauce. 00:07:06.530 --> 00:07:09.860 align:middle line:84% Jean Patrick inhaled the earthy scent. 00:07:09.860 --> 00:07:13.790 align:middle line:84% Every cousin and neighbor had come to see Jean Patrick off. 00:07:13.790 --> 00:07:16.310 align:middle line:84% Even some of the sisters from Ntura Church 00:07:16.310 --> 00:07:18.680 align:middle line:84% sat at the table laughing and joking, 00:07:18.680 --> 00:07:22.340 align:middle line:84% sucking the last drop of marrow from chicken bones. 00:07:22.340 --> 00:07:25.910 align:middle line:84% In his blue Sunday suit, Zachary, his brother 00:07:25.910 --> 00:07:28.520 align:middle line:84% looked like a prince in their midst. 00:07:28.520 --> 00:07:31.220 align:middle line:84% If fate were right or fair, he would 00:07:31.220 --> 00:07:33.950 align:middle line:84% have been starting secondary school next week. 00:07:33.950 --> 00:07:36.170 align:middle line:84% He wanted to study for the priesthood 00:07:36.170 --> 00:07:38.660 align:middle line:84% but had not been awarded a scholarship. 00:07:38.660 --> 00:07:41.390 align:middle line:84% And uncle had no money to send him. 00:07:41.390 --> 00:07:44.270 align:middle line:84% The twins, too, were finishing primary school, 00:07:44.270 --> 00:07:46.610 align:middle line:84% but they were not near the top of their class, 00:07:46.610 --> 00:07:50.750 align:middle line:84% so there was neither money nor hope for them. 00:07:50.750 --> 00:07:53.360 align:middle line:84% Jean Patrick took a fried sweet potato 00:07:53.360 --> 00:07:55.460 align:middle line:90% and dipped it in fresh milk. 00:07:55.460 --> 00:07:58.700 align:middle line:84% The cream floated to his lips, and his eyes 00:07:58.700 --> 00:08:00.560 align:middle line:90% closed with pleasure. 00:08:00.560 --> 00:08:04.460 align:middle line:84% "Mama," he announced, "every day at school 00:08:04.460 --> 00:08:08.900 align:middle line:84% I will think of this taste, and I will be happy." 00:08:08.900 --> 00:08:11.540 align:middle line:84% "Jean Patrick, listen to me," Mukabera 00:08:11.540 --> 00:08:15.080 align:middle line:84% called from across the room, raising her bottle of urwagwa 00:08:15.080 --> 00:08:16.270 align:middle line:90% toward him. 00:08:16.270 --> 00:08:18.610 align:middle line:84% "When you get back from that school of yours, 00:08:18.610 --> 00:08:22.540 align:middle line:84% you come back and marry my beautiful daughter, eh?" 00:08:22.540 --> 00:08:25.300 align:middle line:84% Olivette tossed back her head in laughter. 00:08:25.300 --> 00:08:28.060 align:middle line:84% And it seemed to Jean Patrick as if she had just 00:08:28.060 --> 00:08:32.200 align:middle line:84% now stepped from the shadowy background and into day. 00:08:32.200 --> 00:08:35.799 align:middle line:84% He saw her white, straight teeth and lively eyes, 00:08:35.799 --> 00:08:39.309 align:middle line:84% her ocher skin polished by the afternoon light that 00:08:39.309 --> 00:08:41.140 align:middle line:90% streamed through the window. 00:08:41.140 --> 00:08:43.539 align:middle line:84% Like his sister, Jacqueline, her hair 00:08:43.539 --> 00:08:46.480 align:middle line:84% fell straight and shining around her ears. 00:08:46.480 --> 00:08:50.350 align:middle line:84% When he next came home, he would have to take her for a walk. 00:08:50.350 --> 00:08:51.040 align:middle line:90% "Oya. 00:08:51.040 --> 00:08:52.360 align:middle line:90% No, Mukabera. 00:08:52.360 --> 00:08:56.740 align:middle line:84% Jean Patrick will not have time for girls," Uwimana said. 00:08:56.740 --> 00:08:58.405 align:middle line:90% Angelique rolled her eyes. 00:08:58.405 --> 00:09:04.180 align:middle line:84% Umukunzi wanjye "My sweetheart, there is always time for love." 00:09:04.180 --> 00:09:07.810 align:middle line:84% Dipping into a fresh pot of igisafuria Uwimana 00:09:07.810 --> 00:09:10.480 align:middle line:84% said, "hear me, Jean Patrick is going 00:09:10.480 --> 00:09:13.150 align:middle line:84% to be a famous man in this country." 00:09:13.150 --> 00:09:16.120 align:middle line:84% With his fingers, he picked out a bit of chicken 00:09:16.120 --> 00:09:18.850 align:middle line:90% and popped it into his mouth. 00:09:18.850 --> 00:09:22.990 align:middle line:84% After oration from Mama, Uncle, and Uwimana, 00:09:22.990 --> 00:09:25.540 align:middle line:90% Uncle Emanuel proposed a toast. 00:09:25.540 --> 00:09:27.910 align:middle line:84% Everyone whistled and raised a bottle. 00:09:27.910 --> 00:09:29.530 align:middle line:90% "Speech, Jean Patrick. 00:09:29.530 --> 00:09:31.300 align:middle line:90% Give us a speech." 00:09:31.300 --> 00:09:33.430 align:middle line:90% He took in the celebration. 00:09:33.430 --> 00:09:35.500 align:middle line:84% There was so much he wanted to say. 00:09:35.500 --> 00:09:38.650 align:middle line:84% But when he opened his mouth to begin his speech, 00:09:38.650 --> 00:09:41.830 align:middle line:84% only a long sigh came from his throat. 00:09:41.830 --> 00:09:46.180 align:middle line:84% That's another thing when you go to an occasion. 00:09:46.180 --> 00:09:50.350 align:middle line:84% I've been to different kinds of occasions, one of which 00:09:50.350 --> 00:09:51.220 align:middle line:90% was a wedding. 00:09:51.220 --> 00:09:53.800 align:middle line:84% I have an adopted son, and he got married, 00:09:53.800 --> 00:09:55.840 align:middle line:90% and everyone gives speeches. 00:09:55.840 --> 00:09:58.450 align:middle line:84% Whenever they have an occasion, you just 00:09:58.450 --> 00:09:59.860 align:middle line:90% have speech after speech. 00:09:59.860 --> 00:10:02.500 align:middle line:84% And Kinyarwanda is a language of poets. 00:10:02.500 --> 00:10:04.000 align:middle line:84% It was a language of poets before it 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:05.000 align:middle line:90% was a written language. 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:07.167 align:middle line:84% And so even though I don't understand it well enough 00:10:07.167 --> 00:10:10.060 align:middle line:84% to know what they're saying, I just love to close my eyes 00:10:10.060 --> 00:10:11.680 align:middle line:90% and listen to the speeches. 00:10:11.680 --> 00:10:13.430 align:middle line:84% So I'm going to skip forward a little bit. 00:10:13.430 --> 00:10:16.250 align:middle line:84% The other thing that happens is when people are going away, 00:10:16.250 --> 00:10:18.550 align:middle line:84% there's always a big procession to see them off. 00:10:18.550 --> 00:10:20.050 align:middle line:84% Even when I would go to the airport, 00:10:20.050 --> 00:10:22.900 align:middle line:84% we'd have three or four cars packed with people 00:10:22.900 --> 00:10:24.230 align:middle line:90% to take me to the airport. 00:10:24.230 --> 00:10:26.180 align:middle line:84% It was a really wonderful experience. 00:10:26.180 --> 00:10:29.350 align:middle line:84% So this is when they're going to the bus stop. 00:10:29.350 --> 00:10:32.500 align:middle line:84% And of course, they don't have cars, so they have to walk. 00:10:32.500 --> 00:10:33.000 align:middle line:90%