9.30.04

Benjamin Mushuhukye

Rwandan student at Erskine Seminary honored by home country

Sometimes it is important to know where somebody's been to understand where that person is going.

Benjamin Mushuhukye, 24, is a second-year Erskine Theological Seminary student who came to Due West from his native Rwanda in 2003 to pursue a master's degree in Christian education.

Mushuhukye was recently honored by Rwanda for his work with the country's street children. He was recognized as one of five promoters of unity and reconciliation among Rwandan young people. His mother accepted the award on his behalf.

Nearly three years ago, while teaching at a secondary school in Rwanda, Mushuhukye and a friend came up with the idea of starting a unity and reconciliation club that would bring together youths from different tribes in the Central African nation.

"It was clear that they never saw each other as brothers and sisters, thus making it hard for us to teach," Mushuhukye said. “Other schools were interested in our idea and they invited us to come and initiate it in those schools. It has spread to all regions of Rwanda."

A member of the minority Tutsi tribe, Mushuhukye, the oldest of three children, spent much of his young life moving from place to place to escape the turmoil of civil war. He traveled with his family and sometimes without them. Being on the run was the only way to avoid attempts at genocide by the majority tribe.

The Hutus are the majority tribe in Rwanda and overthrew the ruling Tutsi king in 1959. Over the next several years, thousands of Tutsis were killed and about 150,000 were exiled into neighboring countries.

The children of those exiles later formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, and began a civil war in 1990. The war, along with several political and economic upheavals, heightened ethnic tensions, culminating in April 1994 in the genocide of roughly 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

The Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and ended the killing in July 1994 and in March 1999, Rwanda had its first local elections. In August and September of 2003, Rwanda had its first post-genocide presidential and legislative elections.

"It was not a piece of cake," Mushuhukye said of growing up in Rwanda. "I had my schooling in different countries, such as Uganda and the Congo. As hard as it was, it was a blessing from God to be able to see all those countries and have those opportunities."

Today, things are better in Rwanda and Mushuhukye believes that is a gift from God. "People have broken the boundaries of ignorance," he said.

He said there is no university in Rwanda that offers anything beyond a bachelor's degree. "As people get educated they will become more aware of what has separated us," he said.

The club that he helped establish is starting to tear down some walls that separate the tribes.

"We had 30 students that showed up the first day," Mushuhukye said. Now the club has had far-reaching impact.

"It has not only touched the lives of the students, but also their families," he said.

One question troubled students in both tribes. "We asked, 'Why do you fight each other?'" Mushuhukye said. “No one had an answer.

"The answer is for God to forgive us and help us," he said. "That's why I have hope that Rwanda will be a model for many other countries."

The story of how Mushuhukye arrived in Due West began in 1996 when he met some missionaries who were in Rwanda "under humanitarian cover." He said some members of the group were from the United States.

"What touched me most was how we would find them mingling with the street kids," he said. "All you'd see is them totally emptying themselves into you. My prayer became that I wanted to be like them."

That was the turning point in his Christian life, Mushuhukye said.

"They just reflected the true image of Jesus," he said of the missionaries.

After completing his bachelor's degree, he decided to pursue a degree in Christian education. With the help of some friends in Atlanta, Mushuhukye was able to come to Erskine Seminary in September 2003.

In addition to his teaching and work with the unity and reconciliation club, Mushuhukye has served as a volunteer with the Red Cross and has helped his pastor with youth at his church in Rwanda.

He wants to continue his work with young people when he returns to Rwanda. He expects to complete his degree by May of next year. "I'm sure I will be very helpful to my church," he said with a smile.

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